Hey Friend,

Again, sorry for slipping into “Geeky Dave” mode yesterday. To me, sound waves and frequencies are interesting, but oh boy, that’s a rabbit hole unto itself!

I made a statement that knowing how sound works won’t help you create good melodies.

That’s because sound wave physics and frequency discussions don’t address what is really going on when someone hears a song.

Despite the fact that we’re pretty smart creatures (I try to only hang out with smart people!), we aren’t usually swayed by fancy, sciency stuff.

Even you “Bill Nye, Science Guy” types.

It turns out we can write melodies that make people feel a certain way - whatever way we want them to feel. 

And each note in a key triggers a different set of emotions.

Now if you’ve been paying attention, you remember I said that major scales always sound the same regardless of their key. A C major scale and an G major scale have the same sounding progression because the notes in each scale have the same relationship to the root note of the scale.

These scales have different notes, but when you play their sequences, they both sound like the major scale. They use the same pattern of intervals.

Got it so far?

Way back in the beginning of this discussion, I said the two smallest intervals are half steps (semitones) and whole steps (tones). On guitar, a half step is moving your finger one fret, while a whole step is two frets. 

But those aren’t the only intervals.

Again, an interval is the space between two notes, so in the scales above, each note above the first has a specific spacing in relation to to that first note.

C to D is an interval. C to G is an interval. Even C to C is an interval.

And they all have names.

While the names are good to know (so you can have stimulating musical conversations at dinner parties), it’s better to understand the relationship each of these notes has to the root note.

You see, the root note of the key becomes the anchor or cornerstone for the other notes. It becomes the tonal center for the song, and all the notes of the melody (and harmony) are governed by that root note.

What you’re going to find is, each one of these intervals has the power to evoke a different emotion. So knowing what the relationship to the root gives you tremendous power.

Want to make someone cry when they hear your song? There’s a note for that.

Want a happy vibe? Yup, there’s a note for that.

Want to create a sense of danger? You guessed it - there’s a note for that.

And this, my friends, is the essence of music theory. Not charts, time signatures and dots. Emotions. 

More to come...

Peace~

Dave