So the next time you’re swimming in the ocean and your brain plays dun-dun... dun-dun , don’t be afraid. Just tip your hat to John Williams. He knew exactly what he was doing.
When Williams first played the two-note motif for Spielberg on a piano, the director laughed. "That’s a joke, right?" Spielberg asked. Williams explained: "The motif represents the shark—primitive, instinctual, unstoppable. It starts slow, like a distant threat, and speeds up as the shark attacks." Jaws OST -1975- John Williams - Steven Spielberg
Spielberg later admitted: "Without John Williams, Jaws would be half the film it is. He reminded me that music is 50% of the moviegoing experience." What makes those two notes (E and F) so effective? It’s a technique called a minor second interval —the closest two notes can be on a Western scale. It’s naturally dissonant, creating a sense of unease. So the next time you’re swimming in the