Do you visualize music?

[PROTO·DOME]

I only realised I was doing it a year back perhaps, but every time I listen to music I get a strong picture in my mind based on the tambre, instrumentation and various other qualities of the piece. It's not completely random either- for example a square lead is always white, a triangle lead is always yellow, a french horn is always blue (although depending on how it plays, it can go light blue all the way to blue-green), a violin is a green-brown colour, again changing slightly on how it's played and so on.

It's not just colour, shapes form too until you get a whole, three dimentional image. From this I can remember exactly how a song goes, even if I can't remember how it actually sounds. It's also how I remember what to play if I'm doing live stuff.

Anyway, enough of what I see; I was curious to see if any of you 'see' music, and if so, what does it look like/sensations do you get? I can't be the only one right?

[Salluz]

Whole music, I get more than volumes; I get movement, calculations of duration and correlations between timing, sounds and instances; different paths according to the different notes (but with some sort of synchronization), usually galactic. Sometimes that may differ, according to the complexity and vibe of the music. Sometimes I'll render scenarios, earthly (or non-earthly; analog or digital) lyrics and improvs that match the music that I am hearing. I basically become the music and in my mind exists theories, additions, and possibly even subtractions.

I am a musician myself. That isn't even the end of it.

[Rambo]

I don't experience anything like this. But you should read up on this if you haven't already. It's very interesting: Synthesia.

You might also want to fix the typo in the topic title: Visulise = Visualize

[anosou]

I use visualizers, does that count?

[Hy Bound]

Yeah, i see a lot of music as colors and shapes. My colors and shapes are quite a bit different than proto's tho. I see saw waves as jagged edged green, sine waves as a dark blue sphere. For some reason i have a very vivid picture of two neon-blue, circular tubes when i hear one of the sounds in this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIQs6JyZcaA

I'll be interested to see if you can guess what element i'm talking about based on my description.

[Ray Falling]

When I hear the music I listen to, I see scenes from my work in progress novel/story play out in front of me. Images matching sounds...sort of like a movie trailer (the clip, not the vehicle).

It's quite awesome really

[Meteo Xavier]

I can't not visualize music. It all creates these Star Fox kinda first person shapes and vortexes and shit.

[1337 1]

Yes, I often find myself imagining entire "movies" based around the song. If the song doesn't give me some feeling/picture of a "story", I know the song has failed in some way. It also makes conceiving music videos much easier

[The Damned]

I use visualizers, does that count?

I will beat you, boy. I will beat you like a stepchild in a loveless marriage based forced upon the couple by social pressures, brought about by parents on both sides, as well as their co-workers expectations of them.

[1337 1]

I can't not visualize music. It all creates these Star Fox kinda first person shapes and vortexes and shit.

You mean like this:

[Diodes]

When I hear the music I listen to, I see scenes from my work in progress novel/story play out in front of me. Images matching sounds...sort of like a movie trailer (the clip, not the vehicle).

It's quite awesome really

I also do this with some songs, especially songs that I really like and play repeatedly. However I used to do this much more when I was younger. I think growing up has killed my imagination and I don't have as many novel/stories in my head as I used to. ;_;

[atmuh]

i play audiosurf sometimes

[DarkeSword]

I see colors when I write music.

The opening harp to "Ancient Hero" is blues and violets, but the section in the middle with the main Zelda theme has lots of reds and oranges.

"Just a Little More (Prime Edit)" is lots of ice grays and some light green; "Thicket" is (intentionally) the same color.

"Dream Pipe" is pastel blues and greens, and "A Whisper and a Shadow" is a deep, dark violet.

[anosou]

I will beat you, boy. I will beat you like a stepchild in a loveless marriage based forced upon the couple by social pressures, brought about by parents on both sides, as well as their co-workers expectations of them.

Visualizers > mental disorders.

[The Derrit]

i play audiosurf sometimes

best post 09

Also, sometimes I imagine colors, but more landscapes or environments to go with music. It can be really cool some music goes real big and some doesn't give me much of anything.

[Tables]

I hate music videos and audiosurf, because in my head I make my own 'music videos' and when I see/play those imagination killers, it makes me see 'band playing in weird place' or 'trippy tunnel' instead of what I actually want to see, and I am sad.

[WindStrike]

Dangit, atmuh beat me to Audiosurf!

I don't completely agree with Audiosurf as its color goes moreso off intensity/beat of the song rather than the feel of it (except Silent Death). But yeah, the visualization of music is probably a natural process that goes on with every musician (except the blind ones... maybe), the most common obviously being color. I personally find I'm able to make a battle sequence in my mind from roughly 67% of the songs I hear... other songs cause more of a self-reflective feel for me.

Yes, I often find myself imagining entire "movies" based around the song. If the song doesn't give me some feeling/picture of a "story", I know the song has failed in some way. It also makes conceiving music videos much easier

What he said.

[Kenogu Labz]

If I'm strongly familiar with a song, I tend to create what I call a 'muse' off of it in my mind: a scene from a non-existent movie that fits right in with the music as a backdrop. Usually no colors, though synesthesia would be kind of nifty.

[K.B.]

While this ability is strangely awesome and while I am a mite envious, I hope you synesthesians keep the radio off while you're driving.

[FR]

I thought everybody did...

[Arcana]

I see music as a piano roll.

>.> Stop looking at me so strangely.

[IrateResearchers]

I see landscapes, scenes, figures, fortresses, storms.

all sorts of things formed by music.

[yangfeili]

Not since... that day.

[Ferret]

I can't say that I don't visualize music, but it would be utterly pointless to try and convey with words what I experience when I shut my eyes and simply listen. you'll just have to take my word for it.

[Nase]

nope.

You guys make me feel soo ordinary. Screw you all.

Wait, I do get images with music when I'm really spacing out, almost half asleep. Sometimes when I'm in that state the music starts forming sentences and starts dia-/monologues, not in the common metaphorical sense but something with an actual, non-abstract meaning.

However, it mostly stops making sense in my memory when i'm getting more conscious again.

Oh, and the piano roll thing, but that's an entirely different story, haha.

But really, the fact that I have to get stoned or try to tune in to a certain state of consciousness to experience what some people get just from listening to music fuels my envy.