Pitch, Melody and Phrasing in Popular Music – And More

When you hear a song, what is the music telling you? Is there a meaning that lies in the pitch, the ascending and descending notes? David Machin, in his book, Analysing Popular Music, thinks that there is.

High pitch can signify brightness, excitement, agitation or lightness. In Western culture (at least) up is associated with feeling good.

In this context low is associated with darkness and evil, obscurity, bleakness, etc.

Machin cites Cooke (1959)  suggesting that in classical music, ascending pitch is related to outwardly expressed emotions, as opposed to a descending pitch which conveys loss of energy.

Try humming a few popular songs to see whether this is a general statement.

According to Machin, the range of pitch is also important. A jump of an entire octave might convey excitement (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, Over the Rainbow, Bali Hai, When You Wish Upon a Star, Paper Moon, Alice in Wonderland, Let it Snow). Does that mean that staying in a small range means that the song is not conveying excitement?

Octave jumps in Let It Snow

https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/dean-martin/let-it-snow-chords-1201859

In a regular (major) scale there are usually 7+1 notes, with the eighth note being a repetition of the first, one octave higher. These 7 are chosen from the 12  (the octave) possibilities.

Each note may have a meaning. 1,3, and 5 represent the basic chord and are physically related. Notes 2 and 4 will be construed as unstable and going somewhere safe (i.e., to 1,3, or 5). See the opposite page.

1- stable, the root, the tonic

2-something unstable, promising something new

3-stable and happy. A safe choice.

(Minor 3rd – stable, but sadly so)

4-needs to be resolved

5- stable, like the 1 note

6- generally upbeat, similar to the third

7-major seventh is slightly thoughtful, reminiscent

The phrasing of the melody is also important. How long does it last, what is the shape, is it short with a long decay, staccato or legato, etc.

The long decay might suggest slowness and relaxation, lingering of emotion. Attack notes or phrases might suggest energy, excitement, lack of ease.

Here are two songs that generate a mood of unrest, unexpectedness.

Bali Ha’i, from South Pacific. Listen from 0:42

And how about this one from Disney?

Trust in me, from Jungle Book, listen from 0:10

minor3-4-5,5b,4,minor3. 

And voice is so important too…