How do tone intervals taste?

[xvimbi]

No kidding. In the latest issue of the journal Nature, there is a report about a woman who experiences different tastes in response to hearing different musical tone intervals. Seeing colors is quite common, but experiencing tastes is novel. And she uses taste to identify those intervals. Quite interesting case of synaesthesia.

[ted]

Oh good ! Now I understand. That explains listeners' reactions to my improvisation. My chords must have gone off. Nothing worse than an overripe ninth that's been left out of the fridge.

[SteinwayTony]

https://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/03/03/taste.sounds.reut/index.html

[pianonut]

that's like saying someone can hear things when they eat sweet food vs. sour.  i wonder if she lost a sense.  maybe if you lose your sight or something, you gain another sense somewhere else?  does she have all her faculties?

[galonia]

that's like saying someone can hear things when they eat sweet food vs. sour. i wonder if she lost a sense. maybe if you lose your sight or something, you gain another sense somewhere else? does she have all her faculties?

She probalby does, and extra, too.  I've heard doctors say that the seeing colours linked with certain keys is caused by extra neural connections in the brain or something.  This woman obviously has these extra connections going to the parts of the brain that identify taste.

[xvimbi]

that's like saying someone can hear things when they eat sweet food vs. sour. 

No. The authors stress the fact that that woman's synaesthesia is uni-directional, that is she tastes something when she hears an interval, but she doesn't hear anything when she eats something. Furthermore, since she can identify intervals based on their taste, there is an additional sensory-cognital relationship.

i wonder if she lost a sense.  maybe if you lose your sight or something, you gain another sense somewhere else?  does she have all her faculties?

She does have all her other senses. Also, she is of average intelligence (IQ 115).

[pianonut]

maybe she eats while she practices and licks off the keys when she plays.

[Brian Healey]

I'm just wondering what happens when she hears chords, or basically a combination of intervals. Do the tastes mix together? That might be kinda gross......



Peace,
Bri

[allchopin]

I wonder if the Love for the Three Oranges lives up to its name.  [\witty anecdote]

[richard w]

Xvimbi, does Nature say what intervals taste of what?

A few weeks ago, there was a very interesting article in New Scientist magazine about the senses. Pianists already ought to be well aware that we all have more senses than the 'traditional' five, for instance kinaesthetic awareness. The article was actually suggesting that we probably have over 20 senses, I forget whether this includes senses that we would never be aware of, like sensing the pH of the cerebral fluid in the spinal column (or something).

Anyway, more relevant to this discussion is that the senses can stand in for each other. I think there was some kind of device mentioned in the article which enabled a blind person to see through touch. It is interesting to note that seemingly different senses can stand in for each other and give one the functionality of a defective sense. I guess this also shines light how synaestheges (sp?) get their experiences.

Interesting stuff.



Richard.

[SDL]

Pianonut - Funny! 

Pianists ought to have more sense!

Maybe you could have a new key - Pea#

[pianonut]

i don't have that sensory perception.  i don't disbelive the article.  it just seems that the experiments performed weren't explained in as much detail as i would like to hear.  don't doubt we may have as many as 20 extrasensory senses, either.  in piano study, we sometimes 'feel' the inspiration from the composer's music at times (and have surprised myself when my hands just sort of take off on their own).

i trust God to show me things i can't see, too.  for instance, premonitions about the safety of my children (checking on them at certain times).  i've had many instances of divine guidance in driving, too.  one day i happened to look in the rear view mirror (don't always look there when driving straight down the road) and someone was either on drugs or had a stolen car and was barrelling at me at 70-80 mph from behind.  my hands seemed to instinctively pull over to the leftt side of the road (was in the fast lane) and the car just kept on in my lane (as though i wasn't there).  i think if you look for extra senses they could be angels!

[xvimbi]

Xvimbi, does Nature say what intervals taste of what?

minor second - sour
major second - bitter
minor third - salty
major third - sweet
fourth - (mown grass)
tritone - (disgust)
fifth - pure water
minor sixth - cream
major sixth - low-fat cream
minor seventh - bitter
major seventh - sour
octave - no taste

Let me say again that it's not the April issue... I like the low-fat cream

[pianonut]

so she likes 3rds, 5ths, 6ths more than the others (personal preference) or there is no choosing for her (absolute taste does not match personal preference).

this would be an interesting thing to find out (preconceived in any way - or not)

[pianonut]

does anyone know more about elements?  perhaps she was a double major in physics and music and the intervals reminded her of some connection in her mind?  interesting how genius works.  not sure my little nephew is a genius, but he said to his mom that he visualizes things (in color) when he reads a book.

i vaguely remember something about an artist (van gogh?) and that colors gave them a taste.  don't quote me, i have to look it up.

do you think some people combine all their knowledge of different subjects into each thing they do?  Einstein seemed to be like this.  perhaps i should flavor my music.  but what about that tritone?  would you choke everytime you played it?

[Brian Healey]

So playing a major chord in second inversion (4th plus maj. 6th) equals "mown grass" + "cream". That sounds pretty nasty...

Oh, and that would also create a major third, so it would be sweet as well. I wonder if there's particular music that tastes good or bad. Like, for instance, all Debussy seems like it would be extremely yummy to me for some reason.


Peace,
Bri

[Daevren]

Synthesia is caused become for some reason the process of, in this case, taste indentification and music pictch indentification overap or are intwined.

Van Gogh may have had another neurological syndrome that made colours to him much more striking and intense.

It is also believed he cut off his ear in one of these attacks. I do not remember how the syndrome was called.

I also remember Scriabin having nervous attacks just before he wrote a new piece. But these may have been unconsciously 'faked' by himself because of his hypochondriac.

[Glissando]

So playing a major chord in second inversion (4th plus maj. 6th) equals "mown grass" + "cream". That sounds pretty nasty...

Oh, and that would also create a major third, so it would be sweet as well. I wonder if there's particular music that tastes good or bad. Like, for instance, all Debussy seems like it would be extremely yummy to me for some reason.


Peace,
Bri

I wonder what the O.C. would taste like.
 

[pianonut]

nothing but cream.  octave= nothing  minor sixths=cream

[pianonut]

say, when i googled 'tasting intervals'  i got a reference to a book that i find fairly good reading (from the first pages - you can scan on internet).  it is entitled 'The Lady Tasting Tea:  How statistics revolutionized science in the 20th century'

it starts out by comparing cream put in tea vs. tea put in cream.  am going back to read more.

other googled items included wine tasting = notes

[Rez]

Will serial for breakfast give you indigestion?

[pianonut]

hahaha that one is good.  it would give HER indigestion.  and, how could she taste so many intervals without her taste buds getting all confused?

[xvimbi]

I am just concerned that she wouldn't be able to enjoy food in a restaurant that has background music.

[willcowskitz]

It is also believed he [van Gogh] cut off his ear in one of these attacks.

Wasn't he on absinthe?

[pianowelsh]

Not very nice but they are better if you smother them in English Mustard. It has to be English though!