Analysis for Composers #14 - On Dissonance

[@MrInterestingthings]

So glad i stopped writing music for a minute to listen and learn. Ive gotten into the common habit of being busy and arbitrary without really questioning and studying all the work and orevious answers that will help me write better music and gain confidence by knowing what, why and how im doing . My excuse that i need a teacher in the room won't suffice any longer. Im glad you and a few others have taken the time to let others benefit from your expertise! Thank you! Your cello concerto helped me see this need to grow .

[@christycm5946]

Alan just wanted to thank you again for your work. It really helps me a lot as a Composer and I'm grateful for all the time & effort you spend on this!

[@charlesbrown6171]

I listened to this a third time today after first listening two months ago. What helpful concepts on the distance of the minor seconds to our level of discomfort as a listener -- and thus the importance of a composer fully understanding how to structure an emotional event.

[@wingflanagan]

Welcome back, Professor Belkin! I've been missing these lessons. Wonderful video, as usual. Thanks!

[@charlesbrown6171]

This is a terrific short video on the power of dissonance and resolution. I can immediately use these ideas on my current commission! Thank you, Alan!

[@darienwest4748]

"Thinking about Dissonance" Hmm okay maybe he'll talk about Shostakovich *The word "Shostakovich" appears on the screen* *:O*

[@kiren3168]

Musical composition: craft and art was amazing! Thank you so much :) it really helped me be creative again

[@DerekWilliamsMusic]

Lovely illustrations, Alan!

[@LoveRonnelid]

As always, outstanding! Thank you!

[@Scriabin_fan]

Would you please do an analysis of one of Einojuhani Rautavaara's symphonic works? He uses a really fresh and interesting form of dissonance that i find to be very innovative. He mixes "regular harmony" with heavy dissonance and i really want to know the music theory of how he does it tbh.

[@stefanotroncaro]

Hi Alan, great video! I'm really curious, given your long history of teaching and exchanging ideas with other composers, how much consensus would you say you've found on this scale of dissonance as you've presented it? For example, you explain that in chord 2 the tension is lessened compared to chord 1, but I personally feel it to be the opposite, the minor 9th sounds to me like it has a lot more tension, and it is specially so since the minor 9th is made by the lowest and highest notes of the chord. Also, I recon I would probably feel chord 1 to be more tense than 2 if it was written an octave lower, where the clash of the minor 2nd would have way more weight. On another tangent, I find lovely that chord 3, in my opinion, exchanges the 'dark' dissonance of the minor 9th for a softer, brighter major 9th and more 'dynamic' tension, since the chord now has two tritones instead of just one compared with 1 and 2. Quite an expressive tradeoff in my opinion. I'm very passionate about these topics and would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for all the knowledge you share.

[@BazzTriton]

Obrigado Mr. Belkin

[@TomasHradckyComposer]

Wonderful.

[@andrewdufresne1745]

Thank you (again) Alan!

[@RichardASalisbury1]

What is the music heard at the start of this video. I'm guessing it's something you, Alan, wrote for this occasion, though it put me in mind of Shostakovich. In any case, I found it very beautiful.

[@OdinComposer]

Appreciate these so much Alan! I was just wondering though, is there a reason you leave out the topic of these videos from the title?

[@alanbelkin9272]

Good point. I just fixed that!

[@robbyr9286]

What is the opening music from?

[@robbyr9286]

@Alan Belkin Thanks!

[@yaakovda]

Dissonance (as all aspects of music) is context-sensitive, hence attempts to grade its "levels" in an absolute manner have no hope of being useful.

[@caterscarrots3407]

I disagree with you about the most dissonant interval. Yes, the minor second is very dissonant while the minor seventh is just barely dissonant, but there is 1 interval that I think trumps the minor second in terms of dissonance, that one being the tritone. It is extremely dissonant, not only because it is found very far along the harmonic series, but also because of its octave symmetry, in other words, it self inverts. Take another example of something that is symmetric across the octave, the whole tone scale. Yes it is consonant, as a scale that is, but harmonically it is extremely dissonant because all the fifths are either augmented or diminished. Thus octave symmetry = extreme dissonance and thus the tritone is more dissonant than the minor second. The tritone self inverting across the octave gets even more dissonant when a second tritone is brought in to form the most dissonant of common chords, the diminished seventh, once again having octave symmetry.

[@kiren3168]

I disagree

[@wirag4680]

@@kiren3168 Same here

[@emanuel_soundtrack]

you have to consider the difference between these intervals alone as part of a chord. And if is part, consider when it is an accident or when it is the essence of this chord. The minor second alone or tritonus alone does mean nothing. What means are musical sounds, not just sounds. And this determines consonance and dissonance (= sounding with/soundings without)

[@hom2fu]

pasted from someone else: Dissonance is really up to the person’s ear and level of listening. We all hear music the same way but we don’t all UNDERSTAND it the same way.