Musical Keys & Colors

I am curious what colors anyone may see

with different keys and notes, and if there

is a relation between colors and musical

taste. For example, do people who love

Bach most see similiar colors with notes

and keys.

Personally, Bach is my most loved Composer.

Here is what I see. (For the most part

while composing in the key)

A major: Red

A minor: Red

B Minor: Yellow

Bb major: Musty Yellow

C major: White

C # Minor: Black

D major: Orange

D minor: Sunset Orange

E minor: Blue

F major: Brownish

G major: Green

G minor: Olive or Musty Green

Although, on some keys I dont see

much of any colors, its more like shades

like in charchol drawings. (Such as Eb minor)

The flats always give me a dull shade like

color. (Greys) Or a musty color, like I see Yellow

with B minor, but with Bb major I see a musty

dull yellow.

In some works I only see a image as well,

like a building. (Actually, seeing a building is

quite common, interestingly I have never

seen these buildings in real life).

To be more detailed I see colors with the

notes themselves. Sometimes a piece can have

different colors depending on what notes in the

Chromatic scale are used.

For Example, a piece in F # minor.

while it plays in F # minor its dark and I know

thats due partly from the C#, although, when

A's are hit I get a nice red in my mind that appears.

I notice this most in my own compositions, yet

in Bach and others too. I do not have perfect

pitch, although, in strange times I can just know

what the note is by its color.

Hope to hear what you see and if there is a

relation in colors seen and musical taste.

Jeremy

More than I see colors is shapes.

They are definitely abstract but still cool.(though they don't go by a certain key of music or anything) Maybe by the musical phrase...

A major: Light red

A minor: Dark red

B Minor: Black

Bb major: Greenish

C major: White

C minor: Black

C# Major: Yellow

C# Minor: Dark reddish brown

D major: Orange

D minor: Dark orange

Eb major: Light blue

Eb minor: Dark blue

E major: Light blue

E minor: Dark blue

F major: Yellow

F minor: Brownish

F# major: Yellow

F# minor: Reddish brown

G major: Light green

G minor: Dark green

I see your mom.

seriously now..I think thats completely arbitrary from individual to individual, personally. I rarely have any imagery except a vague sense of the motion of the notes plotted out visually. kinda weird huh

lol, that's just to sweet.

i see shapes too...

...I must be blind. I don't see much. On a side note though, I did once see Indigo in the key of Ab... rather odd occurance which may or may not have been related to the onset of herpes in the 1970s, but altogether one worth mentionning. But seriously, I have nothing of substance to add to this thread, so I'll just stop while I'm ahead.

I'm inclined to believe that most people see colours in music through association as opposed to actually having Synesthesia. For instance, I have colours associated with the vast majority of music, but now realise that a lot of it is through association, like the cover art of an album, or an image on the same page as downloading it, or whatever.

As for shapes, that's just the brain making sense of sound. Perfectly normal.

This is an interesting topic. I can't say I've ever associated colors with keys. Or even shapes, with phrasing.. I guess I'm just part of the more common pool that just feels certain emotions depending on the key or direction of the music.

That wiki entry for synaesthesia fascinated me. I've never heard of that. I also, like the majority of people, selected "booba" and "kiki" as I did.

I dont fully know what Synaesthesia is,

or if one can have the effects of it without

drugs, So I cannot say its that with myself.

I sometimes get images in my mind for

no reason, even ones I have never saw.

I have suffered with Obsessive Compulsive

like things, images, bizzare scenes, things

of that nature, which can be quite troubling

at times if I let it bother me. Perhaps, this

plays a role in the images I see with music.

I tend to have some weird addiction to

sequences to. Music such as Bach and Vivaldi

seem to put my into a short state of ecstacy

when a sequenced is played. Which is why

I admire Bach's avoidance of them in some

works until the climax, thus making the climax

much more amazing. For example: In BWV 1052

Concerto for Keyboard, D minor. It seems

Bach creates a certain tension the whole piece

by leading to a climax and then always backing

off as is similiar to sex, finally he sends you off

on this wild violin run that crashes into this

orgasmic climax releasing this tension with

fireworks (So to speak) and his use of the climax

was a sequence. The climax also hitting at

exactly 1.6 (Golden Ratio) in the work.

I am not sure what it is about sequences that

send me into this state of ecstacy.

Although, I find in such Obsessive behavoir

I have done in times past I may repeat things

3 times. Perhaps, there is a link here as to

why sequences effect me so much.

John, amazingly you see colors very similar

to myself, moreso than I have seen in asking

others. Who is your favorite composer?

Jeremy

I've never really looked into this type of thing. Usually different keys have different colors. I know I see a lot of blue. And D is light green.

