ART & ORGANISM
Music and The Emotional Effects of Chords
Well I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
The emotional effects of color are familiar (Color Psychology: The Emotional Effects of Colors)[i], but the effects of musical chords are less so—so take a look at Table 52 from How Music Really Works by Wayne Chase [ii]
TABLE 52 Emotional Effects of Chords
|
Chord Type |
Associated Emotions |
|
Major (e.g., C) |
Happiness, cheerfulness, confidence, brightness, satisfaction |
|
Minor (e.g., Cm) |
Sadness, darkness, sullenness, apprehension, melancholy, depression, mystery |
|
Seventh (e.g., C7) |
Funkiness, soulfulness, moderate edginess |
|
Major Seventh (e.g., CM7) |
Romance, softness, jazziness, serenity, tranquillity, exhilaration |
|
Minor Seventh (e.g., Cm7) |
Mellowness, moodiness, jazziness |
|
Ninth (e.g., C9) |
Openness, optimism |
|
Diminished (e.g., Cº) |
Fear, shock, spookiness, suspense |
|
Suspended Fourth (e.g., Csus4) |
Delightful tension |
|
Seventh, Minor Ninth (e.g., C7♭9) |
Creepiness, ominousness, fear, darkness |
|
Added Ninth (e. g., Cadd9) |
Steeliness, austerity |
excerpt from How Music REALLY Works!, 2nd Ed. On-line book at http://www.howmusicreallyworks.com/Index.html