Why do you like your favorite songs? | Scarlet Keys | TEDxPortsmouth

Summary

The speaker, a songwriter and professor at Berkeley College of Music, explores the profound impact of songs on our lives, from marking milestones to evoking memories. They delve into the mechanics of songwriting, discussing how melody, tone, chords, and repetition influence emotions. Using examples like Adele's 'Someone Like You,' they illustrate how these elements can alter a song's emotional resonance. The talk also touches on the therapeutic power of music, as the speaker shares personal experiences of using songwriting to process emotions, including a battle with breast cancer, highlighting music's role in emotional healing and connection.

Takeaways

• 🎶 Songs serve as a soundtrack to our lives, marking significant moments and evoking emotions.
• 🚗 Music can transport us back to specific memories, as illustrated by the example of hearing a song from a past love while in traffic.
• 🎵 The power of a song lies in its ability to encode emotions and memories, impacting us deeply in just a few minutes.
• 📝 As a songwriter and professor, the speaker emphasizes the tools used in songwriting to affect emotions, such as tone.
• 🗣️ Tone of voice, like in a doctor's greeting, can significantly affect how a message is received, either calming or alarming.
• 🎼 Melody is likened to the song's tone of voice, with Western listeners having expectations for how it should feel and progress.
• 🔄 The use of unstable and stable notes in melody can build empathy with the audience, as demonstrated with Adele's 'Someone Like You'.
• 🎹 Chords contribute to defining the mood of a song, with the speaker using the example of eating a Snickers bar to explain emotional impact.
• 🔄 Repetition in songwriting helps listeners remember and engage with the song, but too much can lead to disinterest or cliché.
• 💡 Music aids in processing emotions, with dopamine released when listening to loved songs and cortisol when subjected to disliked music.
• 💖 The speaker's personal experiences with aging and breast cancer demonstrate how writing and listening to music can be therapeutic and provide emotional support.

Q & A

What is the significance of songs in our lives according to the speaker?

Songs are described as the soundtrack of our lives, enhancing moments and seasons, evoking emotions, and serving as a time capsule and time machine to remember past experiences.

How does the speaker describe the power of a song to transport us back to a specific memory?

The speaker illustrates that a song encoded in our brain can instantly transport us back to a specific time and place, like a vivid memory of a past love, due to its emotional connection.

What is the role of tone in songwriting according to the speaker?

Tone in songwriting is compared to the tone of voice in conversation, affecting the listener's emotional response, with the speaker using the example of a doctor's tone to explain its impact.

What is the importance of melody in conveying the emotion of a song?

Melody is considered the song's 'tone of voice', with the arrangement of notes impacting the listener's emotional response, and the speaker demonstrates this with an example involving Adele's song 'Someone Like You'.

How does the speaker explain the concept of stable and unstable notes in a melody?

Stable notes are described as feeling resolved, while unstable notes create a sense of tension or longing for resolution, which songwriters can use to build empathy with the audience.

What is the role of chords in defining the mood of a song?

Chords, consisting of three to four notes played simultaneously, contribute significantly to the emotional feel of the lyrics and the overall mood of the song.

Why is repetition used in songwriting and what are its potential pitfalls?

Repetition helps listeners remember the song and engage with it, but too much repetition can lead to habituation, causing the listener to zone out or perceive the song as cliché.

How does the speaker use the example of eating a Snickers bar to explain the choice of chords in songwriting?

The speaker contrasts two scenarios of eating a Snickers bar—one feeling amazing and the other despondent—to demonstrate how different chords can reflect and enhance the emotional context of the lyrics.

What is the impact of music on our brain's release of hormones like dopamine and cortisol?

Listening to loved songs releases dopamine, a feel-good hormone, while disliking or hating music can cause the release of cortisol, a stress hormone.

How did the speaker use songwriting as a form of therapy during her battle with breast cancer?

The speaker turned to songwriting as a means to process her emotions and experiences during cancer treatment, using music to release dopamine and maintain optimism.

What is the significance of the song 'It's About Damn Time' in the speaker's personal journey?

The song 'It's About Damn Time' served as the speaker's fight song, embodying her optimism and resilience during her cancer treatment, and helping her to metabolize difficult emotions.