Some violin masterpieces are so striking that you can’t stop tearing up when you listen to them. Even though it’s a simple trick of the brain stimuli triggering our emotions, you might’ve still wondered why the violin sound sad. So, where do sad instruments get their sadness from?
Fortunately, the studies regarding this phenomenon in the world of science are endless. Thus, I’m here to grasp and explain the entire ordeal about what instruments sound sad and why. Let’s get into it.
The theory behind what makes an instrument sound sad is its dark and rich tones. In the case of violins, when darker tones are tapped, it emits sadness for the listener. Therefore, violins are famous as the classical melodic backbone, leading to more extraordinary emotions, mainly sad sentiments.
Feeling all kinds of emotions via various genres of music is possible. Only stroking an instrument on point can evoke emotions such as sadness or even happiness. But, why does violin make you cry mainly? Hold on tight because I still haven’t painted the entire picture yet.
Keep reading to know how and why instruments such as violins can be the sole reason for such mood shifters.
Comparing the Mean Sadness Frequency(SD) with other Instruments
| Instrument | Mean Sadness Frequency (SD) |
| Violoncello | 6.38 |
| Violin | 6.52 |
| Viola | 6.05 |
| Piano | 5.91 |
| Oboe | 5.29 |
| English Horn | 5.24 |
| Acoustic Guitar | 5.19 |
| Flute | 4.00 |
| Snake Drum | 2.00 |
As you can see violoncello and Violin is top of the list on the Mean Sadness Frequency list. Sad music and the instruments producing sad music are two distinct factors. Often people misinterpret thinking that the instrument itself is melancholy and can only play out emotional tones.
Think about it – the same instrument that can model sad music collectives on Apple can also make you feel giddy with its upbeat ‘Happy Birthday’ tone. This means that the composer intended it to be either sad or happy, and when performed with the correct tonality, your emotions will reciprocate.
However, that’s not all. Changing the tempo, arrangements, lyrics, minor keys, and melody can also alter a song significantly. This is why one piece can provoke multiple emotions in you when played in changed settings or beats.
At this point, one might want to conclude positively when asked are all instruments suitable for sad music?
The truth is that instruments can rarely source sadness in music. It’s always the keys and the performer’s fingertips or stroke doing the trick. Any number of instruments can fit into that category. However, there are still a few minor distinctions. This is why even though the majority of the instruments that you can name play a sad song, they have their own limitations too.
You can play and listen to Asheezy’s sad music on the violin, but not on a banjo. Therefore, not all violin music is sad, nor can all instruments be painful even if intended to. What’s conveyed by the listener depends on the keys played, the intention, and the expressive qualities of the musician.
3 Major Reasons Why Violin Sound Sad
There are three primary reasons why Violin sound Sad
The Performer
Certain qualities can make the violin’s tones sad and portray such emotions in the player. Did you know that violins were actually constructed to mimic human voices? Therefore, when the instrument is strung accordingly, it can have various layers of emotions. If the performer communicates a sad tone, it will hit you consequently. When the violinist is happy, it will be communicated diligently through music too.
For example, the Moonrise on Amazon, when played with the violin, can convey utter sadness through its genuineness and depth. Or, how by listening to ‘Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings’could reluctantly conveys you to sob away into the night.
Depth & Pitch
So, is the violin a sad instrument? Not really. If an instrument can play out sadder genres, it’s because of the pitch and depth. Consider this: Why does your heart rate slow down and then shoot up depending on the music you’re listening to? It’s all about the depth and tempo. A combination of all these and a minor key can evoke undeniable sorrows in the listener, such as the ‘Puccini: Sono andati?’, which is a heart-breaking piece about Mimi, who lost her true love and her tragic end.
The Key
There are specific associations of keys to the emotional characteristics that a player wants to communicate. When other attributes played along with the G minor key, the effects are pretty common and sentimental. The trick is to express aching sorrow through the tones and music alone. Imagine how the entire aura of the music Time Forgotten would alter if words or lyrics were put into it.
You may have wondered why Lac Boi Boi sounds incredibly sad while The Beatles playing ‘Here Comes the Sun’ sounds ecstatic. It’s all about conducting the sadness that the musician feels through the instruments and keys. This specific art was pointed out by Deryck Cooke.
In 1959, he explained that musicians throughout the decades utilized minor keys for explicit sad music and major keys for the happier tunes. The difference in musical profiles is far more vivid when Finnish folk songs and Western classical genres are compared.
The Science Behind Sad Music
During the research for what makes a musical instrument suitable for sad music and why I also found out a few scientific findings in the matter.
- A study in Oxford found out that manipulating timbre and pitch bending are two factors that can be entirely too expressive for the listeners. Pitch bending involves playing at one pitch and then altering it slightly by a smaller interval. This is just another method of expressing and building sadness throughout a song. A better insight into this theory can be experienced when listened to the sad violin piece by Montie.
- Another study at National Taiwan University revealed that the instruments mimic human voices more and more, giving the instrument a tone that could rival human voices.
- In 2004, a study observed the MMN response, which is also known as mismatch negativity. This phenomenon occurs when the brain registers the differences between two types of consecutive stimuli, for example, when the Canon In D is played by flute or the violin. Due to brain imaging and changes in musical timbre, the brain links itself to two types of emotions based on two different instruments.
How Violin sound Correlated with our Emotions
In order for an instrument to be deemed as sad, there lie a few characteristics within the art. Sad tones or speech in general consists of mumbled articulations, narrower pitch movements or monotones, lower pitch, slow rates of language or music, and a quieter voice and tone overall.
Let’s look at some real-life renowned violinists’ stories and how they conducted their sadness through mastering the violin. If you’ve ever wondered what is the saddest violin piece; the three stories of Niel Gow, Joseph Achron, and Nino Rota and their masterpieces will be your answer to it.
After the death of his first wife, Niel abruptly stopped playing the fiddle. In contrast, when his friends influenced him positively, he played the ‘Lament for the Death of his Second Wife’ in the first chance after a long halt.
Joseph Achron composed and studied the violin in 1886 at St. Petersburg conservatory. His involvement with the classical orchestras spiked as he moved to the US in the 1920s.
The central title theme of The Godfather by Nino Rota was particularly set in a different time, space, and era for the listeners. It was intuitively written for the film to evoke specific place, belonging, time, longing, melancholy, and warmth.
When sadder tones or musical notes are mixed with darker timbres and the pitch of the violin, it exhibits unbearable sadness within the minds of the listeners and players.
Think about the time when you’ve heard Johann Sebastian Bach: Come, Sweet Death for the first time ever. As the name itself suggests, this sad music will evoke gentle sobbing and a dark drink. Nobody’s experience with such music differs from such helplessness and sorrow.
Furthermore, dynamic levels are lower in sadder music as well. With a slower and contained tempo and density, the music will never make your heart rate shoot for the ceiling. Instead, it remains consistent with minor fluctuations to induce sadness.
Final Words
There’s not one straightforward answer to Why Violin Sound Sad. In fact, it’s a perfect blend of a handful of elements. These elements can convert even an unfinished work into a classic that could blow away the listener’s mind and soul when incorporated like missing puzzle pieces.
Whereas some say that the violin is the saddest instrument on earth others could take the high road and exclaim that an instrument that’s never been played is the saddest one of them all. The debate could go on forever. However, it’s quite clear that the instrument itself can never be sad on its own without several external influences.
Isn’t that the point, after all? To drown in misery and have a fantastic violin sad song to accompany you?
