How can you evaluate the emotional impact of a song?

To make a song more emotional, focus on heartfelt lyrics, a touching tune, and honest singing. Let your feelings shine through when you perform, and that connection with your audience will bring out the song's emotions in a straightforward way.

One of the advices that was so helpful to me: - sing a sad song with an inner smile; - sing a happy song with a slight hint of sadness This is how - along with other insturments - you add depth to your interpretation.

What and how much emotions are stirred or not stirred through any music has greatest contributions to what stage of life you are in. One deep meaningful song that one has listened to at age 12 will have different effect in 18, yet it will have different impact in 28 and the same lyrics may hit as shrapnel in 38. But they be a soothing pain in 48. One thing that music hits directly is harmones and each age has a different set of leading harmones in control which set the mood and pave way for emotions to be in control or zest to be out of control.

Yes minor keys are very suitable for sad mellow songs but can also be used for stirring music like Dylan’s All Along The Watch Tower or trad The Foggy Dew both using Am. Robbie Robertson used Em for the poignant verses of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. I use the technique a lot. A song with major chords can also invoke a mellow thoughtful song like the Otis Redding/ Steve Cropper song Dock on the Bay with that lovely sequence G B C D George Harrison used four minor chords in While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Am Bm, Em, F#m Rock songs like they say are 3 chords and an attitude. Many songs use E A B7. Six days on the road an Wear-you high heeled sneakers. It depends on what you want to convey - sad, glad, rumbustious, or funny

Slow tempo and rhythm makes a deep feeling in a sad song. Lyrics impacts an important role and volume makes variations. Mostly uses Major keys for happiness, joy and Minor keys for sadness, sorrow etc. But it is not a fixed method, except it always depends on the mood or creativity.

Having been in many recording studios, with young, ambitious musicians, and also as a radio host and music programmer, the biggest piece of advice I could give to new musicians is don't try to replicate the emotions created by your hero artists. The emotions that come out need to be authentic and truthful to you. Are you genuinely connecting to those lyrics, tone etc, or are you trying to sound too much like X?

Once a song is laid out, even at the early stages, e.g. for piano only, I try different but simple arrangements... Rock, classical, folk... and re-listen to them in different environments like in my car, at home, in the garden. The perspective changes. And then the best sequences/instruments/rhythms can be kept and mixed together.

As someone deeply engaged in the studio and composing, let me share from personal experience. Think of crafting a heartfelt ballad; with time, its emotional depth can blur through repetition. The key is to step back, give it a break, and return with fresh ears. Picture yourself in various settings – perhaps in the car, with headphones, or in a different room. This shift in perspective lets you rediscover nuanced details, offering a more human and genuine assessment of the song's emotional impact.

one of the things is to listen to other songs with similar emotions, and you yourself can also know if the song has the same impact as them.

I think that this is the one... It really depends on what you want to obtain but you need to be happy with your music. Then have others, relatives, friends, ... listen and comment. People around the world love so different styles, it is hardly impossible to please all ears. But some rare songs almost did ! I once had friends listen to a new song and their comments were useful ('this part should be played longer', 'I live the lift there', or... 'the drums are too loud'...)

groove and syncopated rhythms for example refers to happiness, joy each genre has its own set of quality for the kind of elements used. if you understand what genre it is, and the kind of elements used, this referencing also helps you evaluate the emotions.

Imagine exploring songs of different moods like wandering through diverse emotional landscapes. By delving into the details—changing chords, scales, or styles—you start to notice the magical nuances. Picture it like tweaking colors on a palette; a subtle chord shift can create a melancholic hue, a change in scale, a cultural vibe. This journey of comparing songs helps you see how these small musical alterations impact the emotional vibe, revealing the artistry behind the feelings each song conveys.

Music can affect people differently based on any number of factors. A friend of mine was at a concert I played at and even though they knew the story behind the song and had heard the song many times, I was surprised to look up in the middle of singing to see them crying. You may never know how or when that the song you created will affect any one person at any given time. Keep being true to your vision and feeling so that others might feel value because of what you do.

Having answered a few of these questions/answers on LinkedIn it occurred to me today these answers will be of enormously helpful in bettering AI's music creating ability! :^) There are for sure some tricks in the compositional process that can be useful in triggering/evoking certain emotions. (think of the Major/minor shift as example). Lyrics that connect with the listener- this can mean so many things! I'm hearing a trend in library music of melodic Non word - Oh Oh Oh etc. and in the right context it's very effective in making the hairs on your arm stand up. So, like many things- when you hear something that moves you, make note and if your a writer, study it in detail.