Theory of Synaesthesia and Grain of Voice

The theory of synaesthesia is that a sound can evoke an image or shape in which you would associate. An example of this is the sound of a banging drum; the beats could be interpreted as a shape such as a circle or it could be felt as a star shape to match the powerful feeling of each blow. Understanding how synaesthesia works enables me to look deeper into how music videos are constructed. Cuts are usually the result of synaesthesia, with the beats matching each frame. Moreover, shapes and repetitive motifs can also highlight how synaesthesia works; with each instrument having its own representing shape, colour or style.  A good example of how synaesthesia has worked well in a music video is the White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ video. A repetitive use of triangles and geometric shapes with the addition of lights become a clear motif throughout and also reflect how the music sounds, giving the sound a body.

To continue, Roland Barthes theory of the ‘grain of voice’ links with the idea of synaesthesia. He says that the singer’s voice is more of an ‘expressive instrument’ and that because of its unique and personal sound it becomes sort of a fingerprint; allowing the audience to make associations, just like in synaesthesia. An example of a distinct grain of voice is that of Michael Jackson’s, his trademark yelp sound allows us to identify him instantly, additional because this any other artist that use the same technique as Michael Jackson would (even if unwanted) be associated or linked to him. It could be argued that the gain of voice is what creates successful artists such as Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine), Muse, Rihanna and Laura Marling. But on the other hand, as the music industry has become a lot more technical, techniques such as auto tuning have begun to take over, with singers making the charts due to the aid from a computer.