Beethoven, Me, And The Banjo

Beethoven, so we are told, composed symphonies even though he was stone deaf. "Music" existed in Beethoven's ears. So, strictly speaking, it is possible to have music without having sound. 

I too hear "sounds" that do not exist. The difference is that what rings in my ears is caused by tinnitus  not a fertile Beethoven-esque musical imagination.

Still, I sometimes manage to entertain myself by paying close attention to sounds within my ear. So far I have identified at least seven different sounds that exist only in my ears. Those sounds range from what seems to be sparrows and crickets chirping to a low mechanical drone that I often mistake for an air-conditioning fan. The sounds exist simultaneously and continuously, and the right and left ear have different sounds.  At times the sound is very loud. When my attention is focused elsewhere, the sounds drop from my consciousness.

Just as the sounds of my tinnitus fade from consciousness when my attention is directed elsewhere, as the various elements of music come together in an arrangement, there are always parts and figures that must drop from consciousness to make way for a new elements. This is called "figure and ground". 

More about Figure and Ground in the next post...