I dunno, maybe I'm high or something. lol

I know Mozart used Gm predominantly in his more melancholy pieces, and he and Beethoven both used Dm to invoke fear or panic, but keys representing colors is something new. I think it'd be more based on matching how certain keys make you feel with their color equivalents (since colors are known to encourage certain moods, like red = aggressive, blue = calm).

Maybe it'd be easier to make a list if I was tripping on LSD. :P

The only one I'm really quite sure about it B minor. It's a sassy key, sexy, like the wife sneaking down into the kitchen to "associate" with a second man. That sort of thing. Therefore, it's dark red.

Some keys do have inherant meanings for humans (or at least a significant proportion of humans), but I don't think it's anywhere near significant enough to be considered universal. D minor, mentioned by bsbray, often sounds inherantly sad to people, myself included. That's nothing to do with social conditioning, associaton or the power of suggestion, because it happens purely on a primal/biological level.

By the way, I am somewhat perplexed as to why people are posting music-related threads in this forum. Why not post elsewhere on the board? The FFA forum exists purely to allow free speech to exist on YC as the description states; it was created to house topics which would not be appropriate for any other of the (public) forums.

Mike, sorry about that. Is there a way to

move this to another place on the forum.

There's no reason to apologise, I was just musing. :D

But as you have requested it, I have moved this to Composer's Headquarters.

Interestingly, I associate the note A with the color red, as well. Now, I play trumpet and so when I play an A on that it is actually a concert B, but I think the letter A has a distinct redness to me, and that is also present when I compose: A minor is usually a deep red. It's one of my favorite notes, and possibly my favorite key.

Stubbazubba, thats true with me too.

I relate letters and colors as well.

Ecspecially in names.

Like names that start with A such as

Austin I see red. Names that start with L

I see White, names that start with S

I see Yellow, etc...

Sometimes I see more than one color with

names to like the name "Liana".

Li = White, ana = Red.

For what reason people do this I have no

idea. Interesting though.

Jeremy

umm... I don't see too many colors with keys but with pieces I do.

I have a program which will probably have you all thanking me muchly as it is a composition program intended originally for ring tones which allows you to compose music visually; you'll see what I mean when you check it out. Take my word for it, it's very cool.

You're Welcome.

C Major: Mild dark blue

C minor: More gray and pale blue

C sharp Major: Slightly lighter blue

C-sharp Minor: A darker gray and pale blue :P

D Major: Dark Yellow/light Brown

D minor: Dark Brown

E-flat Major: Yellow

E-flat minor: Maionaise like yellow :)

E Major - Yellow

E minor - Darker yet also paler yellow

F-Major: Brown

F minor: Redish brown

F-sharp Major: Orange

F-sharp minor: Red, so dark it's pratically black :ninja:

G Major: Light Blue

G minor: Dark blue

A-flat Major: Red, just a LIL bit dark :thumbsup:

A-flat minor: Same as above

A Major: Red

A minor: Mild dark red

B-flat Major: White

B-flat minor: Dark-ish Gray

B Major: White

B minor: Light Gray

yes I totally have synesthesia, but I don't think it has anything to do with my favorite composer. Perhaps the colors are related to my favorite period (Romantic)...

It was so weird for me to hear that "other" people didn't associate words/letters/music notes and keys with colors.

Here are my colors:

AbM: Dark Magenta

Abm: Dark Indigo

AM: Jazzberry Jam

Am: Red-Violet Eggplant

BbM: Azure

Bbm: Swedish Azure

BM: Navy Blue

Bm: Bright Indigo

CM: Orchid

Cm: Tyrian Purple

C#M: Disco Purple (yes, this IS different than Db because of all the different modulations you can create)

C#m: Tokyo Purple

DbM: Bright Cerulean

Dbm: Midnight Blue

DM: Process Cyan

Dm: Medium Persian Blue

EbM: Hibiscus

Ebm: Mulberry

EM: Bright Pink (rose)

Em: Printer's Magenta

FM: Islamic Green

Fm: Jade Green

F#M: Dark Green

F#m: Deep Forest Green

GbM: Sunglow

Gbm: Goldenrod

GM: Tangerine Yellow

Gm: Supernova Yellow

G#M: Saffron

G#m: Ochre

BTW I found the "specific names" of the colors on Color - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (because I often times have a hard time explaining these colors). They have no rhyme or reason...and the colors ALWAYS stay the same.

yes I totally have synesthesia, but I don't think it has anything to do with my favorite composer. Perhaps the colors are related to my favorite period (Romantic)...

It was so weird for me to hear that "other" people didn't associate words/letters/music notes and keys with colors.

I wish I had synesthesia... :(

I've seen cases of synesthesia where people could taste music as well as see colors with it. Apparently, they have better memories than the average person, which makes sense.

@jesusfreak1277 - does having synesthesia help you compose? what are the downsides(if any) to synesthesia?

Thread necromancy is AWESOME.