Heartbreak, nostalgia or tragedy; music with sad undertones has the ability to stir our emotions and tap into our subconscious mind. Brain and music research has demonstrated the correlation between song selection and emotional states.
Researchers also discovered that while sad music elicited emotions such as grief, melancholia and sweet sorrow, it could also generate positive ones such as longing and nostalgia.
1. Listen to Your Favorite Sad Songs
Listening to sad songs can help you access your emotions and set the right tone when writing a sad song, especially one designed to be emotional, tear-jerking or deep. So listen to some of your favorite sad tunes and pay attention to how their lyrics and music work together to convey feelings of sadness.
One of the primary reasons people turn to sad music is because it helps them connect with feelings of loss, loneliness or grief triggered by events in their lives – for instance if someone recently experienced their partner departing, listening to Adele’s Someone Like You can help them deal with the event more quickly while providing comfort that they’re not alone in this experience.
Sad music can also serve as a form of therapy by offering people an outlet to process and express negative feelings that they find hard to articulate themselves. A recent study conducted among people suffering from depression discovered that they find comfort listening to sad music because it gives them an added sense of connection and helps them better comprehend themselves and their feelings.
Next time you want to listen to sad music, take some time and make a list of your favorites. Spend an hour or so listening and analyzing how the music and lyrics create an aura of sadness; pay special attention to tempo changes throughout songs as you analyze what each songwriter has done to communicate feelings of sorrow or pain through words alone.
After listening, try playing each song on either your keyboard or guitar – this will help you better understand its chords and harmonies, especially during songs with lead vocals that create emotion such as sad songs with higher melodies or verses; this technique adds intensity and heightens its overall effect on listeners.
2. Pay Attention to the Musical Arrangement
Sad music carries with it an abundance of emotion, so it is imperative that its arrangement conveys that feeling effectively. Emotional pieces usually feature sparser arrangements as opposed to complex compositions meant for entertainment; their main purpose is instead the expression of emotion rather than any attempt at captivating an audience. A less dense arrangement also helps create a feeling of loneliness among listeners.
An emotional piano song can do wonders for conveying sadness. By providing space for full expression without other instruments to overpower it, using simple chords like tremolos, trills and bends you can add depth. Tremolos, trills and bends also help add dimension. Other ways you can make songs feel more emotive include slowing the tempo down as well as using less complex chords (maj7 chords are great at adding mournful sounds often found in tragic or depressing music) in music that.
Sad songs can provide great comfort and inspiration in times of distress; but listening to an endless loop of them won’t solve anything – you must use what they teach us in life!
Not all sad songs will contain lyrics; some could even be entirely instrumental, providing relief from having to deal with personal problems while listening to music. When writing your song, be conscious of this factor so you don’t send an incorrect message out there.
Studies have demonstrated that when hearing music with negative valence, an individual’s personality, learned associations and social context all play a part in how much displeasure they experience (purple arrows). If listening again provides dampened displeasure effects and leads to more pleasure than was originally experienced (green arrows).
3. Adjust Your Melody and Lyrics
As well as tempo, melodies, and chord progressions, lyrics play an integral part in how we interpret a song as sad. Lyrics written in minor keys with melancholy themes tend to create greater emotional responses whereas songs featuring piano (especially above C3), strings, or acoustic guitar often create feelings of melancholy sadness.
Music with slower tempos and melancholy lyrics tends to be perceived as more sad than songs with faster-paced tempos and happier lyrics, because fast-paced songs are typically associated with excitement while slower music tends to induce feelings of melancholy and sadness.
Although lyrics or tempo can play an important part, certain musical elements can also make songs sadder, regardless of lyrics or tempo. According to studies comparing various versions of a song on mood, melody and chords were most responsible for how listeners perceived its overall emotions.
Although opinions differ as to why some find sadness-inducing music pleasurable, most scholars agree it may be because these negative emotions conveyed by music are aesthetic rather than physically or socially detrimental to its listener. Furthermore, adding such songs into receptive music therapy sessions could provide individuals with ways to manage negative feelings that are healthier and more constructive than simply trying to avoid them (Saarikallio 2008).
Sad music has many other uses besides therapeutic applications. For instance, its emotional resonance makes it an effective tool to elicit responses during film trailers – helping set the scene and draw audiences into engaging with its content.
Similar to restaurant settings, mood-boosting music such as piano or violin pieces is used at weddings or funerals to set an uplifting and comfortable ambiance for diners. Furthermore, royalty free sad beats have become incredibly popular with musicians, film directors, and advertisers for use at these important occasions.
4. Write Your Song
Listening to sad music is a wonderful way to feel connected, but writing your own melancholy tune can be even more therapeutic. By taking time out to express your emotions through song writing, it may help move past difficult periods in life and turn them into something inspiring and life-affirming.
Songwriting doesn’t need to be difficult; just take inspiration from listening to some melancholy tunes you enjoy for melodies and lyrics that speak to your sadness. From there, take note of how different artists structure their songs – use that knowledge when writing lyrics of your own. Once your musical arrangement of your song is in place, start writing lyrics; one approach would be considering your desired narrative and how best to share that tale with your listeners, while using poetic techniques such as metaphor, idioms and double entendre to add complexity and make your song truly engaging!
Remember that melancholy music tends to have slower tempos than other genres, allowing the listener to become immersed in your lyrics more intimately and personally. Additionally, avoid overusing too many syllables when writing lyrics for sad topics as this could make listeners lose interest more quickly in your song.
Once your lyrics are written, sing them aloud to test if they evoke the emotion you intend. Additionally, play it for friends and family for feedback; this step will enable you to determine whether your song makes listeners sad – and, if it does not – how you might improve it.
Though writing your own sad music edits may be challenging, the rewards will more than make up for your efforts in communicating your emotions to listeners in an authentic and relatable manner. By following these tips you can craft an emotional and powerful melancholy tune that will reach deep inside listeners’ emotions.