Musical Patterns parallel with Emotions?

[DevourTheDamned]

Im sure Im not the only one here whos emotional or mental state influences their musicmaking, so I wanna know about all of you guys. Im not referring to lyrics or writing, just the tunes, the melodies, or lack thereof, when you are writing the actual musical part of a song.

Tell me about your musical landscapes carved by emotion.

 

[TemjinStrife]

I've written lyrics that certainly were affected by emotional states... but even on cello I have a hard time really conveying exactly the emotion I wish to convey, usually because I feel I lack the in-depth knowledge of the "feel" of different scales and chord changes. If I bash on something enough, though, I've found that I can come up with some great haunting or tension-building lines.

 

[OrsusMetal]

When I write music, I don't write in terms of how I'm feeling at the moment. But how I want others to percieve my music and feel when they're listening to it. So, when I'm writing, I take my emotions or feeling of the tune as a prime example of how others may feel when they listen to it.

Like I may start with something mechanical that builds in intensity and makes the listeners adrenaline start to pump, then I'll curve the feel of the song with a peak, into a strong melody that relaxes and makes you want to close your eyes.

 

[Buzz762]

It depends on what I am writing for. Stuff with a band, I tend to write something in the style we'd decided to go for as a band. It's usually abrasive and angst-filled. My own songs, I write on an acoustic and basically write the music to match the mood of the lyrics I have to go along with it. I'm a fan of chords with varying degrees of dissonance to convey some sort of unrest with thoughts or situations.

Mostly though, I noodle. I'll grab a strat, plug into an amp, sit down and play some blues licks. The type of licks I play match whatever mood I'm in at the time. I always walk away feeling better than when I started, too. It's something about the blues that just cleanses the soul for me.

 

[Zepp88]

Most of my most creative times come from being down as fuck, I end up in a daze and just fuck around with a guitar for hours

 

[budda]

if i successfully want to convey my emotions wiht a guitar (generally sadness/loneliness) i should pick up an acoustic but i dont.

i dunno. i was playing death metal style riffs today and it gave me goosebumps for some reason. i wasnt even growling

 

[arnoroth661]

It seems every time I'm going through a new riff or song structure for my band I'm looking for something uneasy or dissonant... I REALLY love major 7ths (also known as ti (the piercing tone) in solfege) because of the uneasiness they create in chords. As for emotional content... Honestly it seems to be about rhythm for me right now. If it's something that really accents the "ands" (one AND two AND three...) of a rhythm I tend to get all hyped up about it.

Thing is, I never really get around to writing lyrics. It just so happens that my drummer's lyric mind fits very well with my riffs.

 

[DevourTheDamned]

you guys all have a lot of insightful perspectives on the topic :]

usually, like Buzz762, i just noodle around. i do dislike the fact that im not classically taught, nor have i had any lessons and i still dont know much about chord progressions or theory so i am still a little bit 'in the dark' when it comes to writing, but i do manage to pour out a pretty accurate portrayal of my feelings.

a lot of times ill just pick up the guitar and in will sort-of 'tell' me what mood im in, you guys know what im talking about? like ill pick it up, not really knowing exactly what kind of mood im in and depending on the sound of what i play, ill discover that i must be sad, or angry, even happy or excited.

i think musical psychology and the studying the effects of music on the human mind would be an amazing thing to do.

 

[Anthony]

I believe someone's emotional state IS their influence for writing music.

For some, certain emotions "emote" better than others. Robert Smith from The Cure often said he writes better when he is depressed. I couldn't agree more, as Disintegration is their best album by far.

For me, I've still developing. I can write a pretty brutal metal song easily, mainly because I've spent pretty much the whole year studying metal, and it's paid off, but it's harder to express your emotions and still be original. It's just something you need to practice really.

 

[DevourTheDamned]

usually the style that ends up coming out of my guitar is a direct product of my emotional state, its not that i try to write how i feel, ya know?

in a cool way, its like im plugging into my brain

 

[Groff]

Most of my most creative times come from being down as fuck, I end up in a daze and just fuck around with a guitar for hours

Exactly, if I just sit down with my headphones on, and plug into my tone port, I come up with most of my material there. Sometimes i'll come up with something by accident, like plucking some strings playing with different presets, and it'll strike a nerve, and it'll bring different emotions on. I'll then play on it and riffs come out. It's pretty sureal.

Most of the time I wont write on an emotion (Except when i'm pissed). It's the riff that transforms into an emotion, and I playy off that.

 

[7 Dying Trees]

THe best stuff I do mostly comes from being in wrong and bad mental places, or, on the flipside, on a buzz, but both do result in very different textures.

 

[DevourTheDamned]

THe best stuff I do mostly comes from being in wrong and bad mental places, or, on the flipside, on a buzz, but both do result in very different textures.

yeah i know what you mean.
and if by 'on a buzz' you mean youve had a bit to drink, i applaud your ability to write! if ive had very much at all, [im a lightweight] i can hardly function normally, much less musically XD

 

[Groff]

yeah i know what you mean.
and if by 'on a buzz' you mean youve had a bit to drink, i applaud your ability to write! if ive had very much at all, [im a lightweight] i can hardly function normally, much less musically XD

That's actually quite true, sometime alcohol can induce some nice riffage, as I have proved here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/49198-drunken-riffing.html

Being in different states of mind are where I come up with 99% of my material. And I think that's the point of music, to bring people to an alternate state of mind. When I write, I like to make each song a trip through emotions. It's always better that way.

 

[jacksonplayer]

I mostly do improvised music now, so my emotional state is probably more directly tied into things than it was before. That said, I have found that I can only get good improv if I'm in a good state of mind or really pissed off. The difference between the two is substantial, unsurprisingly. My 'happy improv' tends to flow in a sort of blissful, Holdsworth-like way. The 'pissed-off improv' tends to have a lot more radical string bending and percussive picking.

I can't get shit going if I'm depressed.

 

[newamerikangospel]

Haha, I actually have "synthesesia", where I see tones as shapes/colours.

A song is a landscape painting to me, that reads left to right. The start of the song is the farthest right, farthest left being the end of the song. The bad thing is, though, that because of the tone thing, the mix can distort the picture. I see mixes as a kind of room if you will. So a mix that doesn't fit the song (a room that doesn't fit the painting) can be bad.

But musical phrases come across to me as verbs/actions as well. Like the beginning of the little solo from "timeless winter" sounds like someone holding a silver platter with a cover on it, and lifting the platter towards you and uncovering it.

 

[Psychoface]

Most of my most creative times come from being down as fuck, I end up in a daze and just fuck around with a guitar for hours

true!
ususally when i feel like shit i grab my acoustic and write some really sick music, dont ask me where it comes from but it sounds.... awesome.