The topic of color visualization, i.e. synesthesia, has already received some attention here [http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/7837/comments], but during an idle moment at my band practice the other day came another permutation.
My two bandmates said they often visualize _chords_ in colors, not simply keys (and of course they started comparing their respective color schemes). I'd think that would make for quite an interesting display in the mind's eye, kind of like that electronic gizmo "Simon."
Unfortunately, I couldn't really contribute anything to the discussion, since I just don't work that way; I'm not sure _what_ I think of when it comes to chords, other than where the hell I'm supposed to put my fingers. When I related this to my wife later, she thought it pretty extraordinary that two people in such a small grouping, i.e. a trio, would claim to experience synesthesia on a regular and vivid basis.
Well, I knew my bandmates were special, but...
synesthesia? Sounds like a medical condition. No disrespect though, to anyone with this condition. It's just that I like to experience my senses for what they are. When I hear a key, I HEAR it. When I hear a stack of simultaneous notes (chord), I HEAR them.
I'm not saying, of course, that seeing music is necessarily detrimental to to its appreciation, but beware that it doesn't take precedence over the aural.
I thought that sts was talking about a mental visualization - not an actual physical visualization.
I don't think of chords (or notes or keys) in colors at all. Though I know that I can think in chords rather than melody I'm typically a very melodical analyzer.
Umlikely coincidences are actually more common than one realises, re two out of three band members having synesthaesia ( sp ? ); do you know how many people you need to gather together on a random basis before you are likely to have two with the same birthday ? I believe the answer is about 15........ This is why conspiracy theorists have such a field day; if only they'd realise it's all just a cock-up or a coincidence.
Now, last night at the session, the first three musicians in the door all had bouzoukis - how much of a coincidence is that ? ( OK, one was an octave mandola, but what's two inches between friends, and I'm ignoring the harmonica player, but then most people do...). AND, we all tune GDae, although I do have octaves on the bottom two courses.
Actually, it's a few more than 15, but still only 23 (I googled it - too lazy to calculate). That makes it slightly more likely than not that two will have the same birthday.
Getting back to the color discussion again, I sometimes relate tunes to certain colors. And those tunes will follow a color pattern with relation to the key. For example, tunes in A appear in a bright happy color - like red or orange, while tunes in G minor will feel more dark - like purple or brown.
Furthermore, I enjoy linking tunes together with respect to the color they appear in so that they "look" good in color coordination. For example, going from a major key to a minor key and back.
Look at it this way, playing two tunes in A (like Mason's Apron into the High Reel), to me, that's like wearing an orange shirt with red pants.
sorry if this seems a bit of a tangent, but i'm commenting a little on this thread and a little on the old threads dow posted.
synesthesia is just automatic, i think. its not about chosing it or not chosing it. sure, if you spent a couple years on it, you could learn to hear colors or anything else you wanted to do in the whole world. but i agree with michael gill, it does not enhance or detriment the music whether you are "have" synesthesia or not.
there could be more to it than just music. they might even connect colors with words and ideas, or they may not. i have a friend who associates words and ideas with colors. he's a musican, but i dont think he ever associates chords with colors. i say this because we talk about perception and thinking patterns a lot, but not as much as music, and he would have mentioned hearing colors cuz he loves synesthesia.
everyone's different. some people think with words, some people think with images, and some people think with feelings, but that is not to say that people who think verbally arent always seeing images and that people who think with feelings never talk to themselves, etc. some people even see words printed out before their mind's eye, as well as colors and smells and all that (though these 3 things as far as i know are always in conjunction with the others). its impossible to say all the different ways people think. there are benefits and detriments to each way of thinking, and its not always clear cut how someone thinks
for example, i think verbally but the words i use dont matter. its not gibberish, but if i forget the name of an object i just use the name of another object, because i use the pictures in the background as meaning, and the words to just hold it all together. i can think clearer and more precisely when i drop the words all together (which is not something i do naturally, but taught myself), which would mean i am better at visual thinking. however, i cannot process visual information well, such as computer desktops, website navigation, bookshelfs, graphs, tables, maps, etc.
