Emotions and Keys: The Poll

Poll: Do Musical Keys have Emotions


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johnson430

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Greetings all,

I have been taking some music production classes and my teacher keeps talking about the emotions of keys and how important it can be to the overall feeling of a given piece.

I found this on the internet about a year ago when I was playing more uke and thought it was interesting and it is on the same lines as what my instructor was talking about recently.

http://www.gradfree.com/kevin/some_theory_on_musical_keys.htm
http://ledgernote.com/blog/lessons/musical-key-characteristics-emotions/
http://biteyourownelbow.com/keychar.htm

Per a recent post on UU, another member said this was nonsense. So I want to know: Do some keys proke certain emotions or feelings when you hear those keys?

Thanks,
Johnson
 
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JMHO- I read the thread on the emotional value of different chords, very interesting food for thought. But, that differs from keys. For me, I transpose songs into different keys all the time to fit my raspy, old, limited voice. Different music obviously evokes different emotions, think blues, jazz, country, rock, old-time, classical, etc. IMO when I change the key of a song, I do not think I change the emotion that piece evokes. The type of chord and its sequence in the piece may indeed evoke specific feelings, but the key is a different matter.
 
Yes, of course. At the very least each key highlights a specific range of an instrument.
 
The Roy Sakuma book Treasury of Ukulele Chords characterizes each chord form with what I would call a sense of emotion - e.g. major chords he describes as "bright and summery," minor chords as "sad and lonely." This actually works for me, but I do think it's coming from a very specific cultural perspective (western, or at least western influenced).

I've thought about this a lot with regard to minor chords/keys - I pretty much love anything minor, and sometimes people have joked about the "depressing" music I gravitate toward. I think this is a particularly western/American/European perspective. Personally I don't find it depressing per se, although I do hear a bit of "sad and lonely" in minor chords or keys.

But yes, I absolutely think a chord progression or key can provoke an emotional reaction, although the reaction may vary from person to person and culture to culture.
 
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The Roy Sakuma book Treasury of Ukulele Chords characterizes each chord for with what I would call a sense of emotion - e.g. major chords he describes as "bright and summery," minor chords as "sad and lonely." This actually works for me, but I do think it's coming from a very specific cultural perspective (western, or at least western influenced).

I've thought about this a lot with regard to minor chords/keys - I pretty much love anything minor, and sometimes people have joked about the "depressing" music I gravitate toward. I think this is a particularly western/American/European perspective. Personally I don't find it depressing per se, although I do hear a bit of "sad and lonely" in minor chords or keys.

But yes, I absolutely think a chord progression or key can provoke an emotional reaction, although the reaction may vary from person to person and culture to culture.

Great response. Thanks for your input and I agree completely about the cultural influence.
 
I'm going to have to say that I do not know about the keys. I can learn to play any chord progression and any chord, so I could use chords as a tool to express emotion if that is the case. I also attended a D'Ville workshop where he demonstrated the emotions of the different chords and how they related, and I'll buy into that. But when it comes to keys, I can not however play in every key. I guess that I could play in every key, but I can't sing in every key. I'm pretty much stuck with three or four keys that I can use effectively. So I don't see me using specific keys in a practical sense as a tool to express emotion. But I do know that with the keys that I use, sometimes a key just doesn't sound good with a song. Some songs sound better in the key of C, some in G, and some in F. Hypothetically I guess, transposing to another key should just move the song one way or the other, and still sound the same, but that isn't the case in the real world. Just the other day we got together to work on some new songs for a performance we are doing. One of the people who I play with took a song that we had been playing in C and transposed it to D, because he thought that it was too high. We started singing it and then after the first verse and the chorus we all just stopped and went back to playing and singing it in C, because the whole song sounded different, and not in a good way. So maybe there is something to it. I don't know if it was the emotions in that key of D that was different and just didn't go with the song, or what is was. It could be I guess. But I will pay more attention to it in the future.

In regards to the poll though, I have come to the point that I will not take a side. I have found that there are no constants with music. The more I learn about music, the more I realize that it is not a science, it is art, and art is subject to interpretation, which just throws that either one or the other argument out the door.
 
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I think this is an interesting topic. I didn't vote in the poll either - it's a little too black and white for me.

I think it's fair to say that most people experience some sort of emotional response when listening to music. And there seem to be a few different theories as to why that is. The philosopher Stephen Davies believes that music essentially 'mimics' emotional expression. He believes that this expressive quality of music is intrinsic to its structure, i.e. that it is not being projected onto it by the listener. So the emotion is 'in' the music - which arguably supports the idea of particular chords and keys evoking specific reponses.

