Common mistake

Believing the sadness is built into the notes for everyone

It sounds like this

“Minor sounds sad to everyone, everywhere — it's built into the notes themselves.”

Why it’s wrong

Listeners who have grown up with little Western music show a much weaker link, so part of it is learned from the music around us.

The lesson that fixes it

→More than major and minorMajor and minor colour a piece, but whether it feels happy or sad also depends on its speed, how high or low it sits, its rhythm and its loudness — and the link between major and happy is partly learned — so a fast minor piece can feel exciting and a slow major one can feel sad.read free

Cognosc spots mistakes like this.

When you explain something in your own words, Cognosc can tell exactly which mistake you’re making — not just that you’re wrong — and gives you a short lesson to fix that one thing.

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