I also "feel" harmonies as color and texture, light and dark. I was raised in a singing family and also just grew up learning how to fill in, so sometimes it's hard for me to pick out the melody for all the harmonies I hear.

I've come back to music after a several year hiatus and I'm having a hard time separating out the various vocal lines -- in a way I never did before. It's bothersome to me because I used to be able to just hone in on the second soprano line, or the alto or "that higher line" and stick with it, but now my ear meanders a bit.

I guess practice is the key, but again, my opportunities to sing with other people tend to be limited to the occasional jam and mostly to me driving in my car with the CD player jammin' loud.

This is a lovely thread and I'll continue reading with interest. Thanks for starting it, Soph.

Best, WW