Why the Same Notes Can Mean Different Things
1. The Full Story
It’s always fascinated me how one note in one context can feel completely different to the same note in another context. It’s easy to assume that notes determine the feeling of a piece of music. For those that watch my videos or read these Monday Music Tips regularly, you will also know that I talk a lot about how different types of chords often determine the feeling of a piece of music. However, that isn’t strictly true.
If we take the note “C” for example, this note will feel different in the middle of an A minor chord (A C E) than it does in a C major chord (C E G). Similarly, that C major chord will feel different in the middle of a piece in the key of G major than it does in a piece that’s written in the key of E minor.
But that means that it can’t be the notes themselves that create the meaning and sentiment of a piece of music. So what is it?
Here’s an experiment for you.
For a moment, try to imagine a tree (this will make sense in a moment - I hope). Imagine that tree sitting at the bottom of a well-groomed garden, surrounded by an array of multicoloured flowers. It’s a beautifully sunny day without a cloud in the sky. A single white bird is perched on a the nearby swinging bench beside the tree. You can hear the rustling of the leaves swaying in the light wind while the bird sings to his friends in neighbouring gardens.
Now imagine a tree in the middle of a forest, in a rugged, harsh landscape, surrounded by thousands of identical trees. The view above the treetops is clouded by torrential raining, and nothing can be heard beyond the sound of rain bouncing from the leaves. Trees stretch over the horizon as far as the eye could see in better conditions, and the bleak landscape encourages a momentary acknowledgement of the brutality of nature and how small we truly are.
Other than just testing my literary skills, both of these scenarios conjure vastly different feelings. In each of these situations, we are still imagining a tree, right? Yet while the tree certainly plays a significant role in the sentiment and characterisation of both scenarios I’ve just painted for you, the meaning and feeling are characterised by the context in which we find the tree and how it reacts and responds to the environment it is in.
2. Changing Meaning
Notes are very much the same. Let’s say the tree is the note “C”. The notes immediately surrounding the C provide our harmony. In one context, the C can feel tense, yet in another it can feel secure and stable, much like our garden or our forest.
What we do immediately before and after the C also influences its feeling. Are we moving towards the note or running away from the note? If the tree in our garden suddenly started tipping over, you might want to run away from it. If the note C sounded uncomfortable, we might get some satisfaction from running away from that too.
The register and texture of the note also influence the role it plays in the narrative. Is it exposed or buried amongst other notes? Is it high-pitched or low-pitched? The “tree” equivalent might be the size of the tree itself. Is it a tiny tree buried amongst colourful flowers, or is it ginormous and towering over the garden? (I realise this tree analogy is getting out of hand, alas, here we are.)
In essence, notes don’t determine their own value or sentiment. Everything is determined by the context in which they find themselves. This is why music is such a profound reflection of life. Everything we think and believe about ourselves and our surroundings is shaped by the context we find ourselves in and the experiences that led us there. A note can feel tragic in one moment and euphoric in the next, depending on the context it finds itself in, much like the human condition.
3. Changing Practice
Escaping the philosophical jibber jabber for a moment, what does this actually mean for your playing and experience of music?
For me personally, it brings a sense of acute awareness to every piece of music I’m playing. The aim is to really work out where the notes have come from, where they’re going, and how they feel in the moment, so that we can paint a full picture and represent the full story of the music.
For some music, you really can delve deeply into this. However, for a lot of music it doesn’t need to be that complex. In the interest of contrast, let’s say you’re playing a rock song on the guitar. The distorted guitar might feel angry, the descending chord sequence might feel like it’s sinking, and the repetitive chorus might feel like a moment of unification and connection.
No matter what you’re playing, music serves a purpose, and it’s the context of the music and the notes that determines its meaning rather than the individual notes themselves. Your job as a musician is to find that meaning and amplify it so that it can be felt by everyone.
Matthew Cawood
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