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Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker: Very cool article on why songs give you chills

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mouser:
This is a very cool article on the science of why certain songs give you chills and goosebumps, using a recent song, Adele's "Someone Like You" as a perfect example.  You can watch a full video of the song here and I'd be surprised if it doesn't affect you:



Then read about why it has that affect:

Twenty years ago, the British psychologist John Sloboda conducted a simple experiment. He asked music lovers to identify passages of songs that reliably set off a physical reaction, such as tears or goose bumps. Participants identified 20 tear-triggering passages, and when Dr. Sloboda analyzed their properties, a trend emerged: 18 contained a musical device called an "appoggiatura"...

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203646004577213010291701378.html

Deozaan:
I listened to it and I didn't cry or even get goose bumps. But I did notice a physical response:

When the chorus enters, Adele's voice jumps up an octave, and she belts out notes with increasing volume. The harmony shifts, and the lyrics become more dramatic: "Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead."

When the music suddenly breaks from its expected pattern, our sympathetic nervous system goes on high alert; our hearts race and we start to sweat. Depending on the context, we interpret this state of arousal as positive or negative, happy or sad.-http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203646004577213010291701378.html
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I'm not sure if it happened when she sang those exact lyrics, but there was a part of the song in which I felt my heart rate increase (in a manner not dissimilar from being slightly startled) after she began to sing louder and at a higher octave, as described in the article.

That said, the repetitive pattern that plays throughout the song reminds me of One Republic's Secrets (which starts at about 10 seconds in):

40hz:
The Blues and Jazz genres have made extensive use of one version of this technique, although it's usually called a "blue note" rather than an appoggiatura.

In rock music, Pink Floyd also uses this technique so much it's almost a trademark for their dark-themed "Floyd" sound. Listen to the song Perfectly Numb for a classic example. There's a warbling (for lack of a better word) note in the accompaniment that runs almost all the way through the song that triggers a constant state of angst for most listeners - which is perfectly in keeping with the subject of the song.

Fun stuff.

Did you know a band can build audience excitement if they make each succeeding song in their set start on a key slightly higher than the previous song? And it's even more effective if they do it using using a "circle of fifths" sequence (ex: F-C-G-D-A-E...) rather than a straight linear (ex: D-E-F-G-A...) progression?

Smart rock groups have been doing that for years. :Thmbsup:

nosh:
I teared up a little listening to Whitney Houston's rendition of the American National Anthem yesterday. To state the obvious: I'm not American. :huh:



40, did you mean Comfortably Numb? It's one of my favorites, along with Coming Back To Life.

Renegade:
The Blues and Jazz genres have made extensive use of one version of this technique, although it's usually called a "blue note" rather than an appoggiatura.

In rock music, Pink Floyd also uses this technique so much it's almost a trademark for their dark-themed "Floyd" sound. Listen to the song Perfectly Numb for a classic example. There's a warbling (for lack of a better word) note in the accompaniment that runs almost all the way through the song that triggers a constant state of angst for most listeners - which is perfectly in keeping with the subject of the song.

Fun stuff.

Did you know a band can build audience excitement if they make each succeeding song in their set start on a key slightly higher than the previous song? And it's even more effective if they do it using using a "circle of fifths" sequence (ex: F-C-G-D-A-E...) rather than a straight linear (ex: D-E-F-G-A...) progression?

Smart rock groups have been doing that for years. :Thmbsup:
-40hz (February 12, 2012, 08:38 PM)
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I didn't know about that circle of fifths trick! Wow!

But I must bring to attention one small point of order/blasphemy...


In rock music, Pink Floyd...
-40hz (February 12, 2012, 08:38 PM)
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Pink Floyd isn't "rock music" -- they are a divine religion! ;D :P

And speaking of blue notes...





David Gilmour is a god.

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