In this article, I want to explore the nature of music and how the principles of tension and release are fundamental to music compositions of all kinds.
Firstly though, we need to discuss what we mean by tension and release. At a fundamental level you cannot have sound without tension. The musician plucks or bows a string of a Guitar or Violin held under tension and the string vibrates creating a sound. As the musician releases the string; the vibrations diminish.
Musical sound itself therefore creates a sense of tension and excitement. Silence is the complete lack of tension or vibration.
What is Music?
Melody, Harmony and Rhythm
Music has three main components: melody, harmony and rhythm. I believe that melody is related to the spiritual; harmony with both the soul and mind and rhythm to the body. Think about it a moment. Music without a strong pulse or rhythm is impossible to dance or work out to. Look or listen to all the meditative or new age music. What’s its basic ingredient? For example: say popular new age composer, Einaudi? The main component is harmony. The melody is understated as is the the rhythm.
What about the Beatles? What was their distinctive musical component? It’s the melody. That’s what made them famous! Maybe the classical composers had it right, as their music expresses the perfect balance between melody, harmony and rhythm? Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself!
Music and Time
Fundamentally, music as an art form, is related to time. A piece of music has a beginning, a middle and an end. Every piece of music has a ‘time’ signature and a tempo.
Volume or loudness
All western music – maybe all music – works on the basis of creating tension and release. This concept is what seems to be pleasurable to human beings. A quiet sound is generally peaceful and contemplative. Therefore, at a basic level, the volume is a basic tool for the composer. A louder sound (forte) is generally more exciting. Haydn used this famously in the second movement of his Surprise symphony with a sudden unexpected forte, making his audience jump out of their skins! A kind of musical joke.
Crescendo ( getting louder gradually) creates excitement. French composer, Ravel’s Bolero is a great example of this: the same tune repeats throughout the whole 15 minutes of the piece but gradually gets louder and louder in a tremendous crescendo. Ravel achieves this by adding more and more instruments to the mix thickening the texture.
Tempo or pulse
Tempo is another important tool for the composer. Listen to Grieg’s in the Hall of The Mountain King to see the technique of accelerando (getting faster) used to create excitement very effectively.
Every piece of music has a basic pulse. A basic pulse of an Allegro at around 120 beats music is more exciting than an Andante at 90. All gyms use music at 140 beats per minute because it’s around twice the heart rate. A symphony uses tempo differences structurally: first movement fast (exciting) , second movement slow (peaceful) , third movement moderately fast and last movement very fast.
Therefore, if the music speeds up or slows down, then this also increases and decreases tension. Syncopation is another technique of increasing or decreasing the tension. In rock music, the beat is pushed a little early, anticipating the beat, creating a sense of drive. In jazz the beat is often delayed, giving it a laid back feel.
Of course, rhythms themselves can create tension. A very loud repetitive rhythm can create all sorts of effects. Take dance music for example where we have a very loud four to the floor pulse at a high tempo. This kind of music has a kind of sustained energy that complements the environment. Or, take a drum roll in a rock song, used to create a sense of anticipation and tension signalling closure or change within the music.
Melody
At a fundamental level, though, we have melody. Personally, I think that music without it is incomplete and unspiritual – it doesn’t say anything and is just texture. A bit like a pizza base without any topping! Interestingly, AI (artificial intelligence) can create musical texture but it cannot create a good original melody.
Intervals
In a melody most notes will inevitably fall within the key of the piece. The notes around the tonic (key of the piece) will tend to feel the most released and resolved, the dominant ( 5 notes above the tonic) less so. Small jumps of seconds and thirds will equate to small amounts of tension. Larger jumps up or down will feel more exciting. At another level if you have more than one melody sounding at one time (called counter point) , then this will increase excitement as multiple lines sound very exciting to the ear.
Articulation
A melody made up of rapid notes or repeating rapid staccato notes will feel more exciting than long slurred notes.
Harmony
The harmony is a very important part of the design. Cadences are the familiar chord progressions that lead to a close or other effect. The two-five-one cadence leads us to a conclusion, so if we have an unexpected chord this leads to dramatic tension.
Suspensions likewise can be used for this effect. Within the harmonic structure of the key, the minor chords sound more tense that the major ones. Diminished chords even more so. Added chords, say a dominant seventh chord, introduce a note outside the key and therefore create tension, which naturally requires a resolution to the sub dominant chord of that key.
A major seventh chord on the other hand, tends to hang as the added note is also the leading note of the key and is much more ambiguous in sound effect. Satie Gymnopedie No 1 is a great example of this suited to the style of that impressionistic music.
As you start to add more and more notes: ninth, eleventh and thirteenth chords, these become more discordant and tense. It’s a bit like adding more and more spice to a curry. Inverted chords also tend to be more tense as they demand resolution.
Modulation
Along with the harmony the next effect that will increase tension is to change key or modulation. Many key changes or unexpected changes increase the dramatic effect. An expected key change, say following a dominant seventh chord will give a feeling of release. In classical music, the development section of the sonata form, the middle section, is often where the piece will change key many times and this helps create instability and excitement and a contrast to the more stable first section.
Texture
Lastly , the texture of the music can increase or decrease tension. A bare simple texture will tend to sound more released. A dense fast moving polyphonic texture the opposite.
Form
Form is probably the most important tool of the composer as it enables contrast. Many pop songs for example, will use the simple A B form or verse chorus. The verse is more restrained in emotion and then the chorus is the catchy bit providing contrast and interest. A more complex song might have a bridge section C which is where the composer changes key say to the minor for a short while or we hear an instrumental melody.
Classical composers take form a bit further. For example a Rondo form – often heard in the final movement of a symphony, is where we have several contrasting themes but always returning to the security of the A theme. So the format of a rondo might be A,B,A,C,A,D
Sonata form is the solution most composers have used throughout history to extend a piece with many different moods or levels of tension and release. Basically, a sonata is in three sections. A, B, A. The first section A (exposition) may contain two ideas of contrasting mood and tension and in different keys. The middle section B (development) you could call a discussion or debate and this section uses the ideas presented in the first section freely. The B section is where there is increased tension. The last section C (recapitulation) is where the first ideas are presented again but this time they are not in tension but are resolved giving the music conclusion.
Summary
In summary therefore, composers have many tools at their disposal to create tension and release in music. Music that has no tension at all, tends to sound boring for most people – a kind of wallpaper or background music. The longer the piece is – the more difficult it becomes to sustain interest without a change of pace or mood. That’s why pop songs last around 3 minutes because that’s the limit before our ears get tired and need a change of mood. They are a kind of fast food for the ear!
Film composers on the other hand, use the principle of tension and release all the time – but in a subtle fashion. They skilfully match the music to the level of tension or excitement in the film making sure the music is in the background. Film music works as an emotional underlining accompanying the action within the film.
Classical composers, use tension and release to a greater extent than most and that’s how a large musical piece is sustained for sometimes up to even an hour.
