Consonance which means a pleasant and stable sound, walk s hands hand in hand with D the 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 progress will be resolved if it ends on C (root or octave) or G (the fifth). AC major chord is built with C as the root, E as the third degree and G as the fifth degree. Try playing a progress in the key of C that ends for example on A (the sixth note), does your ear many want? One rare example of a song that ends unresolved is Neil Young '#' s Needle and the Damage Done. "This song i Perhaps this was the intent of Neil Young as the song is about how drug addiction partnerships no satisfaction or resolution.
If a riffs 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 frequently used to build tension in a song. Metallica "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 - --------- |
- - - - ---------- 6 - - 5 -------- ----------- 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 ------ |
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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.
To create a change between a verse and a chorus, or a chorus and a bridge, to make a song more interesting. Where as switching a keyword signature with a pivot chord Another example of modulation was be Jozo, another good 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 element of dissonance, ending a riff on a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, or 7th note adds color, Emotion, and tension to any musical composition. As a general rule, a song should end resolved, however, an exception can be created to accommodate a questioning audience.
