Persona

[Pahchisme Plaid]

I don't know how others process information or thoughts, but I often find myself thinking in pictures.  Not always, but lots.  Just curious--do any of you hear someone's voice in song, someone you have no idea what they look like, and with whatever little bit of information you have, get an image of what that person looks like?  It's kinda fun.  But it doesn't work if you already seen a picture of them-- for me, sometimes the image changes with new information, but generally the voice doesn't age as much as the body--so you probably look younger in the image than you actually are.  I get a kick out of it because an entire visual character gets built around limited information.  Some images are sort of undefined for awhile, while others pop up instantly.  It's even better when sometime down the road, you get to see how close or very far off you are.  I really get a kick out of that!  Wouldn't you like to know how someone envisions you based on your singing voice? Hah!  I think it would be funny!

[Pahchisme Plaid]

Hah!  Funny you should mention Sam Smith.  I had no idea what that guy looked like for a looong time, but with his soul sound and vocal variations I was convinced he was black.  When I finally saw him it kinda messed things up for me--for awhile anyway--still love his sound and still think my image fits his voice better.

[Pahchisme Plaid]

I feel it, too, Jenn--it just doesn't fit!

[Rudi]

I don't think I ever imagined what a singer (or musician) looked like just by listening.

[Pahchisme Plaid]

Do you think in pictures, Rudi?  I think there's a connection to how a person processes information.  Not always and with everything, but I tend to have a movie of sorts running through my head while I'm thinking on something.

[Rudi]

16 hours ago, Pahchisme Plaid said:

Do you think in pictures, Rudi?  I think there's a connection to how a person processes information.  Not always and with everything, but I tend to have a movie of sorts running through my head while I'm thinking on something.

 

No. If I read a description in a book I will visualize the description. Other than that, I have never experienced what you describe. Sounds interesting though. Some people associate colours with musical sound. I never understood that either. 

 

Does your visualisation help in any way? Recall or association maybe?

[Pahchisme Plaid]

It's just always been.  Moreso when I was younger.  Sometimes clearer than other.  I also dream in color.  I guess not everyone does.  I don't know if seeing in movies helps in any way--it's just always been that way.  I wouldn't call it visualization because that would imply that I'm trying to do it.  I'm not, it just happens.  I don't try to force it if it's not there.  When I was younger, I used to draw.  I suppose it may have helped a bit with that, but like I said its sort of like a movie--fleeting, so not like I've got a subject sitting still in my brain to get detail from, but my memory was better back then, so could rely on the memory of it somewhat.  My memory is awful now.  I do think it might speed up then mental processing a bit as images contain lots of information at the same time.  I don't know--never really been asked that before.

[Nelson Z]

When I was younger I was seeing geometric forms when I was intensely  listening to music. I was genuinely seeing them coming out of my speakers and floating into my room. But I lost that superpower. :-)

 

To answer your question, I don't picture the faces of the singers. Actually, I think I prefer when I don't know the face of the musicians I'm listening to. Because, even if unconsciously, it could alter the way I perceive their music.

[Pahchisme Plaid]

13 minutes ago, Nelson Z said:

When I was younger I was seeing geometric forms when I was intensely  listening to music. I was genuinely seeing them coming out of my speakers and floating into my room. But I lost that superpower. :-)

 

To answer your question, I don't picture the faces of the singers. Actually, I think I prefer when I don't know the face of the musicians I'm listening to. Because, even if unconsciously, it could alter the way I perceive their music.

I suppose it might.  I think it did for me when I was younger, but not now.  If I like the music, I like it and chances are, unless there picture is plastered everywhere or I know-know what they look like, I'll still have my own image of what their voice tells me they look like in the movies in my brain.  I get floating colors in front of my eyes sometimes, but that usually means I'm getting a migraine 😜.

[starise]

When I see faces associated with the music I prefer them to have makeup on...... Just kidding.

 

Mostly the only images I usually see are in my dreams. Some really odd stuff . Last night I seen a dude climbing on an electric pole and he was about to get electrocuted. I was yelling to him to move away slowly. He wasn't singing, just crazy.

 

My mind tries to fill in the blanks when I really like a song to imagine what the artist looks like. I'm usually nowhere near correct. I mostly always get the sex right, I mean the sex of the person who is singing. 

 

I remember liking a song by Crystal Gayle called " You're The Best" or something like that. I tried to picture her then. Some songs like " Free Bird" conjured images not of the artist but trippy stuff.

[Pahchisme Plaid]

I'm not always sure of the gender, rare that I'm not, but it does happen.  For example, when I first heard "Fast Car" before I knew who Tracey Chapman was, I couldn't tell by the voice what gender was singing that song.  Drove me crazy. Hard to get imagery when you aren't sure of the gender.  Also, more recently in SC , there's a song I really like called, "Mechanical Heart" and with that one, couldn't tell audibly what the gender of the singer was.  There's an Eagles band member that has a really high pitch voice and when I first heard "Love Will Keep Us Alive.  I wasn't sure that it wasn't a female.  Way to mess with a brain that processes in imagery!  I've had some doozies when it comes to dreams--I've had some I wasn't even sure were dreams--can be a little freaky, especially nightmares!  But the good ones are comforting.

