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From:
n johnston
To:
IDM
Date:
Fri, 20 Jul 2001 12:06:11 +0100
Subject:
[idm] The Colour of Music
Msg-Id:
<3B5810A3.D5330B6B@rjtechne.iol.ie>
Mbox:
idm.0107.gz
Sharon wrote:
quoted 8 lines Ok, this may seem really far out... but do any of you imagine colours> Ok, this may seem really far out... but do any of you imagine colours > when you listen to music? I am a very visual person, and sometimes when > I listen to music I arrange the sounds and melodies in my mind so I can > remember them or listen to the different things going on. For example, > layers of sound with the beat on the bottom and melodies on top, or if > the bass is prominent it is bigger in my mind. (Compare to the layout of > a sequencing program). Then of course I think in color, not in black and > white, so to me certain songs have different colors.
Yeah, I've been thinking about that lately. However, I have great difficulty recalling colours. I think if my memory is at all photographic, it must be in black and white. But anyway, I've always seen moving shapes and textures when I'm listening to music, sometimes coloured, but very weakly. Even though I've always been good at representational drawing, I can't draw the things I see when I listen to music - it's as if they occupy my mind's eye rather than floating around in front of me. :) The shapes and textures tend to be pale on a dark background, so I've always enjoyed listening to music in the dark or with my eyes closed, as it helps me concentrate on the shapes and textures. I'm really intrigued by the artwork on Confield, because it kind-of looks like a simplified version of the stuff I see. I've always taken this for granted, and it only occurred to me quite recently that this mightn't be normal, so I started asking people about it, and when I told them what I see I got a lot of "Wow! That's cool!" reactions. Which is nice. I wonder of Richie Hawtin gets it too, because that "Concepts" album very strongly suggests very clearly defined shapes moving in very clearly defined paths. Especially (I think) "Concept 7" (I don't actually own the album, so forgive me for any trainspotter faux pas :)). Anyway, you're not alone. :) -nj --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org