the minutiae really dont matter, because its just an example. how i process information is different from everyone else, and vice versa. associating colors with sound might hinder me, whereas it might help someone else. who knows. there is so much more to it than just whether or not you see colors.
e.g. i memorize where folders and files are on the computer, spatially through explorer, as well as where they are in the file structure to get from command prompt or other dialogues. i like linux in the respect taht i can use the shell to do a lot more, and typing in long strings is easier for me than clicking a couple times. also, in windows i prefer using the keyboard than the mouse to navigate, because i can memorize stroke order rather than processing visual information.
synesthesia could be a stroke of brilliance, or it could be compensating for something. more than likely, depending on the person, it could be either or, or both.
It's not just hearing and colors though. I was very interested in this phenomenon and did a bunch of researched on it (OK, as much as you can in Birmingham, Al. without a Medical Library card) a year or so ago.
There was the man who, when he tasted mint for instance, he felt, actually felt cool, smooth columns. And felt sharp points on his fingers when he tasted chicken! The sound/color relationship is, I think, the most common but there's also the smell into color and sound into taste(!) and a few other permutations. One of the books I read was called The Man Who Tasted Shapes. Excellent reading if you can get a hold of it.
Colors in music, again
Colors in music, again
The topic of color visualization, i.e. synesthesia, has already received some attention here [http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/7837/comments], but during an idle moment at my band practice the other day came another permutation.
My two bandmates said they often visualize _chords_ in colors, not simply keys (and of course they started comparing their respective color schemes). I'd think that would make for quite an interesting display in the mind's eye, kind of like that electronic gizmo "Simon."
Unfortunately, I couldn't really contribute anything to the discussion, since I just don't work that way; I'm not sure _what_ I think of when it comes to chords, other than where the hell I'm supposed to put my fingers. When I related this to my wife later, she thought it pretty extraordinary that two people in such a small grouping, i.e. a trio, would claim to experience synesthesia on a regular and vivid basis.
Well, I knew my bandmates were special, but...
# Posted on January 10th 2006 by sts
Re: Colors in music, again
How much electric Kool-aid do they drink before they play?
# Posted on January 10th 2006 by Farr
Re: Colors in music, again
synesthesia? Sounds like a medical condition. No disrespect though, to anyone with this condition. It's just that I like to experience my senses for what they are. When I hear a key, I HEAR it. When I hear a stack of simultaneous notes (chord), I HEAR them.
I'm not saying, of course, that seeing music is necessarily detrimental to to its appreciation, but beware that it doesn't take precedence over the aural.
# Posted on January 10th 2006 by llig leahcim
Re: Colors in music, again
I thought that sts was talking about a mental visualization - not an actual physical visualization.
I don't think of chords (or notes or keys) in colors at all. Though I know that I can think in chords rather than melody I'm typically a very melodical analyzer.
# Posted on January 10th 2006 by musicfan
Re: Colors in music, again
Umlikely coincidences are actually more common than one realises, re two out of three band members having synesthaesia ( sp ? ); do you know how many people you need to gather together on a random basis before you are likely to have two with the same birthday ? I believe the answer is about 15........ This is why conspiracy theorists have such a field day; if only they'd realise it's all just a cock-up or a coincidence.
Now, last night at the session, the first three musicians in the door all had bouzoukis - how much of a coincidence is that ? ( OK, one was an octave mandola, but what's two inches between friends, and I'm ignoring the harmonica player, but then most people do...). AND, we all tune GDae, although I do have octaves on the bottom two courses.
# Posted on January 10th 2006 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Colors in music, again
Actually, it's a few more than 15, but still only 23 (I googled it - too lazy to calculate). That makes it slightly more likely than not that two will have the same birthday.
