Minds On
Today’s vocabulary
Press the following tabs to access today’s vocabulary.
The element of music that relates to the highness or lowness of a tone or sound.
The level of softness or loudness, or intensity. Some fundamental concepts related to this element are: crescendo, decrescendo; forte (f – loud), fortissimo (ff – very loud), mezzo forte (mf – moderately loud); piano (p – soft), pianissimo (pp – very soft), mezzo piano (mp – moderately soft).
A major key is based on the notes of the major scale (e.g., C major: C–D–E–F–G–A–B–C) whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Music that is played or sung in a major key might be described as sounding happy or bright. Explore also minor scales; scale.
A minor key is based on the notes of the minor scale (e.g., A minor [harmonic]: A–B–C–D–E–F–G♯–A). There are three types of minor scales in music theory: natural, harmonic, and melodic. Each one has a different sound, but they all have a minor third scale degree, which gives the minor tonality its unique sound. Music that is played or sung in a minor key might be described as sounding mysterious or sad. Explore also major scale; scale.
Let’s get started!
Art has been a way to express emotions for centuries for musical artists, visual artists, and performance artists.
Visual artists express feelings using lines, shapes, space, colour, and texture in their artwork.
Explore the following images and descriptions.
How does each painting make you feel? Why do you think it makes you feel that way?
Record your ideas using the following fillable and printable document, or another method of your choice.
The Old Guitarist, painted by Pablo Picasso in 1903
The guitarist is bent over in a very sad position.
At the Concert, Reggie Laurent
Complete the Mood and Visual Art table in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts.
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Painting |
This painting makes me feel… |
I feel this way because… |
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Old Guitarist |
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At The Concert |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Mood and Visual Art.
Action
Get ready, get set…
In the Minds On section of this Learning Activity, you explored how visual artists create a feeling using tools such as line, shape, space, and colour.
Composers of music also use tools to create a mood.
Composers use the elements of music often to recreate or mimic the physical aspects of emotion. For example, if music is sad it is often soft (dynamics) and slow (tempo) like the way a sad person might move or speak
What is mood?
Press ‘Mood’ to access its meaning.
Mood, is the general feeling that describes a piece of music or song.
The mood helps to tell a story or communicate feelings to the audience. Composers use the elements of music to create this mood.
Elements of Music include:
- duration
- pitch
- dynamics
- timbre
- texture/harmony
- form
In this learning activity, we will explore how composers use duration, pitch, and dynamics combined to create mood and emotion in a piece of music.
Press the following tabs to access how composers use elements of music to create the mood of a piece.
Pitch is the element of music that relates to the highness or lowness of a note.
Pitch demonstrates how changing the highness or lowness of a note in a scale can create a different sound.
These questions can be answered when exploring pitch in a piece of music.
- What patterns do you notice in the pitches of notes in a major scale compared to a minor scale?
- What words might someone use to describe the feeling or mood of this song/piece of music (e.g., cheerful, bright, bold, intense)?
- In music terms, how would you describe the tonality of this piece of music (e.g., major, minor?)
Duration is the element of music that relates to time, which includes beat or tempo.
In this learning activity we will focus on tempo. The tempo is the speed of a song or piece of music.
These questions can be answered when exploring the tempo of a piece of music.
- What are the different ways that tempo or speed can be changed in a piece of music?
- When exploring a piece of music, how does the speed make a person feel?
- How does tempo (the speed of the music) change the mood of the piece?
Dynamics is the element of music that relates to volume.
These questions can be answered when exploring the dynamics in a piece of music.
- What volume levels are demonstrated with different moods in a piece of music?
- How does lowering or raising the volume affect the feeling or mood in the music?
- What volume level would support the mood of this piece?
For each sentence, select the missing word from the drop-down menu.
Did You Know?
Did you know?
We can understand mood without even knowing the words that are being said.
Let’s explore a way in which pitch can be used to create a mood in a piece of music.
Pitch and tonality
One way a composer can achieve a different mood or feeling in their music is to change the tonality of a song.
Press ‘Tonality’ to access its definition.
Tonality is a specific arrangement of notes called a scale, that are set around one note called a tonic. The tonic is the first note and the root note of that arrangement.
For example in the C scale, C is the tonic note. It is the first note of the scale and the root note of that scale.
Major and minor tonality
Two common tonalities in music are the major tonality and the minor tonality.
The major tonality may be described as bright and happy sounding.
The minor tonality may be described as serious, sad and somber sounding.
A composer will choose what tonality they want to use so that the feeling or mood they want to share can be expressed.
How do pitches create mood?
Pitches are organized from low to high in what we call a scale.
Major scale
Explore the following major scale. The scale is represented on Chrome Music Lab in the form or rectangles boxes within a column. Each box represents a different pitch.
As the boxes rise up the column, the pitch gets higher.
In Chrome Music Lab the C major is creating what can be described as a bright, happy sounding scale as the notes rise one box at a time up the scale like stair steps.
Explore the following major scale. The scale is represented on Chrome Music Lab in the form or rectangles boxes within a column. Each box represents a different pitch. As boxes rise up the column, the pitch gets higher. In Chrome Music Lab you can recreate the C major, bright happy sounding scale as the notes rise one box at a time up the scale like stair steps.
Explore this video entitled “Major C Scale” to learn more about the sound and structure of a major scale.
