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misthopyesterday at 2:29 PM4 repliesview on HN

I'm a musician, but don't "hear" music in my head. I have an extensive memory of lyrics, and can guess the next notes of a song, but I use my inner monologue to sing or hum it in my head, I don't hear it. I can recall the visuals of a movie scene similar to how I can tell you how my office is organized. It is a spatial memory of where things are and aligned with each other. I don't replay the scene in any sense of the word


Replies

ortayesterday at 2:30 PM

To add to this as a follow aphant - I don't have a way to hear sounds unless they are in my voice. So everything from songs, to sirens are simply me speaking it via inner monologue.

cyclopeanutopiayesterday at 2:31 PM

> I use my inner monologue to sing or hum it in my head, I don't hear it

Wdym? I think that the inner monologue is "hearing it", with a varying degree of vividness between people, of course.

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teklayesterday at 2:34 PM

I'm pretty sure this is the default. Who literally hears music when thinking of it.

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logicalleeyesterday at 3:04 PM

It reminds me of a joke. It's better told in person but you get the idea:

A percussionist takes a day off and decides to see one of his orchestra's performances. The next day he's back and talking to one of the other percussionists. "How was it?" the other one asks.

"Unbelievable! You know the part where we go buhm buhm buhm buhm?"

"Yeah?"

"Well guess what the rest of the orchestra is doing?"

hums a spirited rendition of the William Tell Overture!