Musical "Scales" related to "seasons".

[Shabdahbriah]

... relative to what certain scales tend to evoke/emote, and/or to the potential for affecting/altering ones "mood"?

I've always been fascinated with the use of rhythm, natural and artificial sounds, or simply tone and music (in general) for therapeutic uses.

Though I'm interested in any specifics, documention, research, and/or opinions, particularly regarding a "seasonal" assumption, theory, or premise as pertains to scales, any other "scale" related input would be appreciated.

As I recall, scales were significant in the "Mozart effect", for example.

Do any particular scales remind YOU of:

Summer ~ Fall ~ Winter ~ Spring???

Thanks.

~S~

[Ogg Vorbis]

Thanks.

~S~

My thinking is that music is entirely associative. That is, it "contains" or "conveys" no emotional or any other non-musical information whatsoever. It is very good at "sticking" to the memory and associating itself with non-musical events or human feelings, and so the brain does not distinguish between a feeling and the associative experience.

Music has, over the ages, developed conventionalities which we have learned to associate with certain emotions or ideals. For example, french horns playing open chords sound "heroic" or "solemn" or "idealistic." You cannot go wrong with using these kinds of military or hunting call-type devises.

Scales or harmonies can be like spaghetti which sticks to the wall in association with certain moods or seasons. Again, these are not inherent qualities of the scales or harmonies themselves. There is nothing inherently "Spring" like about a major scale. It's just that we've been conditioned in our western culture to think of major as "fresh" and "energetic" or "optimistic" because of repeated associations through the centuries.

I believe other cultures have scales and modes that are associated with certain seasons, moods, occassions and feelings. We usually don't pick up on that because westerners are not usually culturally conditioned the way native listeners are.

As testimony to the subjective or associative properties of scales, when I first heard Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" I didn't know which pieces corresponded to which seasons and I guessed them wrong. I remember being surprised that summer and winter were in minor mode and fall and autumn were in major. I thought that it should have been the exact opposite!

By the way, I've listened to lectures by neuroscientists who have studied emotions, music and the brain. It's interesting to hear one leading neuroscientist describe music as a "prostitute" in the way it is associative when the subject hears a piece of music WITH a video and that the emotional association persists even with the music alone. I am inclined to think that it IS a prostitute. But a respectable prostitute perhaps.

[Ogg Vorbis]

3 days and no replies on this thread? Crap, I was looking forward to an interesting philosophical discussion.

[Lazos]

I agree Ogg Vorbis. Scales and tonality in music are completely associative. Cultural conditioning (I believe) is a primary factor in how a person listens to and interprets music.

I'd also say that especially in a Western musical context, people tend to focus too much on the theoretical building blocks of music (melody, harmony, rhythm, etc.) and their function or perceived function. Spacial structure, phrasing, and texture, for instance, are aspects of music that are frequently overlooked in discussions like these.

For me it really depends on what instrument is playing a particular scale for the associative effect to take place. A scale played on a piano is going to have a completely different effect on me than the same scale played on a violin or a Bulgarian gajda or Chinese guzheng!

[JumpingJackFlash]

... relative to what certain scales tend to evoke/emote, and/or to the potential for affecting/altering ones "mood"?

I've always been fascinated with the use of rhythm, natural and artificial sounds, or simply tone and music (in general) for therapeutic uses.

Though I'm interested in any specifics, documention, research, and/or opinions, particularly regarding a "seasonal" assumption, theory, or premise as pertains to scales, any other "scale" related input would be appreciated.

As I recall, scales were significant in the "Mozart effect", for example.

Do any particular scales remind YOU of:

Summer ~ Fall ~ Winter ~ Spring???

Thanks.

~S~

As I recall, Mozart regarded D minor as a rather demonic key (Don Giovanni for example).

But with Equal Temperament, there is little or no reason to believe that any one scale would intrinsically convey any particular mood anymore than any other scale of the same type.

