I guess that I always thought everyone had this ability if they could only stop long enough to listen. Clearly a lot of people are unable to sit still long enough to have music become something other than background noise.
Yes; I see shapes and forms, colors, strobes, pulses. Often I "see" the emotion as a shape and color; often these emotions at war with each other.
I’ve often wondered if it was due to a higher degree of imagination. I have whole visual stories unfold before me taking me away to worlds unseen and unknown.
One album that takes me on a fantastic journey is side two of Rush’ Caress of Steel, one of their most underrated albums. In one passage I can almost feel the salt spray from waves as the ship is tossed about.
Music!
You describe perfectly my own experience also...
Thanks for your illuminating post...
The only difference is i use this "imaginative visual ability" or "illusion for some" to acoustically design my room....
Acoustic could be "seen", not only music could be seen....And when you "see" acoustic you learn that musical acoustic is not merely about 2 channel localisation of sound sources POINTS in the room merely, but essentially also "timbre" VOLUMES dynamical localisation in your head/room...
A violin "object" is an abstraction, an imaginary POINT, localized in the acoustical space of the room it is an abstraction of the concrete "timbre" perceived VOLUME phenomenon ... The sounding object at the origin of the playing note is 3 dimensional concrete vibrating body , not a point waiting to be localized anymore, but a VOLUME ,"étalé" in french, or spread out dynamically like a fractal in musical space... This conflict and harmony between these point/volume localization is an aspect of acoustic and musical experience...
An acoustic tone is not a musical note, and a timbre cannot be reduced to his spectrum....Anymore than a volume could be reduce to a point....But like in projective geometry there exist a correspondance between a point and a surface, each volume being the results of this interaction, "timbre" acoustical information volume contain also room acoustical information or environmental objects information and not only the playing note reduced to his own spectrum...
By the way i speak about my living experience here, and nothing i say is science or scientific , they are only my way to convey in words and concepts my experience...
Science ask for very precise psycho-acoustic experiments, some of which inspire me a lot....But what is "seen" by me is created by my own imagination and work only like a tool... Is it a deception ?
I dont care because my seeing is an evolutive process in my own life history and give me ecstasy and a firm grip on my room acoustic ....
My deepest respects....
