There is a new trend on Facebook where you take and post one black and white photo each day for seven days, then you tag someone who is then supposed to complete the seven days of photos.
When I saw the multitude of black and whites pop up, I noticed something rather interesting.
Maybe it is because we are saturated with colors in our everyday lives, that we see these black and whites as something more interesting. I love black and white photography because it portrays simplicity and grace in even the most mundane settings. It also adds a new perspective. I recall seeing one of dirty dishes in a kitchen sink. Normally we would see that as a mess, but when we present that scene in black and white, it seems to take on new life and becomes more than a chore, it becomes art.
This made me think of our ears as composers, performers, and conductors. As a composer, I have an ear that has bias toward what I write. As a performer, I have an ear that adjust to my sound in combination with the performers around me. And as a conductor, I have an ear that is bias toward my ensembles.
As a composer, I hear the ideal of what I write and when they are performed I hear my pieces take on new characteristics. As a performer, I connect to the music and perform with my musical sense as well as the intent of the composer and conductor combined. As a conductor, I hear the ideal of the piece being performed, but I don't hear the entire reality of what is going on past my mind. My performer ear was easy to develop and is so much more reality based than the other two. The composer and conductor ears are more like the black and white photo: they have skewed perspectives.
Until next time...