No matter what your instrument of choice might be, when writing songs one thing remains consistent, the need for resolution. Resolution is the technical term for musical progressions that sound complete. Consonance which means a pleasant and stable sound, walks hand in hand with resolution. For example, in the key of C, where C is the root note, D is the 2nd, E the 3rd, F the 4th, G the 5th, A the 6th, B the 7th, and C is 8th note or the octave, a riff or chord progression will be resolved if it ends on C(root or octave) or G(the fifth). A C major chord is built with C as the root, E as the third degree and G as the fifth degree. In the key of C, the notes C and G are perfect fifths(five whole scale degrees apart) are consonant and leave the ear satisfied. Try playing a progression in the key of C that ends for example on A(the sixth note), does your ear want more? One rare example of a song that ends unresolved is Neil Young's "Needle and the Damage Done." This song is written in the key of D minor and ends on B flat which is the 6th degree of the key, at the end of song the ear is left unsatisfied. Perhaps this was the intent of Neil Young as the song is about how drug addiction brings no satisfaction or resolution.
If a riff ends on a 2nd, 3rd , 4th, 6th, or 7th note of a scale it is unresolved and the basis for dissonance. Dissonance in music means that the ear is left ear unsatisfied and it is often used to build tension in a song. Metallica's "Enter Sandman" in the key of E minor is one such example. The beginning riff resolves by starting on a low E on the guitar and ending on the E note that is one octave higher.
Intro : 6x
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------5-----------------------5----------------------|
|-------7-------------7---------7--------------7-----------|
|---0----------6---5--------0-----------6---5--------------|
The intro continues with the following riff:
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|-2--2---5/7-------2--2--3-----2--2---5/7--------2--2--3---|
|-0--0-------6--5--0--0--1-----0--0--------6--5--0--0--1---|
This riff builds tension by ending on the F5 chord which is the flat 2 of E minor. The next riff leads into the verse of the song:
Main Riff : play twice
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
|-2----2-----7----------|-----5------4-------4---5---4-----|
|-0----0---------6----5-|-----3---0--2---0---2---3---2-----|
The first part of the riff ends on the 4th degree(the A note) and is repeated 3 times to build tension before releasing into G and resolving again at the root(E). Before the verse begins the listener is left with F#5(the second degree) wondering if they will ever have escape from frustration. The verse is a variation of the previous two riffs with pre chorus changing into F# minor:
|---------------------|---------------------------|
|---------------------|---------------------------|
|----------2----------|---------------------------|
|------4--------------|---------------------------|
|-------------3---2---|--4--4--4--4--2--3--4------|
|--2------------------|--2--2--2--2--0--1--2------|
The chorus remains in F# minor, resolves to E minor, and then back to F# minor
|---------------|-------------------------------------------|
|---------------|-------------------------------------------|
|---------------|-------------------------------------------|
|--------5----4-|---2---------------------------------------|
|---4----3----2-|---2---------------------------------------|
|---2-----------|---0---------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|
|---5------4-------4---5---4----|
|---3---0--2---0---2---3---2----|
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
|-2----2-----7----------|-----5------4-------4---5---4-----|
|-0----0---------6----5-|-----3---0--2---0---2---3---2-----|
The song modulates between the two key signatures heavy metal is most famous for E minor and F# minor.
Modulation is switching between two key signatures with a pivot chord(chord belonging to two different but similar key signatures) to create a change between a verse and a chorus, or a chorus and a bridge, to make a song more interesting. Where as a C major chord contains the G note, the F note is not part of the chord but is a perfect fourth which is consonant but to a lesser degree. Jazz, blues and popular music often use perfect fourths in modulation. Another example of modulation would be the Beatles, "I Want to Hold Your Hand", where the verse is in the key of C and the chorus changes to the key of F and resolves back to C to start the next verse.
The key to resolution is ending a progression on the root, fifth, or octave(consonant sound) of any given key signature. The element of dissonance, ending a riff on a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, or 7th note adds color, emotion, and tension to any musical composition. Ending on a dissonant chord can also be used for modulation between key signatures. As a general rule, a song should end resolved, however an exception can be created to accommodate a questioning audience.
Lori Mortimore
originally posted on http://www.musicxspot.com/
Lori Mortimore
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