Music is an art form that can help express emotions and ideas while inspiring and uplift people.
An effective piece can create the desired mood through rhythm, melody and lyrics as well as various instruments used. An accurate description is key in convincing listeners to give your music a chance!
Moods
Moods are transient emotional states that affect how people think and act. For instance, people tend to be attentive when cheerful while cautious when anxious. Research shows that mood has an effect on how individuals experience music.
Music influences our emotions by stimulating specific brain networks and releasing chemicals, thus leading many people to create playlists of songs which uplift or calm them.
People use music to regulate their moods and meet specific goals. Researchers surveyed 834 individuals regarding why they listen to music, distilling responses into three distinct functions for listening: to regulate arousal and mood regulation, enhance self-awareness, and express social relatedness. Of the three functions, people prioritized mood regulation followed by self-awareness enhancement.
Rhythms
Rhythm refers to the timing and pattern of a song’s collection of beats, which repeat a set number of times within each bar at an agreed upon speed or tempo.
Rhythm is one of the fundamental building blocks of music, as its existence depends on other components like melody or harmony. Rhythm forms the core of every musical piece due to your individual perception of time.
Tempo of songs is determined by counting beats per minute (BPM). Each symbol on a rhythm chart represents different durations that correspond with each other in proportion; for instance minims last half as long as longer symbols while whole notes account for two beats of your song’s tempo. Pulses define rhythmic patterns within songs.
Melodies
Melodies in music are made up of lines of individual musical notes that create a melody. Melodies are generally easy to remember and should have an undulating contour – something like ascending, descending, arching or undulating notes – otherwise they will likely become hard to remember without an easy way of repeating them and telling a meaningful tale, which is the aim of all melodies.
As with speech patterns, melodies can also portray emotions through tonal ranges; for instance, joy often appears as quick and varied tonal ranges whereas sadness appears as slow monotonous speech patterns.
Melodies are typically structured into phrases, which are smaller sections that repeat. For instance, Taylor Swift’s Style contains four phrases. Melody does not exist in isolation but must work harmoniously with chords to create harmony; therefore it is imperative that melodies work cohesively together – the best melodies usually feature one unique focal point- either the highest or lowest note in the melody – as well as conform to classical categories like passing note, neighbour note, appoggiatura and suspension.
Influences
Music plays a wide-ranging impact in people’s lives. For instance, it can provide an outlet for emotions while connecting teens with others with similar interests and helping to build their self-esteem. Furthermore, music has the power to shape societal beliefs and attitudes – for instance listening to violent songs may encourage aggressive behaviors – as well as promote health by increasing production of neurochemicals like dopamine, cortisol and oxytocin.
Music has long been used by marginalized communities to express themselves, challenge societal norms and advocate for change. Artists involved with the civil rights movement used music as a form of advocacy across racial lines by producing songs to inspire empathy and foster trust between races.
Music and emotions are highly subjective experiences influenced by culture, past experiences, and personal taste. A song that makes one person happy might make another feel sad; therefore it’s essential to pay attention to how music impacts your mood and choose songs and genres that work for you.