I have however heard that keys (and presumably scales, by extension) increase in tension the further away from C major you get. Reason supposedly being that we (by which I mean Western musicians) are so used to C major (no sharps/flats) as a kind of default that we subconsciously measure other keys against.

[tapper mike]

Emotive values are shaped more by metre and accentuation then key.

[Ogg Vorbis]

I've always been fascinated with the use of rhythm, natural and artificial sounds, or simply tone and music (in general) for therapeutic uses.
~S~

How would music or sound therapies work? Can you find out which kinds of music relate to an individuals moods and use these as therapeutic mood inducers for calmness, relaxation, memory stimulation, etc?

I doubt that there is a universal mood stimulator when it comes to music. For example, massage therapists play the worst music in human existence...New Age synth pads with ping-pong delay harp...rather than relaxing me, it makes me want to chew kittens.

[jancivil]

but hunting-call horns for heroic you 'can't go wrong with'... hmmm.

What if I use 'em to mickey mouse something Elmer Fudd done...

[Ogg Vorbis]

but hunting-call horns for heroic you 'can't go wrong with'... hmmm.

What if I use 'em to mickey mouse something Elmer Fudd done...

'Twoud work, comedically and vewwwyyyy well!

[jancivil]

Ah, but I was trying to satisfy your hunger for the philostomical discussion. Here, it would be 'perverse' or to turn the cliche on its head to portray E Fudd in archaic romanticisms, and/or ridicules the convention. So, I could 'go wrong'...




Hey it's too hot to sit by the octocore just now and do anything.

[keyman_sam]

Google "raagas" or "carnatic music". It is one of south asia's best kept secrets.

Raagas are associated with evoking moods. i.e. certain raagas will evoke happiness and certain ones will evoke sadness. For instance, raaga desh will evoke patriotic emotions. They are also said to be connected with nature. Certain raagas are said to have the power to evoke rain.

Also, get some classical hindustani vocal albums in iTunes or grooveshark and listen to them. Each song will have the title of the associated raaga. Google search this raaga and see if the emotion it invokes in you matches with the raaga's description.

keep in mind, classical hindustani or carnatic music is like jazz. It takes a lot of listening to and patience, to understand and appreciate them. Don't anticipate to feel emotional, or even connected, or try to make sense of what you're listening to. Forget about all the nomenclature. Don't listen to one song and give up because the tambura drone bores you.

Listen to 10 or 15 songs in a repeated fashion, from various artists. You'll enter a meditative mood when you listen to certain songs.

Hope that helps.

[Ogg Vorbis]

Ah, but I was trying to satisfy your hunger for the philostomical discussion. Here, it would be 'perverse' or to turn the cliche on its head to portray E Fudd in archaic romanticisms, and/or ridicules the convention. So, I could 'go wrong'...




Hey it's too hot to sit by the octocore just now and do anything.

I guess "go wrong" means that it is hard to avoid the association. By turning the association on its head (as in parody or involving its opposite) the incongruity is caused by the persistence of the original association.

To "score" my reply here, I would use a series of solo low bassoon staccato quarter notes ending on a whole note with a fermata to emphasize the comedically desperate grasping for straws. The scale I would choose would be a downward chromatic scale.

[jancivil]

Ah, but I was trying to satisfy your hunger for the philostomical discussion. Here, it would be 'perverse' or to turn the cliche on its head to portray E Fudd in archaic romanticisms, and/or ridicules...

I guess "go wrong" means that it is hard to avoid the association. By turning the association on its head (as in parody or involving its opposite) the incongruity is caused by the persistence of the original association.

To "score" my reply here, I would use a series of solo low bassoon staccato quarter notes ending on a whole note with a fermata to emphasize the comedically desperate grasping for straws. The scale I would choose would be a downward chromatic scale.

I would go for the cornet with plunger mute wah wah WAHH. Also see: Charlie Brown's teacher.



Kidding. I think you made the case for your earlier remark.