The tonal component of music indicates mood as well, though what we associate in the modern-day wasn’t what was always done. The motion of the melody also impacts the mood from the direction to how the melody moves. Higher pitches may communicate upbeat and lighter moods, while lower pitches may seem more somber, dark, or serious moods. The pitch level also impacts mood in music to a certain degree.

Quieter dynamics are associated with sweetness, love, sadness, or even nervousness. Louder dynamics can indicate feelings of anger or pride. Volume or dynamics also add to the mood by affecting the happy/sad stress level of the piece. The tempo/energy can even affect your heart rate. On the other hand, we typically associate slower tempi (or perceived slower tempi through longer rhythms) as low energy. Upbeat music and light moods in popular songs can really affect your mood too! The stress level is different even though the energy is high. High energy pieces can be both happy and frantic. If this is your goal, though, you need to listen to it actively. This will also help you listen to music to have a positive effect on your own mood. In music, we look at tempo and the speed of the rhythms as the energy aspect of the mood of the song.

The elements of music each have moods connected to them that are conveyed when a specific combination is met. Just like people don’t always stay in the same mood or they move between moods, the same thing happens with music! Of course, moods aren’t linear or stable, and we can feel multiple moods and such at the same time.īut this doesn’t mean the quantifying of said moods isn’t worth looking into. He theorized that all of our moods fit into these four parts and differ based on how much we have in each of the two linear scales. They go from happy to sad (in the stress category) and calm to energetic (in the energy category). He puts moods into categories based on how they fit on a scale in regards to energy and stress. Robert Thayer conducted research into managing energy, tension, and mood in people.Īs part of this research, he developed a model for describing mood that can apply to how music makes an impact on mood too!įor the full study, read his research here. Lonely Mood Of A Song Definition (Robert Thayer’s Model).Mood Of A Song Definition (Robert Thayer’s Model).

Negative moods in literature