Musical Emotions Series #1 (Patreon)

Do you think music theory helps or hurts your creativity?

Truth is, music theory was invented to help realize our creative visions. In this lesson we'll be starting a series on how to translate emotions using theory. The goal is to remove barriers to freely express your internal state.

⭐️This is the first installment in my musical emotions series. In this series we’ll be discussing how to channel your feelings using music theory. We’ll cover a range of techniques and exercises you can use to become a better guitar player and songwriter muhahaha!

1. THE HAPPY SCALE

Major scales are usually associated with feelings of happiness. Pictured below is the C Major Scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B). The reason major scales sound happy is because of the major 3rd interval between the first and 3rd scale degrees, or C to E. Just playing the scale on its own won't have much of an effect on you. If you really want to explore the emotional content of these notes, slowly improvise over the C drone below. This exercise is absolutely magical. Anytime I learn a new musical concept, I test it out over a drone to absorb the emotional content

🛑 C Drone:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5LqCQHQCGc

2. THE SAD SCALE

The minor scale is often associated with feelings of sadness in music. Below is the C Minor Scale (C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb). The difference between major and minor scales comes down to one key note. The 3rd. In minor scales we flat the 3rd to bring out a melancholic quality. You can also see the 6th and 7th degrees are flattened (Ab, Bb). Testing this scale over the drone will provide a completely different experience. It helps to have a sound full of reverb and delay so the notes carry on past when you play them. Slow down and absorb the unique character of these notes.

3. FURTHER STUDY

Did you enjoy this lesson? Let me know what kind of emotions you'd like to express with your music below. If you're interested in further study on emotions in music, check out the video below to learn all 7 modes of the major scale, along with chord progressions and counterpoint!

⭐️ TRUTH about Guitar Modes

https://www.patreon.com/posts/practice-like-81006295