Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Musical Synesthesia...ever heard of it?

I just read a very interesting article about a young lady of 30 something who sees colors when playing the piano. She has perfect pitch and sees certain colors when playing certain notes, for example, G is yellow and D is blue, A flat is red/orange. C# is deep purple and Db is periwinkle even though these notes are the same pitch. I found the article fascinating. Her name is Laura Kathryn Rosser. She has recorded some of her music, for which I plan to search on Amazon. She could hum perfectly in tune as an infant and as a toddler could play the piano by ear...amazing!

Have you every heard of people who see colors in music?

http://www.laurakrosser.com/bio.htm

you mean her?

i just googled that.

I've heard of synesthesia but I don't know anyone who's experienced that personally. I do know people who claim to see auras and chakras though, that might be relevant or similar.

I've heard of it. I never met any musician that experienced it. On the old TV series Heroes, one of the characters had a super version of it. Heroes is a TV series about people with super human powers, so it is exaggerated in the clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWil81gl50I

I have seen colours when just playing my own random tunes on my Piano yes. Not only that saw scenes like Monet paintings!

I think it could.

Yep, she's the one.

Wow, that's interesting! Did you hum as an infant, also? Do you see the same colors that Ms. Rosser saw with certain notes? Do you see the colors everytime you play or just when you play certain music? Wonder if the art work visions come from your memory. Do you visit art galleries frequently?

I saw Magenta with F and yellow with C. It doesn't happen all that often, it's when I just put my fingers on the keys and let whatever will come come- just letting notes flow. I usually close my eyes and let it happen.I have no goal just to let my Piano play! I do go to galleries very so often but these were like living paintings- scenes in fields, flowers, butterflies etc.

I was once in a sort waking dream (day dream?) playing- I was playing, letting it come and closed my eyes and my mind was alseep dreaming but my hands were flying around the keys making music. It was a particular state of consciousness I cannot explain.

I also have a diploma in colour therapy and trained in other holistics and love art and music so prob why I see colours sometimes when playing Piano. Doesn't happen with sight reading at all though. Only ad hoc playing.

I probably did hum as an infant- I was always singing/humming under my breath as a child and getting told off for it. Music is crucial for my well being.

Helene Grimaud (not sure of spelling) claims to have this. She is a very talented French pianist who has made a lot of recordings in the past few years.

Oh, also Scriabin.

the painting more than likely comes from memory. i practice meditation and reiki and sometimes i get images from childhood, i don't see them in front of me though, i see them with my eyes closed.

it would be great if more was known about these things. it's a little off topic but i saw a documentary on Indigo Children a long time ago, it's a name for clairvoyant children, and some of them go on to live very rough lives because they don't know how to handle themselves. it's good to see this girl with synesthesia is being well received.

Will have to see if she's on you tube!

Interesting- must have a read about Scriabin. Got one of his compositions on a classical CD.

I practice them too. The moving paintings were "seen" with both eyes closed and then also in my mind's eye if you know what I mean.Thbey were Monet like impressionist but not the exact Monet paintings- probably inspired by this though in some way.




I'm all for celebrating our uniqueness!

Same with me about the mind's eye, i just didn't want to test anyone's beliefs lol. If you saw it while playing piano maybe it's a metaphor for your music. You see it as a classic work of art. Who knows though, these things are so open ended.

Robert Schumann was supposedly the original synaesthete (yes, apparently it's a word) who also made a colored circle of fifths based on it.

Scriabian did one too- never heard of this before til this topic came up. Interesting!

I remember the subject of synesthesia came up in one of my college modules. Aparantly it is not only confined to active musicians. There are some synesthetic people who see colours from just listening to music, so it is not limited to actually playing. I remember studying a film-maker worked with a synesthete to create synesthetic music videos. He used the other man's descriptions of what he was seeing to match up images and colours with the music in film format. It was fascinating!

Of course, I can't for the life of me remember what his name was.....

Sounds fascinating! You are right, I see things when I listen to music sometimes..for example when I close my eyes and listen I can sort of float off and see images and colours.
I once was listening to Chopin and had my eyes closed and then saw him in my minds eye playing his piano very clearly! It was great!