On the other hand, it may be that the structure of the music is the important thing - i.e. the syntax rather than the words. Theories about melodic expectation suggest that emotional responses to music begin at a cognitive level. This theory also supports the idea of cultural variation, since it is essential based on learnt behaviour.
 
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I voted "no" though I wouldn't go so far as to say "it's complete hogwash".

To my thinking, emotion has close ties with melodies and chords, but not with keys as transposition of keys has been (in my experience) about making things easier to play or working with an instrument tuned to something other than C. The distance between notes in a melody doesn't change regardless of whether you play it in C Major or transpose it to F# Major.

It's not to say that some songs don't sound more or less appealing to my ear depending on the key they're played in, but I believe that's a product of familiarity with the original key.

I hope that made some sense. :)
 
On the other hand, it may be that the structure of the music is the important thing - i.e. the syntax rather than the words.

I have a perfect example of this - "You Are My Sunshine." It's traditionally in a major key, but the lyrics - especially if one considers all of the verses - are incredibly maudlin. Because some of those verses are often skipped, it seems in popular perception to be a "happy" song. If I had a dollar for every wedding planner who has been referred to me or a friends for a ukulele player who can play this at a wedding, I'd probably be buying a new uke... despite the fact that it has to be one of the least appropriate songs for the start of a marriage!
 
This is a great topic. I have always felt that specific keys struck emotions in me. Then I heard it couldn't be true. However if there is so much research and debate and discussion then obviously there must be something to it. The first two links had me chuckle because it matched so many of the sentiments I feel about certain songs. I'm a singer and I always look for the key that's going to suit my voice. That said I do have a wide range and can sometimes pitch the song in a user-friendly key to play.

In particular songs in minor keys I struggle to find "the one." I used to think it had something to do with my range but now I'm convinced it has to do with the sentiment. For example the song Way Down in the Hole I just have to sing it in G minor. It's a great Jam song so sometimes there's a balk at the G minor but the other two chords in the song are C major and D7 so I tell people to just suck it up and learn the G minor chord. If I'm singing I want it to be in my key.

The one song I really struggled with is a song of deep Lament about hoping to make it to a mother's funeral when you don't have any money it's called 900 miles but not the one you think if you're over 60. Here's a link to the wonderful Barbara Dane singing it the chords don't follow the usual 3 chord folk song pattern at least not the way I play it. I played it with a banjo player woman friend of mine who's also a trained classical singer. We both agreed that F minor was the best key for my voice I just filled in the song with Incredible passion. But try being bringing a song in F minor to a generic Music Jam. And it's not a great one for the banjo. And might I add it's not particular great for the ukulele. But it was an experiment in what key best suits my voice. E minor D minor and G minor could work but my heart longed for the F minor. Matching that sentiment up with the list from links one and two it totally made sense. So that's good enough proof for me :)
 
I have a perfect example of this - "You Are My Sunshine." It's traditionally in a major key, but the lyrics - especially if one considers all of the verses - are incredibly maudlin. Because some of those verses are often skipped, it seems in popular perception to be a "happy" song. If I had a dollar for every wedding planner who has been referred to me or a friends for a ukulele player who can play this at a wedding, I'd probably be buying a new uke... despite the fact that it has to be one of the least appropriate songs for the start of a marriage!

Hi janeray :) I was actually using 'syntax' and 'words' as an analogy to differentiate between the dynamic structure of music and its basic building blocks (i.e. chords/notes). I wasn't actually referring to literal words, i.e. lyrics :) However, I do think that you make an interesting point - that the listener tends to take emotional cues from the music of a song rather than from the lyrics. Another example, I would say, is 'Ring of Fire'. To my ear it sounds like a rather cheery cowboy tune with lively mariachi-esque horns, and it always make me smile to hear it. But... it's actually a song about the hellish (metaphorically speaking) torment of illicit love.

Another point - I feel that there is the danger of tripping over some semantic stumbling blocks here. Saying that a certain key is melancholic or cheerful or passionate isn't quite the same thing as saying that a certain key possesses intrinsic tonal qualities that are capable of evoking a particular response in the listener. So, to directly address the question, as it is worded - no, keys do not 'have' emotions, in the same way that rocks, coffee tables, Wensleydale cheese, and the Eiffel tower do not 'have' emotions :p
 
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Way too vague a question.

