A little uncertainty creates interest and anticipation
Summary
- A bit of uncertainty creates anticipation and excitement. This is true in music as it is in life
Details
- Music has a rhythm and our brain enjoys anticipating what comes next. But when it is too predictable it loses interest
- This also applies to stories, speech, art, personalities
Reflections
- Deliberately introduce changes and surprises in music
References
Quotes
Part of what makes music enjoyable is our ability to anticipate what comes next in a rhythm pattern, but as with incentives, we get a rush from uncertain payoffs when the stakes are low. Therefore, musicians play with both meeting and thwarting our expectations to create particular emotional effects, such as by changing up the tempo at an unusual moment, or by layering multiple rhythms on top of one another. Too much predictability is boring; too little is disorienting. “It’s not just the stressing of some beats,” writes Philip Ball, “but an asymmetry of events that creates a true sense of rhythm and avoids monotony.”[5] If you think of how we speak, versus how we usually depict robots speaking, you can appreciate how a little uncertainty and anticipation can be exciting and engaging.