What's the most difficult emotion for you to express in your music? (Relevant poll included)

[ZentralmassivSound]

Guys, seriously, hapiness? Just take an ukulele and do some G major chords and thats it. Proof is every 2nd TV commercial (at least here in Germany) that wants to suggest that life is easy and everything is fine. I hate the ukulele already just because it's so overly abused in commercials.

[highkoo]

Wow, it is super goddam interesting to read the replies to this question.
I would love to hear all my favorite musicians answer this....

I cant answer this for my own music. I dont attempt to have any emotion in my music. I dont have the skill to accurately do it really, and conveniently, I wouldnt usually want to. I dont usually approach sound in an "emotional" way. I guess I have done some oddball funny things, but only with sampling...
I was 'classically trained' in visual art. I understand the lyrical/emotional/poetic way of creating. And that is a big part of my musical process, but there is a huge part that is just like part toy / part science. Im just a sound junkie. I am not trying to convey messages to the viewer in my sound like I was with a lot of my visual art.

I usually don't intend to convey a given emotion - I let the listeners determine what emotions they get from it.

Yeah, this. This is like one of the core decisions in the creative process.
It is basically the difference between 'fine' art and 'commercial art'.
Do you consider only your perspective, or only the viewers, or both, or neither?
I go cryo's way.
To thine own self...
Trying to guess how "people" will react is impossible, and tortuous. And actually reacting to what they think is just madness.
Its much more fulfilling, imo, to just put in what you want to put in, and let the viewer take away what they want.

[V0RT3X]

voted happiness here

[planetearth]

Well, I'm also interested in many of the comments here--and somewhat disappointed that the most-chosen answer in the poll was "fishiness". Many of the comments express my own thoughts about "letting the listener decide".

I'd be interested to hear how those who've responded think they've come close in expressing a certain emotion, with a link to the piece they think expresses it best. Maybe they're better at it than they think, and they just need some feedback.

Steve

[planetearth]

I don't know that I try to convey any emotions with my music. Most of my music has vocals in it, where the lyrics are written and sung by the vocalist. I just provide them with a guide track that has a certain mood, but they write the lyrics, which really conveys the emotion, as does their delivery/performance. In my instrumentals, I guess they set a certain mood, but I usually don't intend to convey a given emotion - I let the listeners determine what emotions they get from it.

Yeah. And Cryophonik gets all of the best-looking singers to sing his songs, too--leaving none for the rest of us! What's up with that?!? (Well, I have one, but I'm waiting for a great song for her.)

He has some good stuff on SC, and I've followed him for quite some time. I'm frequently pleasantly surprised/jealous that he finds talented singers who can also write lyrics to someone else's music. This ain't easy, folks!

Steve

[planetearth]

Humor. It's a lot of work to make a funny song...

I disagree. People often ask "Is this a joke?" when I play my music.

Excellent!

Steve

[Doug1978]

Many thanks again for the interesting comments.

(And TBH the poll is just a bit of fun - fish/fishiness will always win... or will it ?? - but the actual thread comments make this topic worthwhile).

For those of us who like to involve emotion in our music, there's a similar argument when writing fictional stories about how best to create emotion; whether the reader will also feel the author's intentions; and to what extent any emotion(s) can even be consciously suggested / designed by a piece of fiction.
However, fictional books and (non-lyrical) music clearly have some differences in terms of communication and composition.
I'm not experienced in other forms of art, so it will be interesting to hear from scupltors, painters, architects etc if they feel able to convey emotion through their work.

Personally, I am unsure whether a musician's emotional intentions (even in the instances when a piece of music is written for this purpose), can ever be conveyed in the manner and extent that the creator wishes.

However, this thread is interesting nonetheless given the experienced musicians here and their rationalisation of this interpretive topic.

And the insights here into how different people create different songs are very thought-provoking.

Can emotions be designed through music-making? And are some harder to create than others?


Finally, one of my favourite bands, Marconi Union was once asked to write a piece of specifically relaxing music in consultation with Lyz Cooper, the UK's leading sound therapist and founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy.
http://www.justmusic.co.uk/artists/marconi-union/
''The plan was that the track would then be scientifically tested for it’s effectiveness. The prospect of being involved in this unusual project proved to be highly alluring and the Union quickly agreed to take part. When “Weightless” was tested at the Mindlab Institute scientists reported that their research indicated that the music slowed the heart rate, reduced blood pressure and decreased levels of cortisol, a steroid hormone that is released in response to stress. When the research was made public there was an instant and intense media reaction, with many newspapers, radio stations and television shows picking up on the claims that ”Weightless" was “the most relaxing song, ever!” one national newspaper even warned motorists not to listen to the track while driving. Appositely, the release even earned the track the accolade of being named as one of the "Inventions of the Year" in Time Magazine.''


Perhaps it was all a bit of pretension? I don't know.
Nice tune though.

[Robmobius]

Interesting pole idea... I chose happiness of course.

