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Why is minor key sad?

The 3rd of the triad is lower in a minor chord, which means it is closer to the tonic (the first and most important note of whatever key the music is in). This creates a slightly more jarring affect in comparison to a major triad, causing the ear to perk up. This dissonance could signify distress.

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Was the Minor Key Always Sad?

Sizzle. Bzzzz….Pop. A synth pop band struggles to make itself heard through the crunch and static of the barely-existent radio signal. You peer ahead at the dark desert road in front of you. There is not a single soul to be seen for miles.

“Bzzz…Baby I love…pop…die without you…sizzle…gonna strangle….crunch…” The lo-fi bass ruthlessly thumped.

“God, this music sucks,” you mutter, annoyed. Taking one hand off the steering wheel, you reach for the radio dial.

Turning, turning….

Suddenly, something ghostly and ethereal wafts up to your ears. You turn the dial back to find it. A lone voice sings incomprehensible words to a dark, simple melody. Except, the voice doesn’t sound… human. You lean closer.

It was a violin, backed by a simple, skeletal piano accompaniment.

The violin’s voice was rich and low. It seemed like it had a story to tell. As the vibrant sound envelopes your ears, you begin to feel…sorrowful.

But that does not make sense. Why would you feel sad? There were no lyrics, there was no way you could tell what the music was about. So how could you explain the wave of melancholy that crashed into your soul with no warning?

Two reasons explain this seemingly strange phenomenon.

Based on the placement and movement of his fingers, the expert control of his bow to caress the violin’s strings, and the anguish in his heart, violinist Josef Hassid made the violin weep. When one cries, one doesn’t need words for others to know he is sad. The music was in a minor key. “A minor”, specifically.

Indeed, you can use science to explain emotion.

…

Why does the minor key sound sad? And what makes the major key sound happy?

Almost all western music is made up of the major or minor scales. Both the major and minor scales consist of 7 different pitches, with the eighth pitch being the same is the first pitch: The difference between the two scales lies in the 3rd, 6th, and 7th pitches of each scale. In a major key, the 3rd, 6th, and 7th is raised by a half step. In the natural minor key, the 3rd, 6th, and 7th are a half step lower. These subtle changes can make a huge difference in how a song or piece of music affects the listener.

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But scientifically speaking, does music made up of the major scale really increase dopamine levels associated with happiness, whereas music with the minor scale actually make the listener more likely to feel sad?

The answer is, no. The reason we believe songs in minor sound “sadder” and songs in major sound “happier” is because our ears were conditioned this way. Most of the music we have been listening to since we were babies align with the major = happy and minor = sad formula. Lyrics about a break-up? Minor key. Lyrics about partying and having fun? Major key. A song about death? Minor key. Another about celebration and freedom? Major key.

Music of the Past

Music wasn’t always like this. During the Medieval and Renaissance Era, the “character” and “affect” of Western music was based on how many flats or sharps were in the key signature.

Flats in the key signature were associated with “soft”, “sad”, or “mellow”.

Sharps in the key signature were associated with “intense”, “agitated”, or even “angry”. When there were more sharps in the music, the lyrics often told something agitated. When there were more flats, the lyrics became calmer and mellower.

This all gradually changed when the Baroque era took hold of music. Composers like J. S. Bach helped introduce the major and minor scale as we know it today to listeners. But why did the major and minor scales take such a hold on western music?

Why associate major with happy and minor with sad?’

Reason 1: Higher? Happier. Lower? Sad.

In order to create the major scale, you have to “raise” certain pitches, and in order to create the minor scale, you “lower” the same pitches. Higher is associated with happier. When someone says they are “high” (off marijuana, sugar, a recent experience, whatever), generally they are enjoying themselves. And lower, well… you can probably guess. The words “downer”, “at a low point”, are obviously associated with gloom. A happy person can express his or her happiness by jumping, or having a bounce to the feet. A sad person slouches, his or her body is closer to the ground. A smile’s edges curve up, a frown curves down. So it would make sense for composers or songwriters to use those slight up or down alterations in pitch to condition emotions and feelings.

Reason 2: More Tension, More Dissonance

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Additionally, a minor triad can express more dissonance than a major triad (triad= a simple chord that makes up most harmonies). The 3rd of the triad is lower in a minor chord, which means it is closer to the tonic (the first and most important note of whatever key the music is in). This creates a slightly more jarring affect in comparison to a major triad, causing the ear to perk up. This dissonance could signify distress.

Trends away from the major/minor model:

Regardless of western music history, recent studies show that more and more popular music is moving away from this traditional model. You can often hear sad songs in a major key, and vice versa. In fact, in past times, some of the best music was not defined emotionally by its key signature. Many past composers would add minor tinges to music in a major key, major tinges to music in a minor key.

…

No longer as perplexed by your emotions, you relax back in your seat. The melody becomes more agitated, the violin climbs higher and higher. The transformed melody soars a few octaves above its original statement. The dreamy accompaniment intertwines with the violin’s trills. Then the violin presents the melody one last time. This time it is completely bare. A pure, soulful cry of abandon. A car honk startles you from your thoughts. Your car was ever- so- slightly drifting into the opposite lane. The first driver you see in half an hour whizzes past you, gives you the finger and shouts something incomprehensible. You throw your head out the window and shout back, a crazy grin plastered on your face. “I learned something today! I can finally begin to understand my emotions!”

You duck back into your seat, confident and… happy? Wait what?

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