KVR Audio

KoolKool · Post by **KoolKool** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 12:12 pm

just ask, i used to play alots of retro arcade game, and there are soundtracks that sound dissonance.but still sound very good...........

so is dissonance bad?

JumpingJackFlash · Post by **JumpingJackFlash** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 12:33 pm

No.

You dissonance to appreciate consonance; it adds spice and prevents monotony.
Everything in moderation.

fmr · Post by **fmr** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 12:35 pm

KoolKool wrote:just ask, i used to play alots of retro arcade game, and there are soundtracks that sound dissonance.but still sound very good...........

so is dissonance bad?

"Dissonance" is a concept that comes from the earlier times of polyphony. The concept of dissonance have evolved a lot during times. For example, in the beginning, only fourths and fifths were "consonant" and thirds and sixths were dissonant. From the XIIIth century onward, thirds and sixths became consonant, but seconds and sevenths were still regarded as dissonant.

This concept remained, more or less, when modal music became tonal. But then, consonance evolved to notes belonging to harmony, while notes extraneous to the harmony were treated as dissonances.

Nowadays, IMO, the term consonance and dissonance doesn't make sense, unless you are still in tonal music universe, but even there, with the complex harmonies that are sometimes used, it's hard to say what is consonance and what isn't.

Anyway, consonance and dissonance depends on the context. What is consonant to some may be dissonant to others. But there is no such thing as "bad" in music, in absolute terms. Dissonance is needed, in order to create tension and dynamic.

ariston · Post by **ariston** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 1:25 pm

Not at all: dissonance is good for you. It combats the free radicals that are caused by ingesting too much chart music.

fmr · Post by **fmr** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:28 pm

Error. Disregard (this post, NOT the dissonance)

djanthonyw · Post by **djanthonyw** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:32 pm

If it's cognitive it is...

bmrzycki · Post by **bmrzycki** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:37 pm

As JumpingJackFlash said it's essential to music. Without dissonance taking you away from the "safety" of the I chord most people lose interest in the music.

Imagine a story without any conflict and how uninteresting it'd be. The story of Frodo staying in the shire quietly farming the land until he grows old doesn't make for good cinema.

Frantz · Post by **Frantz** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:42 pm

bmrzycki wrote:As JumpingJackFlash said it's essential to music. Without dissonance taking you away from the "safety" of the I chord most people lose interest in the music.

The I chord can be dissonant. Moving away from the I chord is not necessarily dissonance, it's just a chord change.

stillshaded · Post by **stillshaded** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:06 pm

Think of dissonance as darkness and shadow, and consonance as light. If you were making a painting, you would need to use both to create interest and balance.

As another poster said, the term is quite meaningless now. Much like the concept of beauty. At one time, a major triad would've been considered dissonant and would never be used. The more exotic sounds we get accustomed to, the more our concept of consonance expands.

BertKoor · Post by **BertKoor** » Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:28 am

KoolKool wrote:retro arcade game, and there are soundtracks that sound dissonance.but still sound very good

Could you give an example of one of these soundtracks, and point out where the dissonance is?
Because I'm thinking what you actually mean is that some of the tones are out of tune. There is a subtle difference between out of tune and dissonant.

KoolKool · Post by **KoolKool** » Mon Sep 12, 2016 9:01 am

BertKoor wrote: Because I'm thinking what you actually mean is that some of the tones are out of tune. There is a subtle difference between out of tune and dissonant.

yes, talk about out of tune, i have trouble to know the difference too

but usually i see on boss theme many arcade game sound weird

KoolKool · Post by **KoolKool** » Mon Sep 12, 2016 9:02 am

[omg..duplicated post] sorry!

KoolKool · Post by **KoolKool** » Mon Sep 12, 2016 9:03 am

and....this one??

Shabdahbriah · Post by **Shabdahbriah** » Mon Sep 12, 2016 10:02 am

KoolKool wrote:and....this one??

The off-key vocalization @ 0:07-0:26 (and elsewhere)???

... that sound is irritating as f***.

Unaspected · Post by **Unaspected** » Mon Sep 12, 2016 10:34 am

It depends on the kind of music or sounds you are creating. I would say dissonance is very interesting.

Also, if you were to avoid dissonance you would miss out on a lot of live instrument manipulations which are a lot of fun and sound great. Such as playing a two note chord on a guitar and only bending one note. Do that with some distortion and feedback from the amp and you'll get some great tones.

Is dissonance bad?