Your music related dreams

[Jacey1973]

Post your musical related dreams.

I had the most memorable dream a few months ago. I was standing in a church completely alone, looking up to one of those huge colourful murial-esque Michelangelo type ceilings (full of angels, Jesus Christ, Mary etc) that covered the whole ceiling.

Even though i was completely alone i could hear the "Recordare Jesu Pie" from Britten's War Requiem like i was standing amongst a huge choir. I've never heard each word and part so clearly, i was singing the alto part.

But then i couldn't work out where this huge choral and orchestral sound was coming from until i looked up more closely at the ceiling again and saw that all the paintings of the angels were actually all moving and were singing or playing orchestral instruments.

The next morning my mum said she'd woken up suddenly in the night because she thought she heard someone singing....i'm guessing it must have been me!

[BoliverAllmon]

that is a crazy cool dream.

[Etude]

I concur.

I can't remember any musical dreams I've had.

[jeremyjchilds]

I dreamed that I was able to sight read anything perfectly

[hodi]

i had a crazy music dream yesterday

i dreamt that i met a musical genius who is said to have the soul of rachmaninov and he could play all of his preludes perfectly.

then i asked him about it and he said "u too can play prelude op.23 no.2"
and to my surprise in the dream i played this prelude!!


oh i wish this dream will come true.

[Bob]

I had a dream once where I heard music much, much, much more clearly than in real life.  It wasn't a feeling of doing that, it was actually listening that way during the dream.  A piece of music played in my mind and I could hear everything.... tone color, every nuances.... it was like my mind was able to take all the details in at once.  Very cool and unforgetable.  Then I woke up.

Every so often, I am half asleep and hear music.  It's only playing in my mind.  When I become fully awake, it's gone.  I have even gone so far as to check to see if I left my stereo on because the music sounds real.

[Motrax]

I had a number of dreams about piano, ranging from very joyous to very upsetting. In my favorite one, I was in a room with a bunch of relatively famous pianists (Emanuel Ax is all I can remember, and Yo Yo Ma was next to him but he ain't a pianist), and there was an old upright sitting on the side. I sat down and stared at the keys, thinking of what to play. Then my friend (who also plays piano) came and sat down next to me, and said we should improvise something. I said we should improvise a fugue... and so I started with a nice theme in C major, after which my friend joined in. So we played a 5 or 6 voice fugue, but when I realized I was actually improvising such a huge fugue in my head, I woke up. I scribbled down the theme, but I could never make anything of it, sadly. I'm no good at composing or improvising, and I have no idea how I was able to pull off such a feat in my dreams. But it was quite an exhilirating experience for all the moments it lasted.

[ako]

Several times I dreamt of a wonderful composition fully orchestrated that just came to my mind. I tried to wake up to write it all down but couldn't. That's my recurring dream about music.

[pianohopper]

I dreamt that somebody showed me how to play this piece called "Pavlov's Dog"

[prometheus]

I dreamt about composing music too.

I had some dreams about playing guitar and piano. But in both dreams I couldn't play anything. Very strange.


Dreams trick you. You can dream about some very special music, dream about hearing it, actually think you hear it. But you don't hear anything. The only thing that happens is that you dream about great music and dream about hearing it. The music itself never exists in your dream. So it's not strange that you are not able to remember it.

[luc]

I had an awful dream:

I have to accompany a stage play of which I get the sheet music five minutes before it starts (It is a stage play that can't be performed without music). I think there's no problem because I simply know that it's very easy.   And as it starts I want to sightread it but everything is blurred. I can't see the notes and my fingers are so thick and so heavy that I hardly can move them, but I know it's very important that I play and there's this depressing feeling of being in a hurry.
Everybody says to me: 'Come on! You are the only one who can play! You have to play!' But I just can't do it. Terrible 

[Appenato]

i'll have a recurring dream every now and then... usually around a recital or festival/now jury time. i'll sit down at a piano and begin to play, and either the keyboard is too small and i play in the air (sound still coming forth), or i'll have a full key range but try playing and no sound comes out... or it cuts out... and i can't see what i'm doing. heh... makes me anxious about when i do play for the recitals or juries, wondering if something like that's going to happen.

another recurring dream is that i'm late for church (i play on sundays) and i arrive, but realize i've forgotten my music, or as i'm playing, the sheets just get blown off the rack somehow and i'm left to improvise.. badly... 

analyzing the dreams... a little performance anxiety perhaps?

