As a young child I can remember music teachers telling me to close my eyes, listen to a piece of music, and then tell here what I imagined I saw. This is how it works, I assumed. The music automatically conjures a set of visual stimuli for the third eye. Right? Isn't that the whole purpose of "program music"? To give you some helpful hints as to what the composer would have you think on while the music is played.
I think this is ridiculous, but it really bothered me for a long time that I didn't have these hallicinogenic visions while hearing music. I mean, I am a music lover. So what am I missing?
So you want to know what DOES go through my mind when I listen to Bach? Notes. A lot of notes. A lot of notes that somehow just mathematically fall in their perfect places in a piece of music. Beethoven? I see melodic strains that are not quite corporeal. They waft like ghosts in the dark night behind my eyelids.
I don't "see" music in that way.
I do, however, like to imagine I'm in the same room with a jazz quartet, watching them play and record the date. I can almost see the expression on the drummer's face as it tightens and relaxes in rhythm with his playing. I can put myself right there in the middle with the tenor sax player to my left and the pianist on my right. I just put on the headphones and relax, there I am in the same room with Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dave Holland, Roy Haynes...It's at these times when I realize that it's the PLAYING that makes the music, not the other way around.
This approach generally, at least in my case, only works with small improvisational ensembles as best exemplified by that good old Blue Note/Verve jazz stuff. Haven't tried it on many other styles of music.
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