Magic Music based magic system.

Want to devise a magic system that operates on using music to manipulate emotions and elements. First by tying an element to a specific emotion (fire, ice, electricity, wind, earth, water, light, dark, star and mana). And then building off from there.

As such I want to ask about music theory and how to adapt that to magic. As well as a primer on how similar schemes (Chaotic's Mugic, ffxiv's bards, etc) operate.

I'm just going to post my own musical magic system and see if it inspires you.

Long ago when the titans forged this real, they sang a song. As the worlds formed, this song became interwined with all of creation. This song resonates with all of creation and a select few, chosen by the randomness of fate, can hear this song and resonate with it. The song is known as the Grand Symphony and those that can hear it are known as resonators. By echoing the Grand Symphony they can manipulate aspects of reality, causing nearly impossible thing to happen. However, resonators can never go against the Grand Symphony, never echoing something out of sequence.

In a practical sense, resonators can cast powerful spells for no effort at all but those spells might not be available at any given time. A resonator will never know which spells they'll have available until the moment they decide the cast. Imagine rolling a bag of dice and hoping the numbers on the dice meet the requirements for the spell. Weak spells are available more often while powerful spells might happen once in a blue moon. To cast, a resonator focuses on the effect they want, and they either sings or plays music in tune with the part of the Grand Symphony that pertains to the effect they want.

Feel free to steal as little or as much as you want.

I will

As an addendum, I want to create a list of elemental powers and emotions that correspond to them. Ideally they should have the following characteristics

• Two emotions per element except Mana, which covers emotions in general.
  • I might bump it up to three if there is enough fitting emotions
• These two emotions must cover a positive one and a negative one that best fits the respective element (ex: Fire having both Love and Wrath)
• at least one the emotions represented by an element must oppose those of the opposite element (tentative pairs are Fire/Ice, Earth/Wind, Light/Dark, Water/Lightning. Space and Mana are exempt)

Cymatics is a thing...sound waves are kinetic energy travelling through a uniform medium so the movement makes other stuff move.

But I tend to prefer music magic that applies more to people's sense of personhood, so the music is a medium for true names like a leitmotif is something I can get on board with, or finding a counterpoint melody to the unheard "songs" that are always happening, I think would be cool.

Here is a suggestion:

Light: Emotions = Pain/Euphoria

Dark: Emotions = Numbness/Depression

Well, I'm thinking you would probably base it off of chords. Different cords elicit different basic emotions, but you combine them in various ways using melody and syncopation to produce the actual spell like effect.

I did consider it, but I ran into a roadblock as to which chords would correspond to which element (which in turn would correspond to a pair of emotions).

I have a pretty rudimentary knowledge of music, and it's entirely based on Western music, but I have some ideas for you to consider.

Tempo. How fast or slow are they playing? What effect does speed have on spells? Tempo can entirely change the mood of a piece. The same song, sped up, can feel more frantic or emotional. A slower song can feel deeper, more intentional. Maybe certain tempos are required for some emotions, some elements. Or maybe tempo is unrelated to elements, and is related to the performer's personal style. Maybe fast tempos allow someone to cast many, inexact spells; they don't put all their effort into each attack, making each individual attack weak, but making a failure minimal. They're bound to hit with some of the attacks. Maybe slow tempos cast fewer, more powerful spells; if your one attack misses, you don't have anything to back it up, but if it hits, it could end the fight immediately. And it is far more likely to hit. Maybe the tempo is intrinsically linked with emotion/element and tempo affects spellcasting rate/power/precision, meaning that each element has a baseline rate/power/precision.

