"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive." Anaïs Nin


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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

"Hearing Music From Memory"


Dan over on FaceBook posted a music video from a time back when I could hear so much better (it may have been from around 1975). He had no idea there was a "once upon a time", meaning he did not know that I've not always been deaf. I shared my personal experience when it comes to music from decades ago.

It's amazing how the brain works because I can still "hear" in my mind what many things sound like. While I don't hear much of what's playing on the radio or tv now, my brain kicks in and fills in the gaps. Although there may be a few nuances of the sounds forgotten, a lot of it is there. Rhythm and vibrations help me recognize a musical pattern from an old song and and I can follow along. It's amazing how the mind can hear music from memory.

7 comments:

  1. It certainly is amazing how the brain fills in missing parts sometimes. Something I find myself with music I know. But if its new stuff, it takes time.

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    1. Good morning, Liz!

      I have trouble with new music, too. When friends post something they're listening to on FaceBook, I go see if I can hunt down a YouTube version. We need more quality YouTube ASL videos with captions so everyone can enjoy them. Fabulous Husband who is learning signs now watched one recently and said, "Wow, there is so much more to the song when you see it expressed with the signs". Yes, indeed.

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  2. I know exactly what you are describing. In fact, I wrote a brief blog post on it myself some years back. Check it out:

    http://www.earofmyheart.com/wordpress/2007/02/11/they-call-it-phantom-hearing-ch-66/

    ~ LaRonda

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for dropping by, LaRonda, and sharing your link. I'm not able to access it from where I am right now, but when I get home tonight, I'll hop over and read it.

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    2. LaRonda, I LOVE what you wrote and how you described "phantom hearing"! I hope readers of this post hop over and read it, too.

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  3. It's sort of like muscle memory, it seems. After quitting an activity for a long period, your muscles respond in a short time when you begin doing it again. It's an amazing design feature! :-)

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