Can You Make a Happy Song Sad? *
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Abstract
Are there some songs that always make you feel sad when you hear them? How about "Scarborough Fair," George Gershwin's "Summertime," or the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby"? All of these songs are in a minor key. Minor keys have more intervals, or halftones, than major keys do. Some musicologists (people who study music) maintain that minor-key songs are more likely to be perceived as sad, while major-key songs are more likely to be interpreted as happy. You can research the competing explanations about why this would be true. But do you think the statement is accurate? Do songs in a minor key seem sadder than those in a major key? You can conduct your own research to find out by playing or singing the same songs (or recording and playing back later) in a major and a minor key. If you don't know how to convert a song from one type of key to another, ask a more experienced musician or a music teacher for help. Have your audience fill out a survey about how happy or sad they feel each version of the song is. For help designing your survey, read the Science Buddies guide to Designing a Survey.Share your story with Science Buddies!
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Cite This Page
General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.MLA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
"Can You Make a Happy Song Sad?" Science Buddies,
28 July 2017,
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Music_p018/music/perception-happy-song-sad.
Accessed 24 June 2019.
APA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
(2017, July 28).
Can You Make a Happy Song Sad?
Retrieved from
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Music_p018/music/perception-happy-song-sad
Last edit date: 2017-07-28
Bibliography
This website offers an introduction to what makes a sad song seem sad:
- Exploratorium. (n.d.). What Makes Sad Music Sound Sad? Accidental Scientist: Science of Music. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/questions/sadMusic.html
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