Musical notation is written on paper that has rows of grouped parallel lines. Five lines in each group. A spot (which may or may not have a staff) on a line is a note whose duration depends upon whether it is hollow, its grouping with other spots and the number of flags on its staff. […]
This study began with five parallel lines upon which music could be written. The lines continued, but lost their parallel order with two lines escaping their nature as potential recipients of musical notes. I took the outstretched, five-fingered hand from a photograph of someone expressing exasperation. I took the other hand (thumb and forefinger) from […]
I’ve taken countless photographs of hands over the years. Many of them have been of my family. I caught some of my older brother Mike‘s* gestures on film; my younger brother Dave‘s hands on the piano; my father conducting imaginary orchestras and my mother holding Mike when he was young. These images are a treasure […]
My brother Dave is an accomplished pianist. He is also deeply interested in music and its inner workings. He explained that some piano music, even though played with two hands, can have three melodies at the same time. When he played an example, I had a difficult time identifying all the themes. My study below […]
Here is an abstract study, part reminiscence of my brother Dave’s visit (Y.B. Visit, Playing Piano, Hands Sketch), with thoughts about my previous musical propensities.
I had this great fear of opening up my violin case. I haven’t played in years; it’s been stored in my closet all that time. I thought it would be splintered to bits, and with it, hope of returning to my musical roots. It wasn’t bad at all. It needs to be restrung and the […]
Here’s a quick watercolor/charcoal/pencil sketch of my brother Dave’s hands. It is a wonderful experience watching his hands in action at the piano. I would love to do a series of detailed drawings and paintings of his hands frozen at different times during a performance.
I did not sketch the study below from life. I watched my brother play the piano yesterday and tried to absorb the experience. Yesterday’s watercolor was meant to capture Dave’s graceful motions of his hands. Today, I reconstructed his posture from an angle that I had not observed. I think it shows stability and groundedness […]
My younger brother is visiting us this week. It is really good to see him. We’ve been talking up a storm about music, performance and visual arts. Dave is a pianist. He’s given me insight about expression within the constraint of the page of written music that, in the case of some pieces, has been […]
I used my broad-tipped nib again to begin today’s study. It takes some determination on the cold pressed paper, as there is a definite tooth to it. As I drew the short lines, I spaced them as the black keys of a piano. The design progressed from there.