Instruments. Do different instruments affect emotions or elements? Or is it related to fighting style? Some instruments are far easier to transport, are they more popular among travelers and soldiers? What about instruments that are difficult to move (like a piano) or impossible to move (like a pipe organ). Do they make up for their immobility in power, or maybe range? Maybe different instruments are linked to elements, and these huge, unwieldy instruments are the only way to tap into certain emotions/elements. What happens if your instrument is damaged? What happens if you don't maintain your instrument? Do powerful or miscast spells damage your instrument, or otherwise take a toll on it? How do people plan around their instrument's limitations and the possibility of it being damaged or destroyed? Do people craft their own instruments? Is it tradition to make your own? Are they passed down through families? Sold in bulk by craftsmen? Do the origins of instruments differ depending on the instrument, the element, or the culture? Does singing count as an instrument? What emotion/element does vocalization tap in to? Can it use any emotion, depending on the emotion of the user? Is it more restricted in emotions than external instruments? What are the benefits and drawbacks of using an instrument that is a part of you? Can casting spells vocally hurt you? Is it a last resort for if you don't have any other instruments?

How does playing with other people affect spells? What does harmony do? What are the benefits and drawbacks of performing with other people? What happens if people playing together are channeling different emotions/elements? This is, in my opinion, the most exciting possibility for your worldbuilding, with near-infinite opportunities for character interactions.

Keys and chords. Keys describe how notes are split up. Major keys feel "happier," "brighter," open-and-shut, simple and satisfying. Each major key has an associated minor key. Minor keys feel "sadder," "darker," more mysterious, more flexible, and can be adapted to be used for a wide range of emotions (typically negative ones). Chords are different based on what key they're played in. I am not the right person to explain this. I highly recommend researching the science of different keys and chords, and the artistic meaning that they are best suited for.

Finally, keep in mind that this is all based on Western music, especially Western keys. Western keys are based on eight-key octaves, with seven notes between each frequency repeating. But some cultures use twelve-key scales, meaning that the notes are separated by smaller frequencies than what we're used to. Some types of music have additional wrinkles. Some cultures have different musical theories and traditions. Not to mention all the musical genres!

I think you have a wonderful idea for a magic system with tons of possibilities and potential for expansion. I highly recommend doing research about music theory and learning more about it from professionals.

I have an idea. A spell effect consists of three parts: an overall emotional tone (is it destructive, healing, enlightening, etc.)? Second, an appeal to a higher/esoteric power (the Gods, demons, forces of nature, etc.). And third, the specific effect itself (perhaps an element doing something). These three parts can be represented by three chords, a low, background chord representing the tone, a middle chord representing the appeal, and the highest, loudest chord representing the actual effect. The spellcaster sings/plays all three chords in order, then proceeds to add details by moving on to new chords. Tempo, etc. can then operate more or less as Queer lays out.

, Bit late, but I will try to incorporate these ideas.

okay I had used this page as reference for the following and want to vet some opinions on it:

• Fire: Love and Rage, B chord (Feelings of strength, wildness, passion, jealousy, fury, negativity, and the will to fight.)
• Earth: Empathy and Guilt, G chord (Happy, but with serious overtones, idyllic, and poetic. This evokes calm, satisfaction, tenderness, gratitude and peace)
• Light: Joy and Arrogance, C chord (Innocence, happiness with a spiritual feeling.)
• Wind: Optimism and Confusion, F chord (Optimism and the will to explode.)
• Ice: Cynicism and Calmness, G chord (Happy, but with serious overtones, idyllic, and poetic. This evokes calm, satisfaction, tenderness, gratitude and peace.)
• Water: Determination and Sadness, D chord (Triumphant and victorious. Feels like war marches or holiday songs.)
• Stars: Awe and Terror, B minor (Solitude, melancholy, patience, calm, submission, and acceptance.)
• Darkness: (pleasant) Surprise and Despair, E chord (Dissatisfaction and a ready-to-fight feeling – but also joy and delight.)
• Lightning: Exuberance and Shock, A chord (Brings feelings of joy, reciprocated love, satisfaction, optimistic, trust, and spirituality.)

I want to ask if these feel right, I'm speaking in terms of chord families, but am also drawing associations from specific chords outside these families here. I also want to ask some input from any musical experts here.

(I'm keeping tempo out of this for now)

I can't speak to the actual chords, because I know little about music, but the overall idea is great. It's original, interesting and creative. I hope you end up using it in a story.

Imagine two characters trying to sing each other to death.