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On the other hand, I wonder how much of a competitive edge someone with synesthesia would have with music over someone without it. My understanding is you can

On the other hand, I wonder how much of a competitive edge someone with synesthesia would have with music over someone without it. My understanding is you can perceive when music looks/feels/smells right or whatever your sensory blend is, which means you can perceive things that work well together that others might not. Of course I could be completely wrong about this.

garrettdc 9y ago
IIRC one or more of the members of Tool has synaesthesia for reference.
- alexandersingh 9y ago
  Off the top of my head, Jimi Hendrix had it...and Blood Orange
in3d 9y ago
Yes, for example there were a couple songs when one instrument seemed to overlap another and that seemed “ugly” (and could be corrected).
GuB-42 9y ago
My guess is that it can prove an advantage if you associate it with proper musical education. Without the necessary education, I suspect it would be more of a distraction, where you try to match things that are totally alien to your listeners while neglecting the basics. As for drug-induced synesthesia, the idea would be the same. It can give you ideas, but most of them are likely to only make sense in your own world. It means that unless you really have too much experience with your drugs, the bulk of the work has to be done on a clear head, with a solid musical foundation.
dvorak365 9y ago
If you're unfamiliar with "absolute pitch" I suggest you look it up. Some people claim to have AP by way of sound->color synesthesia, but for most people with AP, synesthesia isn't required. AP definitely gives some edge over others in certain aspects of musical abilities.
theoh 9y ago
Reminds me of this, by the author Steve Aylett: "I certainly don’t think in words. I’m not sure that anyone does. Does anyone really think in sentences, like in films when you see someone thinking and you hear a voice-over? I don’t anyway, I see stuff visually, as shapes, colours, textures and mechanisms sort of hanging there in space. If there’s a hole in someone’s argument I visually see a hole in it, in the armature and mass of the thing. I’ll see the shape of a whole book that way before it’s written, and so far, the books have all ended up the way I saw them originally." http://www.crimetime.co.uk/Steve-Aylett/ http://www.crimetime.co.uk/Steve-Aylett/

garrettdc 9y ago

IIRC one or more of the members of Tool has synaesthesia for reference.

alexandersingh 9y ago
Off the top of my head, Jimi Hendrix had it...and Blood Orange

in3d 9y ago

Yes, for example there were a couple songs when one instrument seemed to overlap another and that seemed “ugly” (and could be corrected).

GuB-42 9y ago

My guess is that it can prove an advantage if you associate it with proper musical education. Without the necessary education, I suspect it would be more of a distraction, where you try to match things that are totally alien to your listeners while neglecting the basics. As for drug-induced synesthesia, the idea would be the same. It can give you ideas, but most of them are likely to only make sense in your own world. It means that unless you really have too much experience with your drugs, the bulk of the work has to be done on a clear head, with a solid musical foundation.

dvorak365 9y ago

If you're unfamiliar with "absolute pitch" I suggest you look it up. Some people claim to have AP by way of sound->color synesthesia, but for most people with AP, synesthesia isn't required. AP definitely gives some edge over others in certain aspects of musical abilities.

theoh 9y ago

Reminds me of this, by the author Steve Aylett: "I certainly don’t think in words. I’m not sure that anyone does. Does anyone really think in sentences, like in films when you see someone thinking and you hear a voice-over? I don’t anyway, I see stuff visually, as shapes, colours, textures and mechanisms sort of hanging there in space. If there’s a hole in someone’s argument I visually see a hole in it, in the armature and mass of the thing. I’ll see the shape of a whole book that way before it’s written, and so far, the books have all ended up the way I saw them originally." http://www.crimetime.co.uk/Steve-Aylett/ http://www.crimetime.co.uk/Steve-Aylett/