Hey ya'll.

Okay so I know that Synesthesia is something people are born with... And I wasn't. But that doesn't mean people born without it can't use color to help with the learning process.

I am in the process of writing an App that aims to teach music theory through visualisation. From scales and Arpeggios to chord voicing ect.

Reading music is not a prerequsite for the end user and the information is shown visually depending on the instrument.

I am using color as a key to define intervals of scales and inversions of chords ect.

It has dawned on me that using color in this way may be cool for other kinds of musical application. From arpeggiator generators to maybe even some kinds of psycho acoustic therapy tools.

Hook Theory has been mentioned before on AS a few times. If you've not used it before check out the link below.

https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/the-beatles/here-there-and-everywhere

So I have chosen this particular song as it has all the chords of the key and gives an example of how Hook Theory is using color as a key. I am by no means a huge user of Hook Theory so I am sure there's a lot I don't understand or know about it.

But AFAICT it has a color code referring to the DIATONIC harmony. ie, No Accidentals.

Whereas my App needs to be able to differentiate over a chromatic scale... Also needs to take into account the intervals relation to diatonic harmony. Confused ? Hang in there.

So my first example is using the following colors

1 Red

b2 Darker Cream
2 Light Cream

b3 light green
3 green

4 neon blue
#4 pale blue

5 blue

b6 Magenta (light)
6 Purple (Slightly darker than magenta but simsilar)

b7 (Light yellow)
7 (More Primary Yellow)

This enables the user to pick a chord or scale and as well as using the note labels (#s/bs [ Or Numbers]) they can see a visual of how the note relates to the selected key. EG is it a flat 6 (Magenta) or a natural 6 (Purple).

I've been racking my brain for ages trying to think up more interesting ways of utilising this method of color coding.

EG Should I try and base the system around the perfect intervals: fourths and fifths. (8tves aren't needed as the color key repeats through the next octave). Maybe the Tri-tone in between the fourth and fifth holds some kind of answer,

Maybe I should give the leading note (Natural 7th) it's own color ?

Should red be the Root ? It seems to work okay for Hook Theory. Just seems funny that what is usually associated as danger is actually being used for 'home'. I guess a lot of music tries it's best to keep the journey going by avoiding home.

Anyhow, if you've made it this far and have any suggests I'd be really interested to hear what other peoples opinions are on this subject.

If you're interested but don't quite understand then please let me know ! I'll do my best to try and explain.

PS. To the theory buffs. I am aware that using this color coding is going to get very tricky if I try and apply it functioning dominants and altered harmony. b5/#5 b9/#9. But then again maybe this is part of the overall solution.

 

Last edited: Nov 12, 2016

F#m7 sounds salty to me, especially on distorted electric guitar.

 

Why not interview and survey people with this most interesting of neural abnormalities to see if their experiences overlap so as to lay down a basis for your theorems and fundamental preliminary statistics, and secondly, because notes are only arbitrary in regard to nomenclature, it might help to research linguistics to find similarities and to cross reference those things that that hold common ground in relation to expression. Noam Chomsky is a world renowned expert in his field, a brilliant linguist and should prove an asset, the sharpest of mind that might give you much needed input to help you on your way and to assist you in bypassing early pitfalls and ruts that you might find are bogging you down in your early stages of research.

Best of luck. I hope you success and am looking forward to finding your book of findings by way of a post on the sister site, of course from the deep and thorough catalog of our resident and highly acclaimed butterfly net, our own Rotten Surfer.

 

Ah yes.... I remember that one time when the acid kicked in and i was seeing sound as color

 

I'm not so sure this one is related or not, but Harmony assistant has some features for coloring the notes like below pic, maybe you can find something there. BTW, it's the richest tool among the notation ones:

 

I associate the music with geometric figures, it is something difficult to explain.

 

Please, do it. I'm so avid and keen to know about it.

 

Too bad Sibelius 5 is the last version to color notes by scale. </rant>

 

Remember, as well as an RGB color wheel (yellow isn't a primary color BTW)!



[Which has 12 (coincidence? No!) colors]

U do have black & white also, which might be useful. Remember, there's quite a high incidence of G or (less so) R color blindness. Generally, in color theory, G & B are thought of more as background colors. That is all.