Tension and Release

from Notey and Noisy: A Sound Science Mathemusical

NOTEY:
The highs and lows of music
Often get mixed up, so note them down
Pitch, tempo, tone and volume
But also textural density
And emotional intensity
The drama!
The cadences from craziness to calmer
That drive the vibe and guide the way from go to woah, so

ALL:
Why play the same thing over and over? x3
Music isn't just about calm and peace
You need tension and release, tension and release

The words and the melody take me on a journey
The rhythm and the texture make it an adventure
The chords and the form lead me through the storm to the norm

From the fast to the slow, the high to the low
The dull to the bright, the loud to the quiet
With a pause and a stop, you'll work that applause and you'll take it to the top

Why play the same thing...

Questions and answers, sleepers and dancers
Extremes of emotion, waves on the ocean
Without hills and valleys, the land is really plain

From the fast to the slow, the high to the low
The dull to the bright, the loud to the quiet
With a pause and a stop, you'll work that applause and you'll take it to...

The bridge, post chorus, or middle 8
Another big bit for us to... anticipate
Or a breakdown, so low, it's over the top
As it builds and builds .... to the drop
WIFI: Ooh, Dubstep! A bit of EDM!
HOUSEBAND: Ah, yes, Electronic Dance Music. Hey, have you noticed that EDM doesn't use harmonic  cadence as much as it uses textural and timbral cadence to create its tension and release
WIFI: Oooo, I'm feeling the tension

NOISY:
Change or repetition can be tension or release depending on your state of mind and their position in the piece
ALL:
Explore and savour the quiver of quavery flavour that that that's quantized or autotuned lacks.
'Cos all my favourite rhythms and melodies misbehave, off the grid and in the cracks

Are you deep in a groove or stuck in a rut?

That's the groove thing, the feel, the swing
The sweet push and pull round the pulse, round the globe, the beat
The subtle mash from rush to drag. The maths is mad
These neither 16ths nor triplets increase hipness
The physicality of different instruments and languages and dances dictate it
Though there's no knowing how to notate it!

From the fast to the slow, the high to the low
The dull to the bright, the loud to the quiet
With a pause and a stop, you'll work that applause and you'll take it to the top, take it to the top, take it to the top!

Why play the same thing...... TENSION AND RELEASE!

© Mal Webb 2020