Three months ago, in November of 2016. I've suffered a mild stroke.
I was lucky. It didn't affect my motor, speech and guitar playing abilities and I can do everything just like before the stroke. Although, for the first few weeks everything had a wrong smell!
But unfortunately it affected my musical abilities.
When I came home from hospital and took my guitar for the first time, I found that I am unable to follow external music. It's not the ability to play an instrument or to hear sounds. It's not muscles or ear. It's the ability to internalize external stimulus and to "comprehend" what's going on outside, to include myself into external events. Rhythm, tempo, even tonality, chords. Melody is OK. But the variety of sounds in music makes it difficult for me to distinguish which instrument is playing which part, or even what instrument is playing (is it violin or piano or female voice!?) Is it major of minor? It all sounded the same to me.
Also, the music seems to have a hole(s) inside, so you hear it but unable to comprehend it faithfully. Like you hear the music through old transistor radio. So, it's about the perception. And perception includes memory and wideness of events. Like you are in dark room with a battery lamp and can focus the light only on one part of the room - there's no wideness.
Doctors didn't tell me a word about it. But Wikipedia did. This state is called "amusia" and it affects musical perception, including musical memory, distinguishing between different notes (pitch), rhythm, tempo (time aspect of music), ability to distinguish harmonious from disharmonious sounds and so on. Even the "space" aspect of music - structure of the song. If anybody wants to know more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amusia
So, after six or seven years of honing my producent-ear skills in Taxi, I'm at the beginning or worse.
I wonder if any of you guys had similar situation and want to share experiences.
I intend to continue writing and recording music. There are even some good aspects in this amiss situation. As my perception of music is changed, I see the opportunity to even progress in terms of musical ideas and to distance myself from my pave, tread (TY, Google translator ) common, boring ideas.
So, I took the opportunity and involved myself into piano lessons. After a month or so, my piano playing is progressing. . I also started several musical projects (still outside the tempo ). Why waste time? It's better to progress than to sit and wait for life to pass.
Amusia - any experiences?
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- mladendomic
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Re: Amusia - any experiences?
Well, if it's any consolation, that's way worse than what happened to me. Digging up horseradish, trying to pull start a cranky lawnmower, string trimmer and rototiller and hacking away at vegetation with a machete ended up repeatedly tearing a tendon in my right shoulder; you might say I fought the lawn and the lawn won. I can no longer strum a guitar properly, handshakes are problematic, and for several months I could only enter keyboard parts by supporting my right arm with my left hand. (wrote more than a few forum posts that way) Some things are getting better and thanks be, I already knew some fingerpicking, so like you, I'm focusing on what I can do and just sorta try to claw back some of what I lost through sheer force of will; though I'm told surgery is an option, it doesn't come with any guarantees, and would probably bankrupt me, even though-in fact because I have health insurance. Come to think, I'd probably end up there just by taking the time off from my weekly trap kit and djembe gigs to recover from the surgery...it's a real blessing that I've been living with chronic pain from scoliosis and degenerative disc, so I've developed some strategies for when the pain gets bad. For anyone similarly afflicted, I'm happy to discuss those strategies privately. Usually it's just the arm is weak and slow and the fingers don't operate well in certain positions, and...I can't do a pushup, but also can't think why I'd want to, LOL. I probably should be getting at least some physical therapy, and I probably will. In the meantime, I'm still able to create and even jam; if I mike up the djembe, it doesn't hurt nearly as much.
And no, I've never even heard of amusia, but it sounds awful; I hope you make a full recovery. I'm told it's possible for nerves to re-connect around blockage/damage, but the process takes time.
And no, I've never even heard of amusia, but it sounds awful; I hope you make a full recovery. I'm told it's possible for nerves to re-connect around blockage/damage, but the process takes time.
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Re: Amusia - any experiences?
I am so sorry to hear this Mladen. If you need any help let me know my GYAWS friend.
Peace,
Bob LoGrasso
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Bob LoGrasso
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http://www.reverbnation.com/boblograsso
Believe in yourself
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