Most minor-key folk songs are not like labor chants that are inseparable from the labor background and have distinct practical functions. Nor are they like folk songs, which are often sung impromptu in mountain streams and wild fields, and have the social communication function of echoing and conveying emotions. Expressing the singer's inner emotions and narrating all the joys and sorrows in life have therefore become the most important functions of the minor tune. This determines the characteristics of minor-key folk songs that emphasize both lyricism and narrative. The specific expression of lyricism in music is that the melodies in minor keys are mostly graceful, smooth and pleasant. The specific expression of narrative in music is that most minor-key singing styles are relatively stable, with regular and exquisite structures, and they often adopt the form of multi-section verses suitable for narrative, telling a moving story.
Because minor-key folk songs are sung in a wider range, they involve a much wider range of social classes than chants and folk songs, which are mainly sung among lower-class workers, and therefore reflect a richer picture of social life. The minor tune presents the characteristics of diversity of subject matter and content.
In a class society, unequal class relations and interpersonal relationships are often the content of minor tunes, so there are a large number of works reflecting this aspect in traditional ballads. The "Song of Complaints of Long-term Workers" circulated throughout our country is a representative of this type of folk song.
Sincere feelings of longing and love are also something that minor tunes are very good at expressing. Compared with love songs in folk songs, love songs in minor keys have more delicate descriptions, more euphemistic emotions, more tortuous plots, more clever ideas, and the singing tune is softer and more beautiful. The following is a minor-key love song "Embroidered Purse" that is popular in Yunnan. The lyrics express emotional expression through the content of embroidering a purse for your sweetheart. The "double silk and double thread" is used to describe the deep affection. The melody is graceful, subtle and affectionate.
Some minor-key folk songs mainly describe beautiful natural scenery and express people's beautiful sentiments of loving nature. The following song "Gusu Scenery" has a graceful and beautiful melody, a clear and elegant mood, and is full of the elegant charm of the Jiangnan water town.
Sometimes, minor-key folk songs reflect the recorded custom content, often creating an atmosphere and artistic conception like folk custom paintings. The following Hebei folk song "Kite Flying" describes the joyful mood of a group of sisters in northern my country welcoming spring, and the joyful mood when they are invited to go on an outing to see the scenery and fly a kite.
The Northeastern folk song "Little Opera" tells the story of several sisters dressing up and being driven by a coachman to go to the theater. Although it is a simple narrative tune, it constitutes a picture of a bygone era. The style paintings are very lingering and endlessly reverie.
Minor-key folk songs often express some historical stories and legends, teach some common sense of daily life, and further expand the functions of minor keys.
Precisely because minor-key folk songs are rich in content, spread widely, and have a complex mix of singers, some works are inevitably affected by unhealthy ideologies, have some negative elements or low-level taste, and lose the charm of folk music. The song is as pure and sincere as nature sounds.
Compared with chants and folk songs, minor tunes are a folk song genre that appeared later. Due to the emergence of professional and semi-professional artists, the impromptu factor in the spread of minor tunes has been weakened, and the spread of minor tunes often relies on libretto. In addition, the singing environment has become street-oriented in cities and towns, so that minor tunes lack the simplicity of mountain songs, but they have added Lots of fun with artistic processing. For example: minor tunes sung by professional and semi-professional artists often have instrumental accompaniment, which enriches the timbre, expands the structure, and heightens the emotional atmosphere; the sentence structure of the lyrics is full of changes, and long and short sentence structures are often used; often based on the four seasons, Fifth watch, December, flower names, numbers, etc. are used as clues to naturally string together multiple lyrics, making them appear cordial, lively and natural; minor tunes from all over the world generally like to use lining words and lining sentences to expand the basic structure, and distinctive lining words , Lining sentences, often highlight the local style of the work, and obtain interesting artistic effects, etc.
From the perspective of music style, chants and folk songs are full of masculinity, while minor keys tend to be more feminine. This is because compared to folk songs, minor tunes are a later form of folk songs. Since humans entered a patriarchal society, men have tended to engage in labor in the mountains and fields. Naturally, more men than women shout chants and sing folk songs. In the practice of singing year after year, the masculinity of chants and folk songs has Qi is strengthened. Minor tunes have a closer relationship with women. There seem to be more women than men who sing minor tunes. Low chanting in the alleys is particularly suitable for women to convey their secrets that are usually difficult to talk about and express their personal feelings that are usually inconvenient to reveal. Year after year of singing practice, the delicate and implicit feminine beauty of this female-dominated minor tune has been strengthened.