[Jacey1973]

I had an awful dream:

I have to accompany a stage play of which I get the sheet music five minutes before it starts (It is a stage play that can't be performed without music). I think there's no problem because I simply know that it's very easy.   And as it starts I want to sightread it but everything is blurred. I can't see the notes and my fingers are so thick and so heavy that I hardly can move them, but I know it's very important that I play and there's this depressing feeling of being in a hurry.
Everybody says to me: 'Come on! You are the only one who can play! You have to play!' But I just can't do it. Terrible 

Yes i get these kind of dreams to, especially in the run up to a recital i have to do where i sit down to play my pieces in front of many people but just can't remember how to play the piano let alone remember the pieces.

Doesn't every pianist get these dreams, or should i say nightmares?!

[apion]

I had a dream (nightmare) in which I was at my college music building trying to find a piano to practice on; the first piano I tried had only about 44 keys (as opposed to 88) and was worthless; the second piano had keys that were much closer together than normal . . . . . . and so that was worthless; the third piano had keys that were stuck together . . . . . . and so that was worthless . . . . . .

After about 30 minutes of this frustration, I finally found a wonderful grand piano in the penthouse of the music building . . . . . . and I was revelling in my performance of Brahms . . . . . . when I was interrupted by a fellow student proclaiming that she "was signed up for the piano during this time slot . . . . . ."

(a horrible nightmare, I tell you)      

[brewtality]

I had a dream where I met Arthur Rubinstein and complimented him on being such a lady-killer (somewhat enviously I might add )

[pita bread]

I dreamt that I was playing the Scriabin Op. 42 #5... I woke up to my dismay that I can't even sight read that piece.

[Bouter Boogie]

I had a dream where I met Arthur Rubinstein and complimented him on being such a lady-killer (somewhat enviously I might add )

Cool! I wish I had also cool dreams like you

[rc]

Interesting.

I get quite a bit of music in my dreams, usually existing music but sometimes it's something I've never heard before. I've never played a piece in my dreams. Twice I remember I was able to control the music, which was really neat. Once I think I was to play something, but I got timid and just tinkled out a few random passages.

None of my friends I've talked to about dreams say they've heard music, but almost all of them get sounds (speaking, noises...). One friend says he has no sound whatsoever in his dreams!

Being able to feel things in dreams seems pretty common, but it's a very rare occurance for me and usually involves some nightmare creature tearing my flesh.

[jim_24601]

I dreamt that somebody showed me how to play this piece called "Pavlov's Dog"

When you woke up, was your pillow damp?

[spirithorn]

I had an unusual one a couple of nights ago.  I was being admitted to what was apparently a master class type setting in the home (an imposing, Gothic mansion) of a famous female teacher. (No person in particular, just in the context of the dream she was "famous").  I had apparently submitted some kind of resume to her.  As the students were assembling, she laughed and said, "What do you mean, you have rediscovered the Chopin touch?".  I was quite embarrassed and mumbled that it had to do with fingering the sixths in 25/8. (I am working on that piece in my "waking" life.)
Go figure...

A recurring dream that I have is that I am about to perform a concerto for a large audience.  Not a particular concerto in the dream, just a "concerto".  The part that recurs is that in every case I have not prepared AT ALL.  In fact, I am going to have to take the score and sight-read for the performance.  I am always greatly relieved to awaken from these!

[Jacey1973]

Lol, i had a dream about pianonut last night!

It was so weird, i don't know what country i was in - UK or USA but i had no where to stay and i was away from home, so for sum reason pianonut said i cud stay at hers. Her house was really messy and i felt really guilty about staying as i didn't kno her that well so i cleaned the kitchen up lol. In the dream Pianonut was italian/asian looking and she had 3 kids her were under 12. When she got back from work i kept on apologising saying "i feel so guilty about staying at yours cos i don't even know you - are you sure you don't mind?!". We were on piano forum talking to Bob.....what does this mean? I spend too much time on piano forum?!!