If the synesthetic concurrent is (or includes) colour, it can also be called Chromesthesia.
Alternative names for Chromesthesia are Sound-colour synesthesia, Music-colour synesthesia and Coloured hearing
This is one of the types of synesthesia that can be called "visualised sensations" or "coloured sensations"
Projectors
and associators
The
visual experience may be projected (the colours or shapes are seen physically,
superimposed on reality) or associated (they are seen in the mind's eye, or a
strong impression of the colour, shape, etc. is perceived although nothing is
actually seen in external space). Associator synesthetes
are the clear majority: it is estimated that about 10% of synesthetes are
projectors and 90% are associators. Some synesthetes have both types of
experience, projection and association, although this does not appear to be common
and it seems that the majority have one kind or the other but not both.
Auditory-visual
synesthesia is one of the most common types of synesthesia and it is estimated
that up to 40% of synesthetes could have one or more of its subtypes. It
covers many different experiences, with a variety of specific inducers (general
sounds, musical notes, instruments, chords, genres, the human voice, etc.) and
concurrents (colour, shape, texture, position, movement etc.).
Types of auditory-visual synesthesia (the links go to a description and examples)
Tone-colour (musical note-colour) and other visual concurrents
Chord-colour and other visual concurrents
Timbre-colour and timbre-shape (musical instruments)
Song-colour and Musical genre-colour
General sounds-vision (colour/shape/texture/position/movement)
Voice-colour (and other visual concurrents)
Click here to go to the page listing all the types of musical synesthesia
Types of synesthesia triggered by hearing WORDS, which could perhaps be considered auditory-visual:
Phoneme-colour and word-colour experienced on hearing words spoken
Some questions and answers about auditory-visual synesthesia:
They
vary enormously from person to person. What might be black lines for one are morphing blobs of different colours for another, while
someone else might see their visual field filled with blue light. It
is true that deeper, lower sounds generally tend to produce darker colours and
higher-pitched sounds lighter colours, but apart from that there are few
similarities.
It
is normally considered a natural, pleasant experience. It often creates an
exceptional appreciation of music and is greatly enjoyed, although it can also
be neither pleasant nor unpleasant if the synesthete is not focusing on the
visual experience (with background music they are not paying much attention to,
for example) and in this case unless their synesthesia is very strong it can go
virtually unnoticed. However, some people are prone to
having a sensory overload if faced with too many stimuli at the same time, and
others can find it impossible to concentrate with music playing (they cannot
drive or study with music on, for example), or they may not like some of the
colours or shapes in particular.
In
most cases, having auditory-visual synesthesia is a source of pleasure and
great musical appreciation. For some, it can be a help in
composing music and they even go on to be successful professional musicians. For others it guides them on finding the right notes when they sing (many tone-colour synesthetes have absolute pitch), helps
determine their musical tastes – which may be different from those of the
majority – or simply adds to the pleasure of listening to music or even to the
sounds of nature.
Does the volume of the music affect the experience?
Yes,
although not in the same way for everyone. For some synesthetes
very loud or live music creates a better and more intense visual experience,
with brighter colours, while for others it is impossible to listen at a high
volume as they find it too unpleasant to be able to see anything at all. As
the volume of a song gradually fades to zero, some synesthetes’ colours become
more transparent before finally disappearing, while for others they get lighter
and lighter, or more muddied, or the shapes become smaller or they move into
the distance to become lost on the horizon… there is a great deal of variety.
What kinds of music do people with auditory-visual synesthesia most enjoy?
Is it consistent? Do synesthetes always see the same thing when they hear the same sounds?
Basically,
yes. There can be some differences in the experience
depending on the degree of focus and relaxation, sound quality, etc., but the
visual response tends to be the same or very similar in the same circumstances.
Yes,
many synesthetes have more than one type of auditory synesthesia at the same
time. For some, their strongest type dominates and cancels
out the others in response to a particular sound stimulus, while for others
interesting combinations are produced where visual concurrents coexist with
smells, tastes or touch sensations.
What is the definition of “chromesthesia”? What types of synesthesia does it include?
The
term chromesthesia refers to any type of synesthesia in which the inducer
is sound or music and the concurrent is (or includes) colour. For
a list of types, see the page about chromesthesia
Some auditory-visual experiences that raise the question “Is this synesthesia?”
Seeing figurative images or landscapes on listening to music
Seeing or thinking about a kind of “music video” on listening to music
Seeing spontaneous, consistent images while concentrating on playing an instrument/learning pieces
Seeing a flash of light with closed eyes on hearing a loud or sudden sound
Seeing the singer’s words visually on listening to a songThis page last updated: 10 October 2022
This page is about music-color synesthesia, auditory-visual synesthesia, sound-color synesthesia, seeing colors with music and colored hearingThis page is about music-colour synaesthesia, auditory-visual synaesthesia, sound-colour synaesthesia, seeing colours with music and colored hearing
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