For this blog post, I will discuss the aesthetics and affects of sadness, which have also resulted in my art. In the world of music, the aesthetics of sadness are shaped through the use of various elements, elements such as melancholic melodies, slow tempos, minor keys, and the conjuring of ‘sad’ or ‘downhearted’ atmospheres (Webster et al., 2005). Dynamic contrasts may be present in the music, which can heighten the emotional impact, such as soft verses leading to powerful choruses. Lyrical content also plays a significant role when shaping music’s effect on us, especially when considering themes of heartbreak, loss, and introspection (Pond et al., 2023). The conjoined aspects of these musical components help shape a song to be considered ‘sad.’
In my creative practice, I have crafted several songs/compositions that reflect how I felt then. A few of these examples reflect the times when I was experiencing sadness. In particular, I would like to focus on one of my relevant pieces. This song is a ‘somewhat’ instrumental track featuring lyrics from a known ‘mystery’ artist called ‘Shiloh Dynasty.’ Shiloh’s music has been known for reflecting the aesthetics of sadness with her melancholic melodies, and she keeps her true identity a mystery (Arline, 2020). Shiloh Dynasty is an online persona linked to mysterious voice recordings published on SoundCloud, Vine, and Instagram (Tracklib, 2022). The Instagram videos she has uploaded only display her singing short lyrical clips and sometimes playing the guitar. Her lyrical content describes feelings of loss, self-doubt, and other similar emotions correlating with sadness. The tone of voice she sings sounds quite sad, and these songs often result in a minor key. The use of minor scales often makes the listener relate to her downhearted state and atmosphere (Kawakami et al., 2013).
Shiloh Dynasty’s short video clips are known for her retrospective tone of voice, difficult-to-see (low-quality) videos, and overall downhearted vibe. This is why I decided to sample her lyrics, as it contributed to the overall ‘sad’ vibe that I felt at the time. I slowed down her lyrics, detuned them slightly, and added a lower octave duplicate of the recording - to enhance the disheartened vibe by altering the tonal characteristics (Hevner, 1937). The chopped-up lyrics seem almost hard to distinguish - unless you are already familiar with the artist and original video. I try my best to accentuate this feeling of dread by trying to keep the song’s overall tone somewhat chromatic (Margounakis et al., 2012). I also create sonically soft verses (stripped-back instrumental tracks), then powerful choruses with more/louder bass, drums, percussion, and additional aesthetic sounds. You can listen to the song here: https://on.soundcloud.com/qtVsf. The affect that the above-spoken aspects cause is that of a melancholic experience, where the listener may relate to the ‘sadness’ of the overall tone of the track (Brady et al., 2003). These musical aspects that I draw upon are the techniques that I would instate to recreate a piece to elicit sadness in the listener. Which, when you think about it, is a potent tool. However, the listener must first permit themselves to relate to the music, to feel what I was trying to portray (or feeling I was trying to portray) (Dunn, 2014).
Another example of sadness in music can be displayed by the up-and-coming genre of ‘sad and reverbed’ remixes (Martin, 2023). The slowing down of the original song tempo also creates a pitch shift, lowering the track’s pitch (usually to a minor scale), which means the composition will feel more melancholic (Hevner, 1937). An excellent example of this style can be found here (with a slowed-down version of Bea Miller’s ‘Feel Something’): bea miller - feel something (slowed down).
In conclusion, sadness can be represented in music in many ways. Lowering the pitch, slowing down the tempo, or creating a piece within a minor key are all sufficient ways to elicit a sad emotion within the listener. The use of dynamic contrasts in the structure of the music - can heighten the emotional impact of the composition, and lyrical content, which displays the aesthetics of heartbreak and loss, also helps contribute to the overall sadness of a song.
References:
Webster, G. D., & Weir, C. G. (2005). Emotional responses to music: Interactive effects of mode, texture, and tempo. Motivation and Emotion, pp. 29, 19–39.
Pond, N., & Leavens, D. (2023). Comparing effects of sad melody versus sad lyrics on mood. Psychology of Music, 03057356231189680.
Arline (2020). Shiloh Dynasty: The Vibe that Has Defined My College Learning. KTSW 89.9. https://ktswblog.net/2020/09/30/shiloh-dynasty-the-vibe-that-has-defined-my-college-learning/
Who Is Shiloh Dynasty? The Mysterious Lo-fi Icon. (2022, February 11). Tracklib.com. https://www.tracklib.com/blog/who-is-shilohdynasty-samples-lofi-xxxtentacion
Kawakami, A., Furukawa, K., Katahira, K., & Okanoya, K. (2013). Sad music induces pleasant emotion—frontiers in psychology, 4, 311.
Hevner, K. (1937). The affective value of pitch and tempo in music. The American Journal of Psychology, 49(4), 621–630.
Margounakis, D., & Politis, D. (2012). Exploring the relations between chromaticism, familiarity, scales, and emotional responses in music. In 19th Colloquium on Music Informatics.
Brady, E., & Haapala, A. (2003). Melancholy as an aesthetic emotion. Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive), 1(1), 6.
Dunn, R. E. (2014). Life music as a beginning point: Connecting with the intuitive listener. The Musical Experience: Rethinking music teaching and learning Online: Oxford Scholarship Online.
Martin, L. (2023). Slowed+ ReverbA Pop Genealogy. Journal of Popular Music Studies, 35(3), 5–31.