The Post Your Thoughts of the Moment Thread 2

[12Mari0]

I think Bb Major is a deep, rich red.

[mastersuperfan]

Eb minor is my bae

Would that be perchance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubn6-n_XTXY

because of this?

[Altissimo]

D major is sort of a goldenrod chrome yellowy thing
very regal

I don't agree "regal" (it's mostly just "offensively bright") but it's TOTALLY YELLOW

[InsigTurtle]

Spoiler

Would that be perchance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubn6-n_XTXY

because of this?

also because of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaFiU77kr7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97vYYcjDh3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zLfCnGVeL4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeVn_Nlfqf0

it is how i want my spirit to sound

[close]

[Bespinben]

Sorry to rain on the rainbow, but seriously, I do not understand how one can attribute "flavors" to keys in equal temperament, outside of "you expect it to sound that way, so it does".

An equal tempered major 3rd interval between C and E is less consonant than a well-tempered major 3rd interval between C and E, because equal temperment does not have an exact ratio of 5:4 on the major 3rd. As such, playing a tonic C major chord in the key of C in well-temperament creates this feeling pure resolution, because it does have this exact 5:4 ratio. Interestingly, playing a C#/Db major chord in Werckmeister temperament has a completely different quality than the pureness of the C major chord, because the distance (in cents) between C# and E# is actually *very wide*, resulting in a very audible sharp dissonance, a quality of tension that could be ascribed a number of "emotions" or "flavors".

There is an actual quantifiable physical element that corresponds to the the sonic quality of the different keys that does not exist in equal temperament, because the whole idea of equal temperament is that all the keys sound the same.

In a strictly notational sense, increasing the number of sharps in a key can convey a feeling of increasing tension/energy (bordering on mania at 6 sharps), while increasing the number of flats can convey a sense of increasing sedation (bordering on depression by 6 flats). Think how many lamenting songs are in Eb minor (thank you Insig). However, again, this is simply a poetic statement, and does not have any physical backing in equal temperament.

[SlowPokemon]

They don't. You're wrong and unexplainably each key has a different tone and color to each person. I get an overwhelming sense of purple from the key of F minor and a dark blue for D minor, for instance.

[mikey]

idk if I'd call F minor an OVERWHELMING sense of purple...

[Bespinben]

A composer doesn't just willy-nilly pick a key because he thinks it has a certain color that embodies whatever emotion he or she ascribes to it.

Take for example Bach's G minor fugue BWV 578. The very first two notes (G up to D), is a perfect 5th, but a perfect 5th in G minor in Werckmeister temperament (a historical tuning common to Bach's age) is actually slightly flat. This flatness corresponds well to the sense of woe the piece evokes.

Maybe YOU GUYS (and a handful of other historical synesthesiacs) might think "I'm going to write a song about my favorite color" and find that adequate inspiration, but that methodology is not shared by everyone.

[mikey]

Ben:
SCIENCE
Slow:
EMOTION
Me:
song

[Olimar12345]

A composer doesn't just willy-nilly pick a key because he thinks it has a certain color that embodies whatever emotion he or she ascribes to it.

Take for example Bach's G minor fugue BWV 578. The very first two notes (G up to D), is a perfect 5th, but a perfect 5th in G minor in Werckmeister temperament (a historical tuning common to Bach's age) is actually slightly flat. This flatness corresponds well to the sense of woe the piece evokes.

Maybe YOU GUYS might think "I'm going to write a song about my favorite color" and find that adequate inspiration, but that methodology is not shared by everyone.

Not necessarily true, you know. I am in fact a synesthete, and I associate symbols with colors. For example, often times I use certain time signatures, because the colors of the numbers that make them up blend well and in result reward me with interesting musical works. I imagine that if I also had perfect pitch things would be even crazier, lol.

[Altissimo]

A composer doesn't just willy-nilly pick a key because he thinks it has a certain color that embodies whatever emotion he or she ascribes to it.

i do! i know you're trying to be all science on here but u cannot help how we feel about certain keys. No amount of your saying "equal temperament is just that" (essentially) is not going to change the fact that D major sounds super crazy bright and yellow in my eyes/ears, more so than any other key

sorry to rain on your parade :p

[Nebbles]

I'm in agreement with everyone else... associating keys to colors is just something I like. E major is bright blue and happy to me.

[mikey]

Star Wars VII spoilers involving snoke's identity

It's true because I made a picture with their heads next to each other

[close]

[Bespinben]

I suppose I'm in the minority then I am happy though I can at long last somewhat experience of the qualities of the different keys, even if in my own quantitative way. I shouldn't discredit the way others experience it.

Still, I can't help but wonder if some of these reactions are "conditioned responses" as a result of childhood piano lessons (i.e. sticking different colored stickers on each of the piano keys as a memorization aid).

[Yug_Guy]

Star Wars VII spoilers involving snoke's identity

It's true because I made a picture with their heads next to each other

[close]

Totally legit mind-blowing Star Wars theory

J.J. Abrams was the director the whole time

[close]