Never heard of this before but heard the episode of All In The Mind on sunday that carried the story.

“For some people the number six is red, Friday is blue, and music evokes a range of colours and shapes. Seeing sounds and hearing colours is one type of synaesthesia – where the senses are crossed. Meet an 11-year-old girl who was surprised to find out that not everyone sees colourful auras around people, and who feels that numbers have colours and personalities.”

Well worth a listen if you have the time.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/synesthesia:-seeing-sounds-and-hearing-colours/9836826

the dear, late Oliver Sacks

you’d probably enjoy some his books I reckon, PWM

Peak Warming Man said:

Never heard of this before but heard the episode of All In The Mind on sunday that carried the story.

“For some people the number six is red, Friday is blue, and music evokes a range of colours and shapes. Seeing sounds and hearing colours is one type of synaesthesia – where the senses are crossed. Meet an 11-year-old girl who was surprised to find out that not everyone sees colourful auras around people, and who feels that numbers have colours and personalities.”

Well worth a listen if you have the time.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/synesthesia:-seeing-sounds-and-hearing-colours/9836826

The 2003 Reith Lectures on BBC Radio 4 were presented by the noted neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, Director of the Centre for Brain and Cognition at the University of California (San Diego) and focussed on the mind and how it works. You might find lecture 4 particularly interesting; its main focus is synaesthesia, and current theories about what happens with the brain to cause it.

I’ve heard it said that all people with perfect pitch have synaesthesia – association of colours with tones.

Mrs m and her father sometimes discuss which colour is associated with which tone.

mollwollfumble said:

I’ve heard it said that all people with perfect pitch have synaesthesia – association of colours with tones.

Mrs m and her father sometimes discuss which colour is associated with which tone.

Do they all see the same colour for the same tone I wonder, would make sense if they do and also do they pitch shifts match up with slight colour change eg light light blue, then light blue, and so on

I did once read an article about people who see numbers.

The startling thing for me was that everybody who can see the number line – had a completely different type of image. So, unlike music and colour, it’s not in any way a universal system.

Listening to it now. Explains why people see auras.

Cymek said:

mollwollfumble said:

I’ve heard it said that all people with perfect pitch have synaesthesia – association of colours with tones.

Mrs m and her father sometimes discuss which colour is associated with which tone.

Do they all see the same colour for the same tone I wonder, would make sense if they do and also do they pitch shifts match up with slight colour change eg light light blue, then light blue, and so on

They more or less do. Common keys have the same colour for most people. Unusual tones may differ between people.

mollwollfumble said:

Cymek said:

mollwollfumble said:

I’ve heard it said that all people with perfect pitch have synaesthesia – association of colours with tones.

Mrs m and her father sometimes discuss which colour is associated with which tone.

Do they all see the same colour for the same tone I wonder, would make sense if they do and also do they pitch shifts match up with slight colour change eg light light blue, then light blue, and so on

They more or less do. Common keys have the same colour for most people. Unusual tones may differ between people.

Which could be down to how your brain processes the ususual tone, some people may become up the subtle nuances slight more or less

Peak Warming Man said:

Never heard of this before but heard the episode of All In The Mind on sunday that carried the story.

“For some people the number six is red, Friday is blue, and music evokes a range of colours and shapes. Seeing sounds and hearing colours is one type of synaesthesia – where the senses are crossed. Meet an 11-year-old girl who was surprised to find out that not everyone sees colourful auras around people, and who feels that numbers have colours and personalities.”

Well worth a listen if you have the time.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/synesthesia:-seeing-sounds-and-hearing-colours/9836826

Heard it, and agree it was interesting.

Paul H from the old forum said he had synaesthesia. I forget which variant.

Some of the crossings (for want of a better expression) are interesting. Someone who sees numbers as colours, for instance, only sees those colours if the numbers are written in Arabic numerals; if they’re written in Roman (or Hebrew or Chinese, etc) numerals the colours perceived disappear. So the synaesthesia isn’t associating specific numbers, but written patterns, with colours. I remember reading (or possibly hearing in the Reith lecture) that Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was so named because the composer was a synaesthete and saw blue when he heard the piece.

I’ve experienced synesthesia.. back in the day. “Playing” electric guitar on a large dose of LSG. Like sheets of multi-coloured plastic exploding across the room, changing with each stroke.
🙃

Ian said:

I’ve experienced synesthesia.. back in the day. “Playing” electric guitar on a large dose of LSG. Like sheets of multi-coloured plastic exploding across the room, changing with each stroke.
🙃

What about when you used LDS