Without trying to be, 'oh woe is me'. I can't seem to be happy for very long (for shot bursts sure). But generally, as I look around at everything there's not much tot be happy about.

That is to say, I can't be happy with all the bad things that I see going on around me. So it's easier for me to rant musically - Not that it will have any effect, other then be a cathartic release for me.

[jancivil]

Well, I'm also interested in many of the comments here--and somewhat disappointed that the most-chosen answer in the poll was "fishiness". Many of the comments express my own thoughts about "letting the listener decide".

Well, "fish" as an opt-out here could mean 'None of the Above" all the way to outright dismissal. Or 'as framed, this doesn't so much speak to me'. Part of 'fish' to me here is I like a more fluid thing than to deliberately cajole the audience towards a state so easily described.

I chose 'fishiness' as I would not be interested in simplified single words in terms of expression in music. Were I called to write 'happy' for a film cue; what is she happy about? What is the context, where in the arc are we? Is it an idiotic kind of happy, is it a sexual giggle, is it tinged with bittersweet?

Once someone characterized my guitar lines as 'distraught but in a beautiful way'. The harmonies were kind of a grandiose, tragic in a heroic vein thing, with a certain arc and perhaps signalling a kind of resignation in the end. So I really went for it, melodically. It's the first track 'ex post facto' of 'Having No Exit Strategy' and the idea after the tune portion of the track is, 'now we are quite untethered'.
So, you know, expressing 'Anger' as a simple matter seems to not be that interesting to me. I think a problem here is more or less a problem of chops/experience. I've seen it said here there was an exercise in a music school, an exercise in which you move from this or that basic emotional state in a certain amount of time. I think that's a bit cart pulling the horse myself, rather than gain experience in music of some consequence or gravity and see how you get on studying and following models in a more subtle manner.

[werp]

mixed feelings of embarrassment, glee, guilt, sorrow and a need to escape quickly when you accidentally fart on your partner.
I never have managed to catch that.

[Doug1978]

Jan and myself usually clash in other threads, but in fairness that's a very thoughtful and interesting post by Jan here.

And thank you Robmobius and werp!


Finally, just as an additional idea for people to maybe ponder here, if you had agreed to be paid a fair bit of money to create an EP based around, say, different emotions for five different tracks, how would YOU do it?
(And no this isn't an offer!).
Those emotions might be simple, subtle, bold, repressed, transient, multi-faceted etc: all depending onhow you interpret building music around an emotional theme.
It would certainly be an interesting mental and arrangement challenge - especially for those who feel that a listener's emotional response can not effectively be influenced by the original artist's mood.

[werp]

listen carefully to Alannis Morisettes' discography I guess.
select a vocalist like Billy Corgan for the nasty stuff.
watch a bunch of films (that did well) for situational awareness, visual and audible clues...
see what that lot stirs up in you.
research..
I'd give up and go play with my plasticine I think.

[woggle]

mixed feelings of embarrassment, glee, guilt, sorrow and a need to escape quickly when you accidentally fart on your partner.
I never have managed to catch that.

you nailed it with your writing though

[Hink]

Jan and myself usually clash in other threads, but in fairness that's a very thoughtful and interesting post by Jan here.

And thank you Robmobius and werp!


Finally, just as an additional idea for people to maybe ponder here, if you had agreed to be paid a fair bit of money to create an EP based around, say, different emotions for five different tracks, how would YOU do it?
(And no this isn't an offer!).
Those emotions might be simple, subtle, bold, repressed, transient, multi-faceted etc: all depending onhow you interpret building music around an emotional theme.
It would certainly be an interesting mental and arrangement challenge - especially for those who feel that a listener's emotional response can not effectively be influenced by the original artist's mood.

Honestly Doug, if someone wanted to pay me for such an EP I would tell them they have the wrong person. There are a few issues, one being that I would be making promises I'm not sure I could keep and as a result I would feel as if I am not being true to the person offering to pay me and I'm not being true to myself or my passion. Money is not a good motivator for me, I honestly believe that far too many people put money above things that should be a priority (the irony being posting this on xmas eve when commercialism reaches it's yearly high).

I'm sure most people will see it quite different but but my music means more to me than money, it brings me gifts money cannot buy. I suppose if if I was suddenly popular and people were buying my music I would complain much as long as it's understood that what the customer is buying is the music they are buying and the are no promises for the future. But TBH for me that shipped has sailed, sank on the way out of the harbor, was brought back up, sailed and sank again over and over until I realized I was simply on the wrong boat.

There's no doubt to anyone I'm sure that I am a sensitive and emotional man and I am not afraid to show my emotions. Music can make me laugh, make me cry, piss me off and make me happy, but when it's my music doing any of those things that's what I call success. Money cannot buy that, if I have learned anything from my observations of 55 years on this marble is there are some things money cannot buy and often those are the best things in life.

Happy holidays

[foosnark]

Mostly, I don't try to express a particular emotion in my music. Sometimes I go with anger or melancholy or triumph, but more often I let the listener find in it whatever comes to them.