Layla - why is this good?

[Xollob]

Is there any scientific explanation why certain combinations of musical notes - for example the opening bars of 'Layla' by Derek and the Dominos - are good/memorable/powerful/timeless/exciting/etc. ?

[Calvesy]

The twelve notes of western music were chosen because they have harmonics (fractions of their wavelenghts) in common, which our ears interpret as a chord when notes are played together.

Scales are typically eight notes (octave) chosen from these twelve (chromatic) with some intervals jumping semitones, others tones (one or two frets on the guitar fingerboard).

Eric Clapton likes the Blues scale for his riffs and solos. Other scales that sound good musically are pentatonic, major, minor, dorian, mixolydian, harmonic minor....

[Xollob]

Many thanks Calvesy, but what I wanted to know was if there is anything about the Layla intro that makes it special compared with other guitar riffs.

[Dacetine]

This is a question that has often intrigued me... although more usually in the context of why drums are so great - start a beat and everybody starts nodding along...

Musical appreciation seems to be peculiar to humans. I recently read a report where music and white noise was played to monkeys but they did not show a preference for the music (maybe it was Britney Spears... understandable). Maybe it has something to do with the origin of language and the development of that part of the brain?

[Calvesy]

There is a synaesthesia between sensory input and emotional response. Although the Layla riff is undoubtedly a classic intro in our culture, when you hear it you are nostalgically reminded of a time in your youth when life felt good. It could have been a teenage disco, a pub jukebox, an album at a friend's place. Hearing this song evokes these feelings which is why so many people have music collections. I recommend Radio 2. Mr Blue Sky by ELO is floating my boat at the moment.

[JOEYSHABADO]

aaaaargh. Have you just been flicking through a psychology textbook?

[mr. piper]

there is another reason why some tunes are more likable than others and that is the mathematical purity of it. It is a difficult thing to do when you try to do it, but the brain generally looks for a pattern within the inputs it recieves. such as layla, the opening riff would not sound so right if you missed the last note off it, it seems unfinished. similarly there are particular endings that convey the end of a tune by finishing on the root chord(i.e. C major, when in that key) preceeded by the major 4th chord(Fmaj) or the major 5th chord(G major) these simple cadences as they are called, create a finish to the tune and seem to balance out the tune. try it somehow it is very clear. I think that we must have an instinctive ear for mathematical balance such as an out of tune string on a guitar will not make a mathematical match with the other strings, we can easily detect this!

[andy hughes]

There may well be a scientific, or mathematical reason why our brains respond to certain music, but I prefer to receive art on the level it was produced - instinctively.

I have no idea why Albinoni's Adagio can move me to tears, as can Dusty Springfield singing 'If You Go Away', so I simply play them when I am in the mood, and let their effect happen.

There was a documentary recently about Paul McCartney's compositional skills, with an egg-head advising how the church music Paul had heard as a youth informed the musical structures of songs like 'Eleanor Rigby', and I wouldn't doubt his reasoning for a second.

But consider Paul's ecstatic "One two three FOUR!" count-in for 'I Saw her Standing There' - never mind the harmonics and dynamics, that's the pure adrenalin rush of undluted ecstacy caused by an incoming rock and roll classic. Music is for life!

[flano]

not just for christmass

[andy hughes]

Especially not for Christmas, that's when they wheel out 'Stop the Cavalry'!!!!

[Peter Pedant]

yes there was a news item on this a few weeks ago. The broadcast was based on a paper in Nature.