Definition

The Epic pattern is a set of auditory cues that indicate large objects and spaces. Humans and animals use a distinct, consistent set of acoustic features to predict the size and distance of an unseen sound source. Given that large objects are generally more dangerous than small objects, we are especially sensitive to cues indicating a large object. The more abruptly artists introduce epic cues into their music, and the more artists intensify the unique features that distinguish them, the more likely we are to experience chills.

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Mechanism

The Epic pattern works by tricking our auditory system for guessing the size of unseen objects. Humans and animals use an acoustic feature called tonal volume to estimate the size of a sound source. Tonal volume is different from loudness or decibel level; it’s a combination of resonance and pressure at certain lower frequencies. You know it when you hear it – tonal volume is the “space filling” attribute of a sound. 

Technique #1: High-tonal volume instrument entrances

Technique #2: Many unison sound sources

The second Epic technique involves many of the same instrument sounding loudly in unison. When many sound sources play simultaneously, they can blend together and produce very high-tonal volume sounds. To borrow an anecdote from frisson expert David Huron, this is why orchestras use 30 violins instead of one violinist amplified to 30x loudness. The more sound sources there are, the more likely it is that frisson occurs.

In chills-inducing passages, the most reliable ways we see artists pull off this technique are:

• Mass vocals: classical choirs, audience singing at live concerts, and crowd-sourced projects featuring 1,000+ singers online, typically during slow passages with minimal melodic movement and several long, prominent holds that enable the singers to adjust to each other and align into one cohesive sound

• Unison orchestral sections: strings, brass, winds, and percussion sections sounding in unison either individually or as a full ensemble, typically during passages of long, legato notes and simple, repetitive rhythms to facilitate the players blending their sounds effectively to maximize tonal volume

• “Wall of sound” production techniques: many overlaid takes or layered tracks of a single voice or instrument (e.g., Enya’s producer often layers her voice 30 times in a single track) to mimic the effect of many unison sound sources and produce high tonal volume

Technique #3: High tonal volume via dense musical texture

The third Epic technique involves certain uses of counterpoint and orchestration to boost tonal volume. When artists feature polyphonic arrangements that combine fast tempos, busy interlocking rhythms, and broad orchestration, they can sometimes all blend together into one large, overwhelming sound. The more depth and intensity in the texture, the more likely frisson is to occur.

In chills-inducing passages, the most reliable ways we see artists pull off this technique are:

• “Awe” textures: abrupt transitions to passages featuring a transcendent lead line with high-tonal volume instruments in parallel motion, a fast “busy” supporting line with many sound sources (usually strings), and rigid phrasing and simple harmonies that enable the sounds to interlock and produce high tonal volume

• “Gravitas” textures: minor mode progressions that start with a slow, repetitive, inflexible baseline and gradually layer on contrasting lines (usually voices or strings) with expressive inversions and suspensions that increase complexity, intensity, and loudness and produce high tonal volume

• Embellishment of both techniques above with production tools: EQ and high-pass filters that restrict certain frequencies in the preceding passage, which are then abruptly (and dramatically) switched off on the climax or transition moment to enhance the effect

Technique #4: Reverb, delay, and echo

The fourth Epic technique involves certain sounds with pronounced reverb. Sounds from distant sources generally hit many reflective surfaces as they travel toward us and have to be quite loud to reach us. For this reason, our ear associates ambient reverberations with large sound sources. When musicians suddenly introduce reverb into a song, this can often trick our brain into thinking there is a large object producing them. 

In chills-inducing passages, the most reliable ways we see artists pull off this technique are:

• Reverb added to exposed notes on impulse sound sources: long delays added to single, long, exposed notes with minimal accompaniment, on instruments like guitars, drums, and piano that tend to decay immediately with added reverberations (making the added echo and delay effects especially jarring)

• Prolonged sequences featuring high-reverb instruments: especially tubular bells, humming choir, gongs, piano with pedal down, etc., typically with shortened rhythmic values and repetitive phrasing to create an overall “wash” of sound and focus listeners on the texture and ambience rather than melodic movement

• Staggered delays: typically applied to vocals and combined with reverb to smooth the sound, but also achieved on brass and other instruments by having a second player repeatedly echo an entrance on a half-beat or full-beat delay (with the repetition helping to reinforce to listeners that the echo effect is intentional)

Technique #5: Large harmonic “distances”

The fifth Epic technique involves sudden shifts between “distant” chords (i.e. chromatic harmonies). In Western music, artists have consistently chosen to represent large distance and size with movement between chords that are far apart (chromatically and on the circle of fifths). Often informally referred to as “space” or “god” chords, these chromatic harmonies can often move Western listeners to chills.

In chills-inducing passages, the most reliable ways we see artists pull off this technique are:

• Direct modulations to “distant” chords: typically chromatic mediants (e.g. I-bIII, I-bVI), “far fifths” (e.g. i-IV), or tritone transpositions between major triads (e.g. I-bV), usually featuring wide voicings and embellished with dynamics and high-tonal volume instruments like brass, organ, or full orchestra

• “Valving” between or repeated progressions across distant chords: alternating movement between two chords that are far apart chromatically, or repeated sequences of 3-4 distant chords, placed at the beginning of a song to signal to listeners that this unusual movement is intentional and important

• Rhythmic emphasis on downbeats: epic chords are typically placed on the downbeat and emphasized  with pickup notes on the upbeat, syncopated rhythms that “weaken” the other beats, and simple, repeated “motor” rhythms that provide a clear division of the pulse around which to accent the harmonic change