How to translate the feeling into sound

Claudio

TarotTALKS
How to translate the feeling into sound

How to translate the feeling into sound

by Claudio

TEDxPerth201716 min

How can a song - written by a perfect stranger - feel as if it were written about you? Composer/artist/producer Claudio explains her art, purpose and technique, and finishes with an exclusive unveiling of her new track: "I was a Rockstar". In her solo live performances, Claudio creates and orchestrates songs with complex layering in real-time using music technology. To her, the art is in making sure both the technology and technique are driven by the heart - and achieve a delicate balance between control and instinct. Rachel Claudio is a Perth-born/European-based artist/composer/singer/producer and university lecturer. She works with major labels and composes scores for film and TV. Her live video performances have captured the hearts and minds of millions of viewers.

Tarot Mapping

Page of Swords

Page of Swords

A youthful, energetic mind eager to learn, communicate, and uncover the truth.

curiosityvigilancemental energyspyingideascommunicationwit

Why This Mapping?

Page of Swords maps to this talk because it is the archetype of learning how to name something clearly, then shaping that clarity into communication that can travel. Claudio is describing a process of taking a slippery interior sensation and giving it structure through technique, attention, and experimentation until it becomes intelligible to other people. That is the Page’s signature move: curiosity, observation, and the courage to try language again and again until it lands. In this talk, sound becomes the “sentence,” and the Page of Swords is the part of us willing to study the invisible, test options, and refine expression until feeling turns into message.

READ MORE ABOUT WHY THIS MAPPING...
The Page of Swords lives at the edge where perception becomes articulation. It is the moment a person realizes there is something real inside them that deserves to be translated, then they pick up the tools of expression and start practicing. Claudio’s core challenge is translation: how do you turn an internal state into an external form without losing its truth. The Page of Swords is built for that challenge because it approaches the mystery with alertness, precision, and a beginner’s bravery. It listens closely, notices fine distinctions, and asks better questions each pass. That is the energy of someone trying to match a sound to a sensation, trying again, adjusting, and staying engaged rather than settling for approximation. The Page carries the restless intelligence that says, “There is a truer wording here,” except in this case the wording is melodic contour, rhythm, texture, dynamics, and timbre. This card also carries the idea of signal. The mind wants to convert experience into something sharable, portable, and repeatable. Claudio’s method treats emotion like information that can be encoded. The Page of Swords is the messenger in training, learning what makes a message accurate, what makes it readable, and what makes it emotionally honest. The talk’s focus on process, iteration, and the discipline of listening to one’s own interior aligns with the Page’s developmental quality. It is not the finished masterwork card. It is the card of sharpening perception, building vocabulary, and gaining confidence through practice. There is an essential humility in that stance, along with a bright intensity. The Page is willing to be wrong on the way to being precise, and that is exactly what translation requires. Finally, Page of Swords speaks to the moment when expression becomes relational. Translating feeling into sound is ultimately an act of connection, because the goal is for another nervous system to recognize what you felt. The Page wants contact through clarity. It wants to reach across distance and have the other person say, “I understand.” Claudio’s work invites that recognition by crafting sound that carries meaning without needing explanation. In tarot terms, this is the Page learning to wield the sword as discernment and articulation, using it to cut through vagueness and bring forth a clean transmission. The talk becomes a lesson in how expression can be studied, practiced, and refined, so that what begins as private sensation becomes a message others can receive.

Reflection Questions

  • What am I curious about right now?
  • Where do I need to be more vigilant?
  • What new idea is trying to get my attention?