How did you feel while listening to this scale? Why did you feel this way?
Record your thoughts in a method of your choice.
Press ‘Reflection’ to access a possible answer.
This scale made me feel happy. The pitch rose higher with each note in a pleasing way.
Minor scale
Explore the C scale in minor key. The scale is represented on Chrome Music Lab in the form or rectangles boxes within a column. Each box represents a different pitch.
As boxes rise up the column, the pitch gets higher.
In Chrome Music Lab the C minor scale creates what can be described as a serious and sad sounding scale as the notes rise one box at a time up the scale like stair steps.
Explore the following minor scale. The scale is represented on Chrome Music Lab in the form or rectangles boxes within a column. Each box represents a different pitch. As boxes rise up the column, the pitch gets higher. In Chrome Music Lab you can recreate the c minor, bright happy sounding scale as the notes rise one box at a time up the scale like stair steps.
Explore this video entitled “Minor C Scale” to learn more about the sound and structure of a minor scale.
How did you feel while listening to this scale? Why did you feel this way?
Record your thoughts in a method of your choice.
Press ‘Reflection’ to access a possible answer.
This scale made me feel differently than the C major scale. The pitch rose higher with each note in a way that felt sad.
Check your learning!
Use your learning to answer the following multiple-choice questions.
Select the correct answer, then press ‘Check Answer’ to see how you did.
Press ‘What is a melody?’ to access the meaning of the word melody.
A melody is a series of different pitches in a piece of music. The notes are played or sung after one another to make up a song.
Access this video entitled “Playing the same song in 18 complex emotions” and explore how the composer, Jacob Collier, creates mood in this section of ‘Londonderry Air’ using pitch, duration, and dynamics.
How did you feel after experiencing this piece of music?
What do you think made you feel this way?
Do you think this melody is created in a major tonality or minor tonality?
Record your thoughts in a method of your choice.
Press ‘Reflection’ to access possible answers.
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How did I feel after experiencing the song? |
Possible answer: The music made me feel happy. |
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What do I think made me feel this way? |
The pitches were bright and cheery and the song seemed to be in a major key. The tempo was quick and the dynamics were loud. |
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Do I think this melody is created in a major tonality or minor tonality? |
I think it is created in a major tonality because it feels bright and cheery. |
Adding tempo and volume to pitch
As we have explored, pitches in a scale, such as the major and minor scales, can affect the mood of a piece of music. Other elements of music can help create a mood as well.
What are the other elements that can affect the mood of music?
Duration (tempo) and dynamics (volume)
The tempo is the speed a composer wants their music played. It can create a sound that is joyful, sad, serene or energetic, based on how fast it is played.
The dynamics is the volume a composer wants their music played at. Dynamics can be loud, soft, or a whole range between. This can change the mood of the piece.
Go!
Let’s revisit the same short clip that we encountered earlier in this Learning Activity and explore how the composer creates mood using pitch, duration, and dynamics in this section of “Londonderry Air”.
- How does Jacob Collier use pitch to create mood?
- How does Jacob Collier use duration to create mood?
- How does Jacob Collier use dynamics to create mood?
Record your ideas in a method of your choice.
Press ‘Discover elements’ to access a possible way to answer the questions.
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Elements of Music |
Londonderry Air |
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Dynamics |
The volume is not too quiet but is not loud either, it creates a gentle but happy mood. |
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Pitch |
This is in a major scale – it feels happy. |
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Duration |
The song is at a tempo that is upbeat and fast which makes it feel cheerful. |
Test Your Skills!
It is your turn to be a composer!
What changes would you make to this song to change the mood?
How might you change the dynamics, the pitch, or the tempo to make it feel different?
Complete the Londonderry Air Version Changes table in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts.
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Londonderry Air |
First Version |
My Version (The changes I would make) |
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Dynamics (volume) |
The volume is not too quiet but is not loud either, it creates a gentle but happy mood |
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Pitch |
This is in a major scale – it feels happy |
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Duration |
The song is at a tempo that is upbeat but not too fast which makes it feel dreamy and relaxing |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Londonderry Air Version Changes.
Consolidation
Putting it all together
The elements of music can be combined to create a different mood within music.
The elements of pitch, tempo, and dynamics can illustrate this.
Let’s apply our knowledge of these 3 elements while we explore the following clip where Jacob Collier takes the song “Londonderry Air” and changes it different ways.
Jacob demonstrates one way to interpret and create emotions. This is a personal experience for everyone.
Choose one of the emotions that Jacob Collier plays:
Elements of mood in music
Pitch, tempo, and dynamics
Reflect and record your thoughts on how the artist Jacob Collier used to Elements of Music express his emotions.
Access the video entitled “Playing the same song in 18 complex emotions” to learn more about the happy elements that are incorporated into the song.
Happy emotion
Access the video entitled “Playing the same song in 18 complex emotions” to learn more about the sad elements that are incorporated into the song.
Sad emotion
Access the video entitled “Playing the same song in 18 complex emotions” to learn more about the angry elements that are incorporated into the song.
Angry emotion
Record your ideas using the Mood and Music fillable and printable document that follows or in another method of your choice.
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Song title: |
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Mood: |
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Element of Music |
How it creates the mood: |
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Pitch (tonality) |
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Tempo |
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Dynamics |
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Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Mood and Music.
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.