Originally Posted by Bass Thumper
I'm thinking this is exactly right. It's all about dissonance vs consonance. But for us bass players (and perhaps others) it's not as simple to just move a semitone if it's too dissonant. There's what semitone do you move to (up or down) and also for what duration while maintaing the proper rhythm.
Either up or down will get you to a good-sounding note, but yes, for a bass player, often it must be the right note, which isn't necessarily so simple.


Originally Posted by Bass Thumper
So there is at least one fundamental rule for good music which is if you use dissonance (tension) it should resolve to consonance (release). You can see this in his facial expressions when he doesn't resolve a dissonant note. An exception to this "rule" may be at the very end of the song where you intentially want to leave the listener hanging on a dissonant unresolved note or chord.

Another way I look at this is music is a language. And just like there are rules in spoken language that can be bent (good use of slang for example) the rules in music can also be bent, but for it to work, care is needed.

Sense hope makes I this smile
Yes, yes, yes and yes.

Another thing on humans "wired for music" is that most or all musical systems have the pentatonic at their core. Humans naturally understand and warm to the pentatonic. Bobby McFerrin does a brilliant demonstration: The Power of the Pentatonic

Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
.