Guest post: Why does music make us feel what we feel?

This guest post was written by Tyler James, an enthusiastic cellist and a loyal Head Indie Clouds supporter. If you are interested in writing a guest post for Head Indie Clouds, please email me at mariajerniganmusic@gmail.com.

As I write, I listen to the haunting melodies of Barber’s Adagio for Strings. The massive, yearning waves are pounding at the shores of my heart’s affliction, eroding at the walls of my own subconscious, and destroying every thought that might have pierced the clouds of my own depression. What possible incomprehensible tragedy could have inspired such a masterpiece? For the emotions this piece conjures have sent men greater than I careening into the hazy abyss that stands as man’s true final frontier. How could mere notes played by a simple string section make me believe, without doubt, in the hopelessness of mankind, and the pointlessness of the world we live in?


I then allow my heartless ears to dance with the melodies of the modern classical composer, Yiruma, as I listen to “Kiss the Rain.” As the beautiful chords progress like flowers blossoming on a light sprinkle-blessed spring afternoon, I can’t help but reaffirm my hope for a brighter future for humanity. The progressiveness of the graceful piano is not unlike a ballerina, prancing softly on the very tips of her graceful feet. What makes her beautiful is neither the insurmountable amount of skill that she possesses, nor the elegant genuine smile that reminds her audience that she is in love with what she is doing. It is the passion in which the graceful twirls and boundless leaps portrayed with. It is that same lively passion that makes one feel the restless thoughts and confessions of his own bosom.

However, I feel as though that there is an important question that connects not only these to selections of music, but perhaps even the root of human ingenuity itself: why? What is locked in the mysteries of compositions that make us feel certain emotions to certain sounds? As we well know, music is just compilation of organized sounds. Sheet music is the method we organize these sounds, and music theory is the way in which we study the notation for such organized sounds. Yet, when certain noises are put together, they inspire us. Have you ever thought about why some music makes you cry, and others make you smile? Or perhaps why some makes you angry, and other music makes you scared? Is it because we relate certain sounds to certain things that give us certain emotions? Or perhaps it is even infused in the genetic code that is passed through all of us? To discover more, I did some research...

One interesting article I read actually linked music to releasing dopamine into your brain. This is extremely similar to the effects of using drugs, gambling, delicious foods, and pleasures of the flesh. This explained that in a test recently done at McGill University in Montreal, it was proved that “chills” people get when listening to music, has a direct link to the dopamine your body is releasing. However, though this is a helpful article, it is not the question I am posing to you. I now know why music is so addicting, but what makes us feel certain emotions to certain sounds?

Upon additional research, I soon discovered that I was not the first person to wonder this. In fact scientists do not exactly know why certain music gives us certain emotions. However, there are several theories. One expressed in this article by psychologist John Sloboda:

Bringing back a significant experience that is emotionally tinged is what psychologists know as the ‘Darling they’re playing our tune’ theory. A song that was playing at a particular event, or during an important phase of a relationship will trigger memories of that event for all of your life.

I then pressed onward, searching for other answers. I soon found discovermagazine.com’s article, “The Genetic Mystery of Music.” If you don’t read any of the other articles, I STRONGLY suggest reading this one. It pertains to babies and music. Well, read for yourself.

Describe this photo in one word in the comments of this post, then return here.

In one study, for example, a pudgy-faced, redheaded 8-month-old sits on his mother's lap in a soundproof booth, fascinated by the fluffy toy a smiling lady is waving in his face. In the corner, an audio speaker spits out a tinny little tune over and over— the sequence of notes arranged on the Western major scale (Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do) familiar to fans of The Sound of Music. At first, the baby seems indifferent. Then an anomalous note— one that doesn't belong in the scale— intrudes on the recording, and he suddenly turns his head toward the speaker. He'll do this repeatedly when the wrong note is played.

Some might argue that the baby has learned since birth to recognize notes common to Western music. But a second experiment casts doubt on that assertion. This time the tune played has an inherently musical structure, yet it's built on an invented scale unfamiliar to Westerners. Nevertheless, Trehub's infant subjects still pick out anomalous notes— even better than adults do. "I'm convinced that there's a biological basis for the babies' abilities," Trehub says. "Music making is so successful in managing the baby's state and getting the baby to sleep that it makes the task of caring for the baby easier. It takes the edge off this enormous burden."

Perhaps our ability to understand music is hidden in our actual DNA.

Thank you, Tyler, for researching for and penning this guest post on Head Indie Clouds. As you can see, this guest post and the guest post by Fatima Ajose are very different in style, which is the great thing about guest posts! Remember, if you are interesting in getting your post published on Head Indie Clouds, email me at mariajerniganmusic@gmail.com.