Tones and colors

[Chris_Repertoire]

What colors do you end up associating with certain notes (if you do at all. I've been playing piano for a year and listening to classical music for two years but am only just now starting to "hear colors.")

For me its

A - red
B - orange
C - yellowish/white
D - green
E - blue
F - violet
G - Gold/yellow  

Anyone else share my experience where the tones correspond, in relative order to the colors of the rainbow?  

Either way tell me what colors you feel with certain notes.

Have "tone colors" always been stable or have you been able to change them (has a note that first appeared green ever turned blue for example?)

Anyone done LSD or any other hallocinogenic or non-hallocinogenic drug and had experiences with sound appearing as color?

[Tash]

ok firstly, no i have never touched any form of illegal drug and if you have then you're a moron.

but otherwise, i do associate colours with notes, but not in any rainbow ordered system

F is a sort of cobalt blue

Aflat is pinky red

E is green

B is yellow

A is pink

G is a darker green

plus more i can't be bothered writing down. everything has a colour, and you sure as hell don't have to be on LSD to see them

[donjuan]

?
colors??
?

I dont get it..
donjuan

[Antnee]

Actually there are some people who can only hear music with seeing color. It is a rare genetic peculiarity that is known as synesthesia . Since I don't think you guys have it, you're only guessing or 'feeling' it. But some people really do see colors. Scriabin is thought to have this. He even worked out a chart...

NOTE                      Vibrations Per Second                       Color

C                                     256                                           RED
C#                                   277                                           Violet       
D                                      298                                           Yellow
D#                                   319                                           Glint of steel
E                                      341                                           Pearly White
F                                      362                                           Deep Red
F#                                   383                                           Bright Blue   
G                                     405                                           Rosy Orange
G#                                   426                                           Purple         
A                                      447                                           Green
A#                                   469                                           Glint of Steel
B                                      490                                           Pearly Blue       

Interesting No?       

[Daevren]

Scriabin wasn't a synesthatic. His colours are based on physics and the circle of fifths and on Newtons work 'Optics', it I recall it correctly.

If I am forced to put colours to notes I come up with this:

C    Light Blue
C#  Dark Blue
D    Orange
D#  Silver/Steel Blue
E     Red
F      Pink
F#   Purple
G     Brown
G#   Dark Green
A      Light Green
A#   Red
B      Black

Lots of blue, no yellow doesn't make sense, does it?

BTW, I can't understand how someone cannot say E is red, it sounds evil, sharp and joyful. How can it be white? Scriabin was surely insane.

[Tash]

E isn't red it's green! but sometimes i think it's yellow, or maybe that's the letter E, the scale is green.

yeah i don't have that crazy synesthatic i don't think, it's probably more to do with me thinking, if i was going to paint it, what would i make it look like? and thus colour is important for that. just wait, i will have a brilliant series of works called 'the scales' and they will be my depictions of each scale!

[DarkWind]

Scriabin wasn't a synesthatic. His colours are based on physics and the circle of fifths and on Newtons work 'Optics', it I recall it correctly.

Really? I've read everwhere he had synesthesia. Anyways, there is a piece called Prometheus, Poem of Fire, which uses a light organ. Each note on the organ makes a light for each different note. I've always been curious to see a light organ, if one has been built yet...

[Daevren]

Thats what I read, I think Bauwers supports it.

I should have said "probably not". Its always hard to know for sure.

I don't know if you know abouts Scriabins mystisism, metaphysical and theological ideas, but that is probably the source for the colour thing. And the colours associated with the notes probably came from Newtons ideas.


There were a few performanced of Prometheus with light organ. There was some guy that build light organs. I could look up the name. I think it was some Dutch guy. Scriabin hired that guy and then they played it in Den Hague. I think.