Do you ever wonder what makes music sound happy, joyful, or in relation to this blog, spooky (or more-so Halloween-y)?
Music during the Halloween season has the ability to evoke feelings of fear, uneasiness, sadness, and creepiness. But, did you know it all stems from how our brains perceive sound?
There was a study done on non-linear sounds (like screaming, shrill sounds, piercing sounds, etc) which proved these sounds evoke certain emotional responses from humans. So, non-linear sounds combined with musical knowledge, subject matter, and instrumentation gives us the haunting sounds of the Halloween Season. Pretty neat, eh?
Music Theory
There are many concepts in music theory which allow for the creation of spooky melodies!
The easiest way to produce a spooky sounding piece of music is to simply use a minor key. Now, minor keys can also be associated with sadness or feelings of melancholy.
There is also an interval known as the Devils Interval or the "dioablous in musica" which translates directly to "Satan in music." We also know this interval as a tritone. A tritone is an extremely unstable and harmonically dissonant interval. In the Middle Ages this interval was supposedly banned in the churches, but there has never been proof of this interval being banned. Have you ever heard this haunting interval? Learn more about the tritone here.
Dissonance in music also creates a very unstable and uneasy feeling, leaving the listener waiting for a resolution! This is when you have two notes that are too close to each other. For example a minor second....have you heard of the theme from Jaws? Yep. That is a minor second my friend!
Musical Ideas
While we are on the subject of jaws....did you know spooky movies (and music) often use leitmotifs? These are short thematic musical passages which often correlate to a specific person, idea, or situation. In the realm of Jaws....everytime the shark is about to make itself known, you hear the thematic musings of that minor second passage.
Another musical idea used often is the Dies Irae. This haunting melody was often used in funerals during the 13th century. Today, you can hear this haunting sequence of notes in MANY horror films and halloween music. But why is the dies irae so creepy? Well, there are a few reasons.
The melody is written in Dorian Mode. The first 4 notes of this melody, sound minor (FEFD), leave an unsettled feeling in our ears as we are conditioned to not like these kind of sequences of notes.
The melody descends...which gives it a sad, spooky vibe.
The melody is also written in half steps.
These four notes have been associated with death for over 800 years!
Instrumentation
Instruments make a huge influence on the spooky-ness of music.
Violins are used often in horror films and spooky music, but not in the way they are intended to be played. There are a few techniques that violinists use to make their instruments produce those high shrill, and spooky sounds. These sounds are often made by rubbing the bow against the strings (tremolo).
Theramin - I am sure someone you have heard this instrument, but hardly know what this instrument looks like. This eerie sounding electronic instrument was created in the late 1920's and is played without even touching it! This instrument is played by moving your hands within the electromagnetic field the instrument creates to make the sounds higher or lower.
In Closing
Next time you listen to some spooky Halloween Music (or watch a spooky movie)....listen for some of these spooky characteristics! You may be surprised by how much you hear!
Happy listening!
