Color and Sound
- Irene Feher
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon in which one stimulated sense triggers another sense. One prime example of this is chromesthesia where sound triggers experiences of colors, sometimes the colors are swirls, moving lines, floating formations, or auras. The colors are always moving.
Something I have never shared is my own experience of vivid color when I listen to music, which is especially powerful when I am seated listening intently. Minimalist music such as that composed by Steve Reich or Philip Glass have an especially powerful effect on me. I am listening to “Music from the Hours” by Glass (see above link) as I type this and I sense a beautiful mix of aqua, electric blue and purple waves with streaks of vivid green. I stopped typing to enjoy the experience. It calms me. You might want to listen and notice if it happens to you!
Unfortunately, my life has become so busy that I seldom get to go to concerts or listen to recordings as often as I would like, but I am always listening intently to other players at improvisation workshops. When I close my eyes, that is when I experience color most intensely.
In my improvisation workshops and gatherings, we sometimes draw while we listen and the images that emerge are absolutely stunning. What a gift it is to receive a drawing inspired by your improvisation.
I invite you to pull out some coloring pencils or crayons and a large sheet of paper. Put on a piece of music you love and let your imagination go as you color up the page!
There are some very interesting essays on the relationship of color and sound dating back to Aristotle. If you are intrigued, I will offer an experiential improvisation class this June called “Color & Sound - A Harmony Intensive”. No musical experience is required, we will engage in mindful sound and color exploration.
Here is a little bit about the class that I am designing, which I am very excited about:
With free improvisation we will explore harmony by drawing parallels between how different notes, like colors, relate to each other. Sometimes the effects are pleasing or soothing, and sometimes they are stunning or jarring.
In sound we will explore the following color concepts:
Complementary colors, colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel such as red and green, blue and orange, or yellow and purple.
Analogous colors: those that lie next to each other on the color wheel, such as yellow, green and blue, creating a more harmonious effect.
Triadic colors, yellow, blue and red. They balance each other, and when combined create many hues in between.
Monochromatic colors, using different shades and tints of one color an entirely different effect is created.
Grayscale - how would we imagine all the shades of gray in sound.
Follow Up from Previous Blogs!
One of my readers, Carolyn A., shared a link to Pianist Robin Spielberg offering a beautiful talk and performance.
Coincidentally, that was where I learned about her daughter Valerie, a wonderful percussionist living with an invisible disability.
The Elephant Steps back into the room for just a moment
If you read my blog “The Elephant in the Room”, you know that I live with low vision, considered by many an invisible disability. There are unique challenges one faces living with an invisible disability. I spent much of my life striving to pass as normal because my disability was not something I wanted to draw attention to.
I was moved to tears by Valerie’s story, and then mesmerized by how beautifully she played the marimba. I have heard some people with disabilities call stories like this “inspiration porn”, but as someone living with an invisible disability and a fierce advocate of DEI, I think it is important to share lived perspectives.
Listening to Valerie inspired me to write a poem about my perception
Unseen
Look! It’s right there…
Objects keep moving
Squint but nothing’s improving
The sought item remains unseen
What to order…
The writing on the wall
Is way too small
The menu remains unseen
Find the address
The numbers are so small
Afraid at night to fall
Streaks of light leave much unseen
Ingredients, instructions, price tags…
So hard to read
A magnifier is all I need
Or it remains unseen
Flashes of color
Movement and sound
The supermarket is a fast spinning merry-go-round
Left without items that were unseen
It’s all too fast
Too much in a rush
No time to take it in -
So much remains unseen…
It’s ok to go slow
It’s ok that you know
I don’t want to remain
Unseen…
Singing, playing, teaching, and facilitating music is when I feel most free, and more importantly, where I feel a sense of purpose.