Do Musicians Dream of Music?

Musicians dream of music about 2 times more often than non-musicians. This is closely linked to their early engagement of music rather than regular musical exposure.

Has it ever crossed your mind that musicians could be dreaming of music? As weird as it may sound, but this is actually a common occurrence along with a wide range of musicians.

There aren’t a sufficient number of studies to support this theory, but it’s definitely interesting enough for further investigation.

Musicians Dream of Music More Than Non-Musicians

According to a recent study, musicians have music-themed dreams 2x more than other people. 

In the experiment, 35 musicians and 35 non-musicians completed a questionnaire that included questions like:

  • How often do you dream of music?
  • At what age did you first start practicing music?
  • How often do you practice music?

The participants were also asked to fill out a 30-day log of their dreams. But no, dreaming of music isn’t really about how often a musician practices music; it’s more strongly related to the musician’s age when they first started practicing music.

What Music Do Musicians Dream Of?

Surprisingly, many musicians may dream of original music that was never created before. It’s not always the case, though; a musician may still dream of music that already exists, whether it’s their own music or pieces created by other artists.

However, since dreams are volatile, the musicians won’t likely remember the song they “heard” in their dream the moment they wake up.

Is It Normal to Hear Music in a Dream?

It’s perfectly normal to hear music or other sounds in your dreams. In some cases, the music or the sound may signal something, like a message from your subconscious or a reflection of what you’re feeling.

How Many People Hear Music in Their Dreams?

It’s estimated that 80-100% of people hear sounds in their dreams. These sounds can either be voices, noise, or, of course, music. However, music is the least common, while voices are more prevalent. 

With musicians, things are a bit different since a musician is more likely to hear music in their dreams.

Do Artists Make Songs in Dreams?

Artists may get inspired by their dreams. In fact, many well-known songs took inspiration from the artist’s dreams. For example, The Beatles’ “Yesterday” song was first played when Paul McCartney woke up in the middle of the night and walked straight to his piano to play it.

Another popular dream-inspired song is “The Prophet’s Song” by Queen. The song’s lyrics were inspired by Brian May’s fever dreams.

Also, the idea behind Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around” came when he had a dream about meeting Queen Elizabeth and telling her that he was like a thorn bush caught in a whirlwind. Later on, he was inspired to write the song when he read something similar in the “Book of Revelations”.

Summary 

To recap, musicians dreaming of music frequently isn’t unheard of. It happens, and if you’re a musician, you may actually relate to this yourself.

And while more research is required to understand this phenomenon and whether it even exists or not, the current evidence suggests a strong correlation between practicing music at a young age and music dreams. 

Brian Clark

Brian Clark

I’ve been a writer with Musician Wave for six years, turning my 17-year journey as a multi-instrumentalist and music producer into insightful news, tutorials, reviews, and features.

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