Alright, so the one last thing that I really need to know is how to use my new "powers" the way I want? Like how can I create x or y mood using a scale + a chord progression? Are there suggested uses for them, or am I supposed to experiment? I mean my c minor attempt sounded very happy because of the progression I used...
I'm completely derailing my own thread but whatever...hopefully someone else like me is going to stumble upon it.
If you want to evoke a mood, you're gonna have to experiment with a few different things...tempo, dynamics, rhythm, key modulation, etc.
The 7th accents on the up-beat in that first piece give it kind of a jumpy, happy feel (almost ska or reggae-ish)...also it sticks strictly in a minor key, which is a very familiar and cozy key despite having a "sad" reputation. If you want to evoke an unsettling mood, you will probably have to introduce some kind of key modulation, and go easy on the syncopation, depending on how "energetic" you want the composition to be.
Emotion is a broad and subjective thing, so it's often best to just tinker away until it sounds right to you.
And don't forget to become familiar with the scale that you're working with. Not every scale is suited for just a particular mood; most scales can be used for a wide range of emotions. It'd be up to you to know how to control the flow of your piece to invoke the mood you want.
C major (the standard Do-Re-Mi scale) is typically used for up-beat songs, but A minor can be used for more unsettling moods. Yet, both C major & A minor use the same set of notes & both can be used (along with some key modulation) in Arabesque-style music; the reason why you can change between these moods is because of the note that each scale starts with (which also affects the song's overall progression & harmonization, to a certain extent).
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