Music.
We all have that one song that's instantly on our minds when we hear the word music.
“So, Umm, do you have any hobbies?”
“Oh, I listen to music.”
“Awesome! What’s your favourite genre?”
To which I replied,
Oh, old school rock and metal?
*Never saw her again after that*
I was feeling nervous about talking people in college, but I decided to give it a try, and, yup… that is how our conversation went.
But coming to the point, let me nerd out(not very much) about music and its connection with mood.
So, how do you think a song really affects the way we feel or does it actually trigger certain emotions in our minds?
Well, here’s how I’d put it…
You could listen to Pop, what does that make you feel like? Happy? Maybe sad?
Okay what about some nice old school Rock? Maybe some Queen?
Let me take a second and show you some data I found on Semantic Scholar.
Take your time and see for yourself.
Why is it that Pop has the most Joy and Enthusiasm going on? And why is it that Jazz has the most dead numbers of them all?
It’s got a simple answer.
A song mainly has four elements to it. Without making it too technical or very boring, let me state them for you.
Tempo
Rhythm
Melody
Lyrics
As simple as it sounds, is actually how simple it is. A song with a faster tempo, would eventually lead to the artist ending up creating a fast rhythm, and a faster rhythm calls for a nice catchy melody (not always), and the lyrics just speak for themselves.
But, woah, calm down, how are all of them interlinked?
It’s simple, to tell you what a tempo of a song is, the simplest example I can think of is, a clock. Yes, you can hear the tick-tick of the clock as the minute passes by. So, a minute has 60 seconds, so the seconds arm of the clock ticks 60 times. Now, simply put, you can just say that the clock is at a tempo of 60 B.P.M (Beats Per Minute). Got it? Awesome!
Ah, then comes the good old rhythm, the heartbeat of music that gets all our necks swaying and bodies grooving in unison. You know, rhythm has this amazing power to connect with our emotions. When we hear a beat that aligns perfectly with our body's natural flow, it can make us feel so alive, energized, and pumped up. On the other hand, a soothing, gentle rhythm can bring us a sense of calmness and relaxation. It's like music and our emotions are dancing together in perfect sync.
Here comes one of the most catchy part of a song, the Melody. This would be the part of your favourite song that starts to play in your mind if I asked you, “What’s your favourite song?”
Question lies, how to define melody ?
”Hmm hmm umm hmm mhm hmm”
That was my attempt at recreating this masterpiece.
Now that iconic little bit of the song,
”ah umm hmm hmm uh” (no I am not moaning)
That is what you would call a melody.
I hope you got it.
I’m sure you did.
I guess?
Moving on,
This would be the last element of a song and…. drum roll….
It’s the Lyrics!
“Where words fail, music speaks.” But when everything around us fails what speaks to us the most?
”It’s that one lyric from that song man.”
Yes, it’s the lyrics.
Now, I’m not a lyrics guy alright? It’s mainly the music for me, but then there are some people in this world, that just can’t help it but die for the lyrics of a particular song.
Come on, it’s the most relatable bit after all. You could have had a heartbreak, or a great day at work, or maybe just in a good mood to spend the night with your partner ; ) (that wasn’t needed). BUT, it’s the lyrics that you relate to the most right?
That’s it! The Four Main Elements Of A Song.
Wow, I totally forgot about how it affects our mood.
no. i didn’t.
These four elements combined together is what influences your mood and the various emotions inside your mind.
Don’t believe me?
Alright, the next time you’re angry or worked up, try listening to some Metal, preferably, Slipknot, Iron Maiden and maybe, just maybe, Black Sabbath.
Or if you’re feeling all cheered up and happy, some country-pop should make your day better!
Thing is, we don’t realise it very often but we have different types of music keeping us engaged all the time.
For example,
In a lift, we have some smooth jazz, or soft piano playing in the background, because, it generates feelings that are calm and soothing in nature.
Or let’s take a commercial from Ford advertising about their new pickup trucks. They mostly have this old school rock-bluesy track playing in the background with a deep manly voice praising the truck. Why?
Cause they wanna give that badass vibe to their viewers to make them believe that their new truck is a killer (even though, its electric but whatever).
So now, that you kind of have an idea about how there’s different music and its effects on your brain, why don’t you try it out for yourself and figure out as to which type of music suits your work-relax schedule?
Thank you if you read it this far. I always welcome feedback, so your honest opinions would be highly valuable and appreciated!