Now, I'm not talking about music notes.. or symbols from music. I'm talking about.. drawing music.

I have a little bit of what amounts to aural synesthesia. When I listen to music, I see patterns and colors. They're so vibrant in my head while the music is playing, but I can't draw fast enough to put them down. Slowing down the music doesn't help at all either. Everything is significant about the music I listen to. Melody, pitch, rhythm.. instrument.. whether it's a male or female voice. Everything. It spans through the hundreds of genres I listen to, but it's most prominent with classical and trip hop (which is probably why I find them so neat, and why I love listening to them.)

I just wish I could figure out a way to draw what I see behind my eyes. It makes so much sense when I see it, but when I try to put it to paper (or photoshop) it comes out all jumbled. The lines don't fall the way they should, or the colors are never as vibrant as I feel they should be.

It's something I can tune out, of course. I can tune it out so that I can listen to music while driving and stuff and it's not distracting me.. but sitting at home, listening to music while doing other things.. or just closing my eyes and sitting back - I just see all of these beautiful things.

Sometimes it's organized, sometimes it's symmetrical, sometimes it's absolute madness (speaking of which - Muse's "Madness" single made this go absolutely batshit. No kidding.).. but it's so beautiful and I just wish I could find a way to express it to my liking.

Chords and harmonies, singular notes.. Also, arrangements make a difference. I can listen to the same song arranged by different people and it affects me differently. Two people singing the same song (original vs. cover? I hate Bob Dylan's voice, but Bob Dylan covers are seriously the best.)

I also get these weird patterns together when I'm trying to remember things. It's not something I deliberately do. Sometimes, a name for a pattern or gesture will just "connect" with me, and it will be pretty much imprinted in my brain forever. I can still remember various dance routines from when I was 12 based on the connective patterns that I constructed for them.

I wish I could make this useful to me in real life. I wish I knew how to "bring them out" so to speak. I can't do it purposefully. If I try, it doesn't stick like it does when they just pop out.

Something to work on, I guess.

EDIT:

Here's a good example:



This is a good example of my attempting to do this. I was listening to "Trip Like I do" by The Crystal Method featuring Filter. It's more vibrant in my head, and it was even more vibrant before Photoshop had its way with the color mode.