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