# Posted on January 10th 2006 by Bob himself
Re: Colors in music, again
Getting back to the color discussion again, I sometimes relate tunes to certain colors. And those tunes will follow a color pattern with relation to the key. For example, tunes in A appear in a bright happy color - like red or orange, while tunes in G minor will feel more dark - like purple or brown.
Furthermore, I enjoy linking tunes together with respect to the color they appear in so that they "look" good in color coordination. For example, going from a major key to a minor key and back.
Look at it this way, playing two tunes in A (like Mason's Apron into the High Reel), to me, that's like wearing an orange shirt with red pants.
# Posted on January 10th 2006 by Jreidy
Re: Colors in music, again
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/7837
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/4869
Don't wish to get slammed this time so keeping it to myself...
# Posted on January 11th 2006 by Dow
Re: Colors in music, again
Sorry that first link was supposed to be this http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/3237.
# Posted on January 11th 2006 by Dow
Re: Colors in music, again
I definitely relate colors to things as well!!! Ahh! I'm not alone!
A Major is a very blue colored key for me.
Stegosaurus are orange.
Yes.
Tomatoes are red.
D Major is pretty green.
Cheers,
Armand
# Posted on January 11th 2006 by fiddlinviolinin
Re: Colors in music, again
sorry if this seems a bit of a tangent, but i'm commenting a little on this thread and a little on the old threads dow posted.
synesthesia is just automatic, i think. its not about chosing it or not chosing it. sure, if you spent a couple years on it, you could learn to hear colors or anything else you wanted to do in the whole world. but i agree with michael gill, it does not enhance or detriment the music whether you are "have" synesthesia or not.
there could be more to it than just music. they might even connect colors with words and ideas, or they may not. i have a friend who associates words and ideas with colors. he's a musican, but i dont think he ever associates chords with colors. i say this because we talk about perception and thinking patterns a lot, but not as much as music, and he would have mentioned hearing colors cuz he loves synesthesia.
everyone's different. some people think with words, some people think with images, and some people think with feelings, but that is not to say that people who think verbally arent always seeing images and that people who think with feelings never talk to themselves, etc. some people even see words printed out before their mind's eye, as well as colors and smells and all that (though these 3 things as far as i know are always in conjunction with the others). its impossible to say all the different ways people think. there are benefits and detriments to each way of thinking, and its not always clear cut how someone thinks
for example, i think verbally but the words i use dont matter. its not gibberish, but if i forget the name of an object i just use the name of another object, because i use the pictures in the background as meaning, and the words to just hold it all together. i can think clearer and more precisely when i drop the words all together (which is not something i do naturally, but taught myself), which would mean i am better at visual thinking. however, i cannot process visual information well, such as computer desktops, website navigation, bookshelfs, graphs, tables, maps, etc.
the minutiae really dont matter, because its just an example. how i process information is different from everyone else, and vice versa. associating colors with sound might hinder me, whereas it might help someone else. who knows. there is so much more to it than just whether or not you see colors.
e.g. i memorize where folders and files are on the computer, spatially through explorer, as well as where they are in the file structure to get from command prompt or other dialogues. i like linux in the respect taht i can use the shell to do a lot more, and typing in long strings is easier for me than clicking a couple times. also, in windows i prefer using the keyboard than the mouse to navigate, because i can memorize stroke order rather than processing visual information.
synesthesia could be a stroke of brilliance, or it could be compensating for something. more than likely, depending on the person, it could be either or, or both.
# Posted on January 12th 2006 by daiv
Re: Colors in music, again
It's not just hearing and colors though. I was very interested in this phenomenon and did a bunch of researched on it (OK, as much as you can in Birmingham, Al. without a Medical Library card) a year or so ago.
There was the man who, when he tasted mint for instance, he felt, actually felt cool, smooth columns. And felt sharp points on his fingers when he tasted chicken! The sound/color relationship is, I think, the most common but there's also the smell into color and sound into taste(!) and a few other permutations. One of the books I read was called The Man Who Tasted Shapes. Excellent reading if you can get a hold of it.
# Posted on January 12th 2006 by Emily Horne