Are you interested in the question, “what is music without words called? Then try to listen to famous artists like Kenny G, you will have a clue to what such type of music is called. No lyrics, just instrumentals, but Kenny G’s songs will leave you speechless. You will also enjoy the vibes of famous instrumental musicians like the Ventures, Surfaris, Dick Dale, and others.
Back to the question, what is music without words called?
Here is what you need to know. Music without words is called instrumental music or composition. It normally involves a group of instrumentalists playing varied instruments, while the only thing missing is a vocalist. Furthermore, the instrumental music adheres to the same principles as the vocal music, and written in the same format.
So, that is the meaning of music without words. You can continue reading for more.
Introduction To Music Without Words: How It Was In The Days Of Old
Music has a rich history behind it, which every aspiring musician, instrumentalist, or music student should take an interest in. The first and oldest musical instrument in the world is the flutes. It was designed and used thousands of years ago. Today, there are hundreds of various instruments in the world, which anyone can learn and become a pro in a short while.
Before the discovery and use of musical instruments, humans learned to use their bodies to produce natural sounds. In ancient times, people produced these natural sounds via the clapping of hands, the use of their feet produce sounds that were pleasant to the ear and considered as music.
Furthermore, musical instruments, in the days of old, were designed to emulate the natural sound that humans where making with their bodies. But in the beginning, the primary purpose was not for entertainment but rituals.
What were the early musical instruments made from? Fortunately, the modern musical instruments we have today were products of the 13th and 14th centuries. But it was in the 15th century that more extensive documentation was made available. It was from German sources, which were a composition centered on the fundamentals of organ playing.
Before the development of musical instruments, various objects found on the surface of the earth, which range from plant parts, animal horns, and shells, were used as instruments to produce sounds. With these objects, our forefathers were able to create music to serve various purposes.
Furthermore, instrumental music began many years ago. And I mean thousands of years ago, ever since humans developed and started playing musical instruments. The only thing one can say is that musical instruments were not as complicated then as they are now.
Writing Music Without Words: Tips And Principles For Making Instrumental Music
There were times when music without words (instrumental music) was popular and considered a unique genre of music across the globe. At that time, we were lucky enough to listen and watch the likes of Kenny G, the Surfaris, the Ventures, and other musicians display their talents.
Kenny G’s Songbird, a hit instrumental album at that time, was one of the collections then that took listeners and lovers of the instrumental kind of music to another realm. When you think of instrumental hit songs, you can pick any of the songs done by Kenny G.
Again, Kenny G is not the only songwriter and instrumentalist that made instrumental music famous back then. Other instrumental music artists that delivered a series of hit songs include;
- The Ventures
- The Surfaris
- Dick Dale
- The Tornados
- Return to Forever
- Jeff Beck
- Larry Coryell
- The Shadows
So, these are some of the lists of instrumental music artists that made the community of instrumental music listeners happy. They displayed exceptional skills and handling of the various instrumentals whenever they have the chance to play.
Now let’s go back to what writing instrumental music entails. Does of instrumental or music without words follow the same pattern as the vocal tune?
Well, to answer the question above, we are going to look at several tips one needs to consider when writing instrumental music. After reading these tips, you will find that the instrumental and vocal music adheres to the same principles.
The instrumental music melody:
Does the melody of instrumental music have the same requirement as a vocal melody? The answer is, yes! The principles as far as melody is concerned are the same for instrumental and vocal tunes. The two important ones, when it comes to the melody, are climactic moment placement and contour. And they apply in both forms of music.
The instrumental music form:
Another area where instrumental and vocal music is the same is in the format of the music. Both styles of music have the same form of design features. For instance, your instrumental or music without words can take the verse-chorus – bridge format. You may also choose to come up with instrumental music that will have only verse or verse and bridge.
The chorus melody of the music without words will have the same pitch as that of vocal music, where the pitch would be high. The verse melody will also be lower than the chorus in both styles of music.
The instrumental music chords:
The principles of the chord or harmonic progression in vocal music apply to instrumental music. There is a need to make the melodies live in the memories of the listeners.
Therefore, you can deploy strong progressions in your instrumental music, particularly in the chorus. You should also have in mind that it’s music without words that you are creating. So your audience won’t have any lyrics to remember the song with.
The instrumental music instrumentation:
When making music without words, the one crucial thing you cannot forgo is the quality of your instrumentalists and equipment. Are they professionals or average players? Well, the thing is the quality of your instrumentalists does matter a great deal.
You are going to need top instrumentalists who know what they are doing for this kind of music. Remember that your music has no lyrics, so your audience needs something to be excited about while listening to your songs.
The quality of the instruments you need for such type of music with words matters a great deal. You need to consider making you of high-end instruments, instead of the mediocre ones.
The instrumental music climactic moment:
The climactic moment is the point in a song where the energy tends to be at its highest. Vocal music, which implies music with lyrics, has its climactic moments, too.
Furthermore, the climactic moment is also used in instrumental music. It is used towards the end of the melody in a piece of vocal music and used the same way in music without lyrics.
You can listen to Songbird, a hit song by Kenny G, to confirm this. Even though there are no lyrics, the climactic moment tends to create an excitement that makes the music memorable.
So, whenever you are composing instrumental music, think of where this most exciting part of your music will appear.
Can Instrumental Music Offer Any Benefit?
Music is an integral part of our lives, whether it has lyrics or not. So, having words or not does not change the effects a song can have on the listener. So, instrumental music has a way of communicating with the listener and can have a massive impact too.
There Are Many Benefits Instrumental Music Can Offer You.
Research has provided hints on the impact of instrumental music and playing of the instrument, in general. The study claims that instruments can impact the performances of students. When students learn and play instruments occasionally, they may likely experience specific changes to their brainpower, which could have a positive effect on their academic performance.
How realistic can this be? You see, there is a section of the human brain that helps to process music, whether instrumental or vocal music. It’s this section of the brain that is also in charge of memory, storing audio, hearing, and processing information. So, when an individual learns and plays a musical instrument, something unique happens to this section of the brain over time.
This section of the brain could become more active and bigger. Now, this could mean one thing; an improvement in your day to day activities. The result is enhanced mental alertness, emotional perception, and planning ability.
So, let’s conclude by saving the benefits of instrumental music are numerous. But they are not only beneficial to students but everyone. Also, the benefits mentioned here are not for those who sit and listen to songs without words alone. They are for those who listen and, perhaps, take it a step further by learning one or more instruments.
The thing is people can build great leadership, dedication, teamwork, and creative skills when they learn a musical instrument.
Conclusion
So, that’s the answer to the question, “what is music without words called?” You should also be aware of the benefits you can get from learning or playing a musical instrument. You can learn any instrument of your choice and be a pro in no time. You will receive the massive benefits of playing and listening to instrumental music. Additionally, you can also be listening to instrumental music while reading or meditating.
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