Members [J.K.] Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 Lately I've been trying to write some songs that are in major keys that don't sound agressively happy or upbeat.Naturally, you can always focus on a Lydian/Mixolydian mode if you want to keep some tension in the song, but what are some other songs that focus on being in a major key, yet don't trip into the pitfalls of that saccharine major key tonality. And also: why? First song I thought of (which was the song that initiated this discussion with a friend) was Foo Fighters' "Everlong." Kind of an easy taget, and slightly pass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Eclepto Funk Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 velvet underground's Walk on the Wild Side is on C major, and it has a certain minor tone to it because of the F6 chord at the end of the first two lines of the verses and both lines in the chorus Radiohead's Creep is in G major, and it sounds damn minor. of course the progression ends in Cminor (G, B, C, Cm) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chicken Monkey Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 Walk on the Wild Side is just Lou Reed :poke: Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands and I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry are major-key tunes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurdy Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 Tempo is often as much of a factor as key. Slow, quiet songs generally have a melancholy mood to them, minor key or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 I'd say the moving element of melody is key to defining the feel and mood. We often separate melody from harmonic context when we annotate or talk about music structure, but, in reality, it is the play of melody against harmonic context that really defines the greater whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members [J.K.] Posted April 2, 2010 Author Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 I'd say the moving element of melody is key to defining the feel and mood. We often separate melody from harmonic context when we annotate or talk about music structure, but, in reality, it is the play of melody against harmonic context that really defines the greater whole. "Moving element?" Wanna make a working definition for that?There are a couple really fantastic books on the topic of psychoacoustic properties in people, but that's not what I'm really interested in debating; not the physics as much as the theory.But now that I think of it, I do feel like reading those books some more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny-Boy Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 "Moon River" is in a major key, but it always gives me a melancholy feel. Probably because I first heard it in "Breakfast at Tiffanys". Kind of a sad movie with a happy ending. There are definitely other mood factors involved other than major and minor key. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EFG#ABCD Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 Every Major key has 3 minor chords in it. CMaj - Dm - Em - FMaj - G7 - Am - Bdim. If you use these minor chords, yet resolve to the tonic Major towards the end of your progression, it will have minor "feel" to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LondonSi Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 it's time like this when i wish i knew far more theory.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny-Boy Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 Every Major key has 3 minor chords in it.CMaj - Dm - Em - FMaj - G7 - Am - Bdim.If you use these minor chords, yet resolve to the tonic Major towards the end of your progression, it will have minor "feel" to it. Then it would be considered in a minor key. Probably A-minor, relative minor of "C". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Oswlek Posted April 2, 2010 Members Share Posted April 2, 2010 "Lightning Crashes" by Live is about a woman dying while giving birth and, with the exception of the bridge, it is a nice simple Cmaj progression of F-C-G the entire way through. EDIT: Oops, I forgot they tune down a half-step, so call it Bmaj E-B-F#. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fjs1229 Posted April 3, 2010 Members Share Posted April 3, 2010 Long Black Veil is just C G and F. It relies more on the tempo and the long notes in the melody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members samtrips Posted April 4, 2010 Members Share Posted April 4, 2010 Dark End Of The Street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bodyguard2112 Posted April 5, 2010 Members Share Posted April 5, 2010 Bobby Jean. Bruce Springsteen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nickfromdtown Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 b or e flat major Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Howlin' Wolf Posted June 28, 2010 Members Share Posted June 28, 2010 I found this topic to be so interesting that I had to register. One of the best examples I can think of is Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," which is in the key of Ab major. I remember reading that after listening to a demo of the track, a friend of Cooke (I can't remember whom), described the song as "sounding like death." One crucial element in the sad, contemplative mood is the tempo and rhythm of the piece. The song has a slow, 6/8 gospel beat and long, drawn-out melody which allows Cooke hold notes and play with phrasing. The progression of the song utilizes many minor chords, and both the verse and the chorus end on the minor vi chord. Despite the heavy minor emphasis, the song manages to maintain a major feel throughout (with the exception of the bridge) and ends with a crescendo on the I. The bridge also modulates to the second mode, centering around the key of Bbm in this key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dparr Posted June 28, 2010 Members Share Posted June 28, 2010 The Beatles ~ For No One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Adey Posted June 29, 2010 Members Share Posted June 29, 2010 Radiohead's No suprises is another good example. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgzeqwhNTDk Also listen to this, it has sad elements, but is uplifting too, its 'room silencing beautiful' at times. -mozart's piano concert .21 Then if your not bored yet try this; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jerry_L Posted June 29, 2010 Members Share Posted June 29, 2010 Major keys do sound brighter and more energetic than minors, but they don't have to be happy. They can also reflect uncomfortable tension, as in the Talking Heads Psycho-Killer. It doesn't sound sad or dark, but it's not a happy song, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Adey Posted June 29, 2010 Members Share Posted June 29, 2010 Psycho-Killer surely is in a minor key Fah-fah-fah is sung with the root, min7th and minor 3rd notes.But your point still stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eddieboston2 Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Chopin - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eddieboston2 Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 It's really incorrect to assume that "major" means "happy" and that "minor" means "sad." Yes, because of the harmonic qualities of the minor key (in particular, the lack of a leading tone in the natural minor), the tonic can seem less final or satisfying, and so a lot of songwriters or composers choose to use a minor key when they want a sad feeling, but that is really the composer's choice. There are millions of examples of sad songs in a major key, as well as very happy songs in a minor key. The choice of major or minor key is only one small factor creating the feel of a piece of music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Adey Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Stunning!! The music was pretty good too:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members glemnar Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Had a certain sadness... The music was sad too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members snowaie Posted July 7, 2010 Members Share Posted July 7, 2010 I wrote a song in the key of C Major, and it went like this, with a slowish tempo. Verse:C, G, Am, F, G And it sounded as if it were minor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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