Chinese Calligraphy, Painting, and Music Performance

Chinese calligraphy and painting are similar to Art Music performance. Chinese students who are studying music will find it useful to relate music to their past studies of calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy and painting and music performance make use of weight and motion.

In calligraphy every brush stroke should have life in it. The alternations of pauses, weight, motion, lifting can be seen on the paper and observed with the brush strokes.

Let's consider the simple brush stroke of "heng." The stroke contains several parts: a start with pausing, motion, an ending with weight, then a lift. This stroke is an excellent illustration of movement from one measure to another in music. Moving from one downbeat to the next is similar to a series of "hengs" in a row. In music the downbeat has more weight or pausing on it.

The painting of bamboo also features motion from one section to another. Compare the creation of each section to performing each measure of music. The brush moves from section to section. The musician moves from measure to measure. The beginning of each bamboo section has added weight to the brush. In general, the beginning of each measure in music has added weight to the notes.

In Chinese calligraphy and painting we use the brush to add ink to the paper. Each stroke is clearly shown on the paper. Little pressure applies little ink. With more pressure, however, more ink is applied to the paper.

String instruments use the bow in a similar manner. Apply less bow pressure and a quieter sound is heard. Apply more bow pressure and more sound is heard.

Wind instruments use more air for a louder sounds and less air for a quieter sounds.

But of course art music and Chinese painting and calligraphy are much more complex than a single note or a single stroke.

Let's consider further a painting of bamboo. The bamboo has three structures. First the stalk is the support for all of the plant. It is sturdy and regular. Then the branches and finally the leaves are added. Music is similar to this is some ways as well. Many times the musical melody is supported by a simple line, much like the stalk of the bamboo. For instance, this melody from Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade is quite simple.

However, like the branches and leaves on bamboo, a composer adds more notes to ornament the melody.

The branches and leaves on the bamboo add beauty. The additional notes also create a more enchanting melody.

We see here that each of the leaves belong to a branch and each branch to the bamboo stalk. In nature, leaves don't appear just in the air by themselves. Each leaf is connected to the plant.

Likewise in music each note most often is linked to other notes. When you perform music, consider how all of the notes are connected and related to each other.