Do minor keys have a different emotional feel compared to major keys? Yes -- although people from various cultures do not all agree about whether a minor tune is "happy" or not.

Does your particular ukulele, in a given tuning, feel different in different keys? Of course it does. Are you playing open strings? Way up the neck? Are there notes that resonate more than others? If you sing, your voice sounds different in different keys. But: does the key that sounds, let's say, wistful and plaintive coming from you have the same effect coming from someone with a different vocal range and a different uke (let alone a tuba)? Highly unlikely.

300 years ago, Bach wrote "The Well-Tempered Clavier" to celebrate modern tuning methods that allowed playing in all 12 keys without pausing to re-tune. However, in Bach's time those keys did not all sound the same. I used to think "well-tempered" was a general description (the tuning of this clavier was well done, good job!) But actually "well temperament" is a specific type of tuning, and it is not what we have today.

When Mozart and Beethoven were writing, there were still subtle differences between keys. G-minor did not sound like A-minor because the scale intervals were not the same.

Today we use equal temperament and every key has the same intervals between notes. Your ukulele's fretboard is set up for equal temperament. To play Beethoven's scales, you'd have to move the frets. Here's a very cool comparison of where frets go for equal, meantone and just intonation: https://vimeo.com/126199581

There are still people who tell you different keys have different meanings. There are also still people who say the Dorian mode is ruled by Saturn because Pythagoras said so.

TL;DR: I voted "hogwash" but it's an interesting topic and you might enjoy reading this: http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?topic=274.0
 
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Must....not....post....video...of...Nigel...explaining....Dm... :p

Yes, of course. At the very least each key highlights a specific range of an instrument.
I'm voting no, but I think this is closer to the truth. I know songs "feel" different if I play them on baritone vs Bb tenor vs C concert vs Eb cuatro. Trying to arrange for bass guitar, a song in D feels different than E since E is the low note on most basses and playing in D spends a lot of time higher on the instrument.

But do I feel different playing a song without a capo and then again with a capo at the first fret? Not really. And don't get me started on the 432hz vs 440 debate. :rolleyes:
 
I know that various composers, Mozart for one believed in different keys to portray particular emotion. This can be found in many of his operas. Take a look at

http://wwwnicholashay-operahistorian.blogspot.com/2012/06/tonality-in-mozarts-don-giovanni.html

http://www.wmich.edu/mus-theo/courses/keys.html

I recall listening to episodes of Piano Jazz on NPR with Marian McPartland and I would listen to discussions she had with other players, especially when they would duet. They often discussed how certain songs had a different feel or flavor in different keys.
 
I never really thought that the emotions music made me feel were related to the key. I always though it was the chord structure. But I don't really recognize what keys certain passages are played in. I have to look into this, it is very interesting. Thanks for the post!
 
Do you ever hear a song and it brings you back to a specific event in your life? Does it trigger a feeling you had then?

I think this question is rooted in that phenomenon. Music triggers the brain to remember, possibly subconsciously, sometimes vividly.

A sound doesn't necessarily have an emotion, but we learn to associate a feeling or emotion with them. In western culture, we associate major keys with something happy or upbeat, and minors with something more moody. So when we hear it, that's the memory or feeling we trigger.

A good way to hear this, is to listen to microtonal music. In western culture, our brains are not conditioned to understand it, and so many people find it uncomfortable because it doesn't fit the framework that's built in our consciousness.
 
Even as a lifelong musician, I've always personally been pretty insensitive toward key differences, insofar as how they make me "feel" - but I've heard enough people say the opposite so as not to discount it at all. I find some keys are more frustrating to play in than others, but that's about it. I come from a strictly instrumental framework to my thinking, as I never sing (I am in fact incapable of vocalizing even in speech as I play, but that's another issue... lol).

It used to be that in order to tell what key something unfamiliar was in, I had to hear the string sections playing in an orchestra or other ensemble - then I would pick up cues from the resonances of open strings, and deduce it from there. I could never tell what key a non-string instrument was playing in, or even a piano. But very recently, I've been able to discern tonalities on a piano playing solo, for the first time in my life, and I'm in my sixties. I don't know how that happened, and frankly, it surprised me. But I still can't tell bupkis about pitches or keys from wind instruments without a string presence as a reference point to go by. The ear and brain connection is really a funny thing, isn't it?

And when I hear microtonal music, it just sounds disturbingly out of tune to me....

bratsche
 
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