Understanding Melodic Attraction

What makes music great? Ask ten musicians and you’re liable to get ten different answers. There are thousands of styles of music and thousands of reasons to like (or dislike) each one. Everyone has an opinion, and every opinion is valid – that’s the beauty of art.

While people’s specific tastes may vary one thing that all music lovers share in common is an appreciation for the mood that our favourite songs put us in. Different sounds and scales affect our ears in unique ways, changing our moods and making us feel certain emotions. A heavy metal track that makes one listener feel confident and energetic might make another feel nervous or uncomfortable. There’s some science (and theory) behind this, but personal preference plays a role too. If you’re here on the World Music Method blog, that means there’s a pretty good chance that your musical tastes overlap with ours. That means you’re in for a treat:

This week’s blog is all about the natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales found in several different styles of world music. Guitarist Fernando Perez goes over the theory in more detail and provides some examples in the video below – check it out today.