Does a Major Scale sound happy?
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Most of the time, a piece of music in a Major key is judged as happy while Minor key music is heard as sad. On the other hand, there are some examples of minor-happy and major-sad pairings in the musical catalogue. But these are exceptions and exceptions do not make rules. We will check how much of it is true and where it goes wrong.
What is a Major scale & what is a Minor scale?
Major Scale
The Major scale is one of the most widely used types of scale in Western music. They contain seven notes and are made up of 5 intervals of a Tone and 2 intervals of a Semitone. To make a Major scale we just have to follow a simple formula of Semitones (S) and Tones (T) between each note.
That formula is:- Ascending: T – T – S – T – T – T – S Descending: S – T – T – T – S – T – T
Minor Scale
Minor scales have a different formula of Tones and Semitones than Major scales. The main difference is that all Minor scales have the 3rd note lowered by one Semitone.
Unlike Major scales where there is only one type to know about, Minor scales have 3 variations.
They are
(1) The Natural Minor Scale
A Natural Minor scale uses this formula of tones and semitones. Ascending: T – S – T – T – S – T – T Descending: T – T – S – T – T – S – T
(2) The Harmonic Minor Scale
Harmonic minors use this combination of tones and semitones: Ascending: T – S – T – T – S – TS – S Descending: S – TS – S – T – T – S – T Harmonic minors have an interval that is a Tone and a Semitone or three semitones.
(3) The Melodic Minor Scale
Melodic Minor scales are quite different from Natural and Harmonic minors as they use different notes when ascending and descending. Ascending: T – S – T – T – T – T – S Descending: T – T – S – T – T – S – T
In summary, the difference between Major and Minor chords and scales boils down to a difference in one essential note – the 3rd. The 3rd is what gives major-sounding scales and chords their brighter, cheerier sound, and what gives minor scales and chords their darker, sadder sound.
The Major triad is more acoustically in harmony than the Minor triad. Hence, musical parts that end with a Major chord are better resolved, and acoustically smooth, than pieces that end with a minor chord.
One important factor in determining whether a Musical style is Happy / Sad is heavily based on cultural conditioning. When we listen to tunes we rely heavily on our memory for the body of music we’ve heard all our life. Our emotional reactions and interpretations of music can be traced to the physical properties of sound production itself.
In many musical traditions, Major-scale music is played at the time of celebrations and Minor-scale music is played during mourning/funerals etc. We have been exposed to this repeated pairing of sound and emotional meaning from the time our ears are functioning. So it is no wonder that we are bound to emotional appropriations based on experience.
Cultural exposure will always vary, but something deeper in music may trigger our overwhelming responses to major and minor sounds.
A few months back, I was playing a song in C Major scale on the Piano, at a slow pace. My 5-year-old daughter was listening to it. While playing I changed the song to C Minor scale on purpose. Immediately she told me that it sounded SAD.
Exceptions
There are examples of Minor-happy and Major-sad pairings in the musical catalogue, but it’s fair to say that these examples are the exceptions rather than the rule.
One important factor to consider is the TEMPO (speed) of the song. There are many Dance / Techno songs out there which are played in Minor scales and they do not sound sad at all. So, speed is also a crucial factor to determine if the song gives a happy/sad feel. In addition, a song in a major scale can be turned into a sad feel by playing the Relative minor.
Example:
Play a song in C Major. Try playing the Fm chord when you hit the C note. It instantly gives you a sad feeling. That means, along with the Scale, the Chords you play also make an impact on whether the song sounds happy or sad.
This song is in Bb Major scale. But it does give the listener a sad feeling.
Does a Major Scale sound happy?
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