It has been brought to my attention that the overwhelming majority of people I speak with like the idea of chromesthesia. Shocking, I know. I liked that idea best too, but I still wanted to keep an open mind. It probably seems obvious at this point, but my “Visual Music” idea is going to be my senior project idea. Exciting! But what does that entail?
In my last post, I briefly explained what synesthesia and chromesthesia are along with why I want to do the project. Thankfully, Professor Ault gave me some insight on past examples of visual music and how it’s been done. I also found a YouTube clip by someone who has chromesthesia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obrBAysVef0&t=118s
This is different from what I imagined chromesthesia to be like, with a rainbow of colors and various shapes taking up your whole vision. Clearly, I’m a little too surrealist in my approach. Considering this woman has synesthesia and can show what the world looks like through her eyes, how can I accomplish that? Apparently, it is possible to train yourself to have synesthesia, by tricking your mind into associating notes with colors. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to pull that off, but thankfully, I have a pretty vivid imagination. If any of us really tried hard enough, we can associate certain sounds and notes with colors along the spectrum. For the purposes of my project, I don’t exactly want it to look like this YouTube video. I want every note to be easily identifiable, where anyone can decipher the differences between pitches and instruments. Another thing to mention is the types of sounds this woman can see. She only sees colors when a musical note is played. So if someone slams a door shut, she won’t see a color. But if someone plays a Bb on a violin, it might appear blue and towards the middle of their vision. I’m at a clear disadvantage since I wasn’t born with the ability to visualize music. But with my creativity and passion for music, I can sure as hell try.
As for the technicalities of my project, I have most of it thought out in my head and it doesn’t seem terribly difficult to pull off. First, I would want to create a musical piece using a variety of different instruments so I can visualize each timbre individually. I don’t want to select an existing piece of music because it will either be too complex for me to visualize or there won’t be enough of timbres to visualize. Also, I would need the sheet music and spend hours everyday listening to it to make sure I know every part forwards and backwards. If I don’t know the exact notes being played, how am I supposed to visualize the notes? With this project, I want the user to be able to identify two things: the individual notes and the instruments being played. If a deaf person sees the visualization, I would want them to learn how each instrument would appear. For example, a piano will have plain clear, cut colors, whereas a violin may have some brown or deep undertones to each note. After composing the piece, I would need to visualize it (duh), presumably through Aftereffects. This is going to be a long process, since I will need to know my composition so well that the colors will come to me automatically, without hesitation. If I cut corners and am not consistent with the notes and instruments, the project will be meaningless. The main chunk of my time will be spent composing and visualizing the project. All of the tech related stuff comes second. In addition to my own musical piece, I want each person to be able to see the notes for themselves. I might use a Makey Makey through a Max patch to create a piano of sensors. Ideally, every time someone presses a sensor (note), that note’s particular color will appear on screen. They should also be able to change the MIDI timbre through the Max patch. My only issue with using Makey Makey’s is that they only cover 8 notes. That would mean I would need 2 Makey Makey’s for 1 octave. If I wanted to do multiple octaves, I need to be sure I have the right amount of Makey Makey’s available.
I’m glad everyone seems to be on board with this project idea. This has been creeping in my subconscious for a long time and I want to make it a reality. Not just because I love rainbows and music, but also because I love the deaf community and their ability to enjoy music. I can’t wait to take on this wonderful visual music journey and share it with everyone!