It's one thing to try and create an abstraction of something physical/with tactile form, but what about the rest. After all, the real appeal of abstraction has to be its attempt to represent the intangible and ethereal elements of existence. Or even, the simple things in life that we are unable to see, but experience every day.
This week I treated myself to some new CDs, which is always a good time for me. I adore music and will never have heard enough of it. My days feel a little bit uncomfortable and incomplete if I haven't selected the perfect soundtrack for my mood. It's lead me to become quite an eclectic listener, as I'd rather find a sound that suits me at the time, rather than one that will always drive me into a certain mood.
Of course, listening to a diverse range of sounds elicits different physical and emotional reactions. The invisible tones and waves that artists record and arrange into interesting patterns, are a constant source of wonder and joy for me.
So what if I tried to represent these sounds in a visual context. Of course it would be abstract, as the intention is to give visual form to something I've never seen. There are other representations like musical notation, tablature, even waveforms and the like, but each of these are abstractions in their own way.
Who's to say that any is more accurate than another. The real utility of graphical representation has to be ease of reproduction and a strict language to adhere to. Seeing as sound can be broken down to a series of tones and frequencies, the language already has its alphabet.
However, there can be modifiers as well, such as instruments and keys. The traditional stave is a good example of a notated language of sound. It covers everything from pitch to timing and serves its purpose well enough to be the dominant form of notation.
What if we took a new approach though, and used more of a pictogram style series of graphics to represent different rhythms and expressions. Rather than a simple waveform, or a complex stave, we could use different shapes and even line weights to represent everything about a sound.
In fact, you could even go a bit further and add in some more complexities of modern audio production. Imagine breaking down a transcription into a simple form that also conveys effects like reverb and phasing, not to mention post production elements like gates and envelopes. Not only would this language represent the "music" being played, but by following its intricacies you'd be able to reproduce the exact sound from moment to moment.
Is it practical? No. Although, I still find it interesting and even though the little doodles posted here are far from detailed or useful, I think it's easy to glimpse what could be possible. For all I know it could already be a thing, as we're living in a global community of smart people making things.
It's inspiring to think about.