[symphonious7]

On 7/21/2017 at 11:36 AM, Pahchisme Plaid said:

I don't know how others process information or thoughts, but I often find myself thinking in pictures.  Not always, but lots.  Just curious--do any of you hear someone's voice in song, someone you have no idea what they look like, and with whatever little bit of information you have, get an image of what that person looks like?  It's kinda fun.  But it doesn't work if you already seen a picture of them-- for me, sometimes the image changes with new information, but generally the voice doesn't age as much as the body--so you probably look younger in the image than you actually are.  I get a kick out of it because an entire visual character gets built around limited information.  Some images are sort of undefined for awhile, while others pop up instantly.  It's even better when sometime down the road, you get to see how close or very far off you are.  I really get a kick out of that!  Wouldn't you like to know how someone envisions you based on your singing voice? Hah!  I think it would be funny!

Sometimes my wife and I will be listening to a song by an artist we've never heard and we sort of play the "what do they look like game" and it can be pretty funny cause sometimes people don't look at all how they sound.  Gets really crazy when you can't even tell the gender.  Something I've always thought was really funny, is if you close your eyes and listen to certain songs by cher, and imagine it's elvis, you can see it being elvis lol

[Just1L]

I remember doing a double-take when I saw the guy from the Oak Ridge Boys that sang the Giddy up oom poppa omm poppa mow mow part. Never would of guessed it was that guy. I've done a little of the visualization thing but really never for the actual person who's singing. I always visualize whatever it is I'm taking from the song, not who's playing or singing it. 

[symphonious7]

19 minutes ago, Just1L said:

I remember doing a double-take when I saw the guy from the Oak Ridge Boys that sang the Giddy up oom poppa omm poppa mow mow part. Never would of guessed it was that guy. I've done a little of the visualization thing but really never for the actual person who's singing. I always visualize whatever it is I'm taking from the song, not who's playing or singing it. 

I have trouble visualizing anything cause it's a battle for me to not hear all music mechanically and over analyze it.  But I have those moments, and remember more in my youth, songs bringing to mind very vivid images and feelings, even being able to almost "smell" things or... not literally of course but I just remember much more vivid visual/emotional journeys as a kid.  As far as visualizing a person, another fun thing is when I'm right about it.  Sometimes my wife and I will be listening to someone and I hear the vibe in the voice and the music and I go "Ok, this guy dresses like this, he moves like this on stage, he's got this kind of hair, I just freaking KNOW IT"  And whenever I got those STRONG hunches, it's usually right hahaha  it's only a certain type of singer I can do that with though.  Something I thought was funny once was while listening to Sly and the Family Stone my wife said "I think this guy wears really sparkly clothes" and I was like "I doubt it, he's a hippy!  I bet he's all chilled out looking in jeans and tie dye" and she was just like "I dunno.... I definitely think sparkly" so we looked him up and first video we see is this.  Had to majorly hand that round to my wife, not sure why she was so convinced he'd be sparkly but he was haha

I was just like "WHOA... You NAILED it..."  

[symphonious7]

On 7/24/2017 at 10:59 AM, Nelson Z said:

When I was younger I was seeing geometric forms when I was intensely  listening to music. I was genuinely seeing them coming out of my speakers and floating into my room. But I lost that superpower. :-)

 

To answer your question, I don't picture the faces of the singers. Actually, I think I prefer when I don't know the face of the musicians I'm listening to. Because, even if unconsciously, it could alter the way I perceive their music.

I RARELY meet another person who knows about this, but yes it's like a real thing.  If you get to a certain part of your minds eye or a certain way of processing it, you can start seeing the clear shapes that all the sounds make.  I've tried explaining this on forums before and people actually got heated about it haha they thought I was making it up or talking nonsense hahaha It's REEEEALLLLLL

[Pahchisme Plaid]

I don't see geometrics (anything in straight lines--just nope), but do envision streaks of colored light, maybe the width of what a pen draws, dart to and fro, rise, drop, do circles or waves, swirlies, etc according to the music, speeding up or slowing with the music rising with the music, falling with the music, mostly when I close my eyes and mostly with violin and cello music.

[symphonious7]

14 minutes ago, Pahchisme Plaid said:

I don't see geometrics (anything in straight lines--just nope), but do envision streaks of colored light, maybe the width of what a pen draws, dart to and fro, rise, drop, do circles or waves, swirlies, etc according to the music, speeding up or slowing with the music rising with the music, falling with the music, mostly when I close my eyes and mostly with violin and cello music.

You sure you're not just talking about an acid trip?  

[Pahchisme Plaid]

Maybe stomach acid 😜

[Pahchisme Plaid]

Well I must be able to trip without the extra help, then!  I must admit, I am pretty clumsy.  

[symphonious7]

Just now, Pahchisme Plaid said:

Well I must be able to trip without the extra help, then!  I must admit, I am pretty clumsy.  

I don't know if this fits you, but I've known people who were health nuts before who seemed like all those extra endorphins and everything in their body made them kinda seem like... not high all the time but just, they could enjoy things the way I only could if I was high.  So maybe your brain is just really on or something haha