Development of Gestalt Perceptual Intelligences in Music
GESTALT – infinite potential processes of spontaneous creative organization at a level of
complexity beyond the perceptual and conceptual inputs. An exemplar of nonlinearity, synergy, relativity and creativity beyond and incommensurable with a modern worldview of linear,
bivalent (T/F, 1/0), absolute quantification of reality and ‘truth’.
A process beginning with an expanding awareness, exploration and understanding of perceptual phenomena, existing beyond technological measurement. Some examples:
Visual magenta color perception, a color which has no measurable spectral wavelength.
Auditory subharmonic perception, f(-1), inverse harmonics not present upon spectral analysis.
Note the octave pitches below the open G string.
Objective: developing processes to advance awareness/recognition/creation/expression of
form, structure, dynamics and interrelationships beyond the raw rudimentary sensory elements
of perception.
Process: an integrated, polydirectional, perceptual ⇔ conceptual ⇔ intuitive,
experiential path toward conscious evolution.
Methodology: the practice and expression of Art can be optimally utilized in pursuit of this
process and objective through focused practice areas:
1. Expand perceptual awareness ( ⇑ resolution).
2. Observe new perceptual phenomena (unfiltered at a pre-rule stage).
3. Create new (temporary) cognitive theories/models to facilitate learning and to further
develop/refine awareness.
4. Apply these observed/perceived insights into other fields of study (scientific,
medical, technological) for evolving synergistic developments – outside the current
entrenched and specialized models/theories.
Perceptual (artistic) intelligence subtypes:
A perception of visual form, structure and meaning beyond that which can be registered, numerically rendered and duplicated by technology.
Auditory intelligence
A perception of aural form, structure and meaning beyond the existing scientific analyses and assumptions of acoustics and psychoacoustics. Perceptual phenomena existing beyond the quantitative representation of math and physics.
pitch-resolution: 72 notes per octave, polychromatic, nonlinear intervals, micropitch/harmonic interactions and structures (‘colors’, ‘shapes’).
Kinesthetic/proprioceptive intelligence (motor memory)
An applied virtuosity and fluency; an extraordinary
mastery of expressive perceptual integration.
Tactile intelligence (touch)
A perception of expressive and linguistic form,
structure and meaning through the development
of high-resolution tactile vibratory sensation.
Synesthesia – integrated multisensory intelligence
An outcome of focused processes aimed toward the development of an integrated perceptual
meta-intelligence (gestalt).
Evolution of Consciousness and Gestalt – Increasingly expansive awareness culminating
in a creation of comprehensive organizational form/structure beyond technological quantitative
analysis. Optimally, an interminable integration of perceptual, cognitive, intuitive and creative dimensions of ‘intelligence’.
Thoughts on Qualia
Qualia as a property/product of interactive (active perceptual) intellligences; gestalt; spontaneous organization.
Not quantifiable/measurable with technological devices. Passive measurement, reproductive rendering; without active intelligence/interaction no Qualia are possible.
Materialist/mechanist perspective – if it cannot be measured, it doesn’t exist; or the phenomena is reduced/minimized to subjective epi-phenomena or perceptual ‘distortion products’.
Phenomena + consciousness (active perceptual intelligence, awareness, discrimination, developed acuity) ➜ interactive spontaneous organization (gestalt, process; verb) of ➜ Qualia (new
phenomena creation, immeasurable yet qualitatively complex; noun).
Phenomena + quantifying measuring technology (passive registering/rendering, non-interactive
pass-through of original Phenomena) ➜ sum of measurable input parts, no spontaneous
organization/gestalt possible, no integrating process ➜ no creation of Qualia.
Qualia demonstration of interactive harmonics
This polychromatic composition is an exploration and demonstration of the musical use of
interactive harmonics. It is an example of the gestalt principle in the sense that the whole (output harmonics) is greater than the sum of the parts (input notes and harmonics).
Aural resolution: 106 pitches per octave.
Music theory describes harmonics ‘vertically’, in relation to a fundamental pitch. This composition demonstrates that ‘horizontal’ cross-interaction occurs, creating new harmonics and unique musical textures.
Note in the middle of the composition, I am playing only 2 notes, one static and the other moving melodically. The thing to notice is that a (higher pitched) harmonic is following the melody line NOT in the same direction (high/low), as traditional harmonics do (because they are a subcomponent of the pitch), but in the OPPOSITE direction.
Next, notice a second (lower pitched) interactive harmonic, which moves in the same direction as
the melody (just as traditional ‘primary’ harmonics do). Try also, to hear a further harmonic blending as the melody becomes polyphonic.
Contextual Information on known phenomena:
Heterodyne Frequencies (electronics, communications engineering) and Combination Tones(acoustics, psychophysics) are comprised of sum and difference tones.
Sum tones (f1+ f2) can create a frequency octave(s) above the lower frequency (f1):
220Hz (A3) + 293.66Hz (D3) = 513.66Hz (C4)
Difference tones (f2- f1) can create a frequency octave(s) below the lower frequency (f1):
293.66 (A3) – 220 (D3) = 73.66 (D1)
Interactive Harmonics (music), as demonstrated in the video, can create other frequency
intervals which are neither sum nor difference tones.
Qualia vs Quanta
Is an integrated Qualia – Quanta perspective possible?
Qualia and Quanta are presently conceived as mutually exclusive elements (discrete things, noun) and reduced to a terminology of subjective vs objective perspective of reality.
Both integral aspects of perception, qualia (perceptual) and quanta (measurable) are seemingly incommensurable yet interdependent and interactive (a flow, process, verb, spontaneous organization, gestalt); an essential, dynamic interrelationship of a Yin-Yang style.
The senses and sensation are currently categorized as separate entities based on anatomical
organs: vision/eye, hearing/ear, taste/tongue, smell/nose, touch/skin. But when looking in terms of perception, these traditional senses not only overlap anatomically (hearing via skin, teeth, bone)
and synesthetically, but also present qualia perceptions beyond this traditional ‘sense’
categorization scheme (ie gestalt).
For lack of better understanding and categorical terminology, creativity and intuition as perceptual impressions/expressions, would thus fall under a (everything else) category of ‘extra-sensory’ perception. As exemplars of the conceptual problem, these perceptual outliers seem to be more closely related with synesthetic integration and developed perceptual intelligence.
There is also no reason to assume that perceptual intelligences are limited to the traditional sense categorizations (ie visual intelligence, aural intelligence). However, without the anatomical sense classifications as categorical ‘anchors’, is it more difficult to envision the association of perceptual intelligence with creativity, except to say that it seems to be a higher level of complexity and integration beyond the 5 traditional senses.
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