Musical instruments are prosthetics for body parts we never had. They can extend and transform voice, gesture, and exhalation. The mystery of their forms is matched by the invisible oddity of their sounds. But what if the prosthetics were unnecessary? This series imagines bodies with musical anatomies, referencing musicians from a variety of genres and traditions.

Musical Anatomy was on exhibit at CounterPULSE, 1310 Mission St. (near 9th), San Francisco, from April 6-30 - extended to May 11, 2009. Original drawings with prices listed are available for purchase (prices do not include shipping and tax, if applicable). If interested in purchasing, please contact me (sf [at] shawnfeeney [dot] com).

An homage to Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, and Eric Dolphy, jazz multi-instrumentalist. Dolphy played alto sax, oboe, bass clarinet, and flute. He had a mysterious lump on his forehead which was lanced shortly before his death at 36. Dolphy died because of untreated diabetes, but some say he died due to the loss of his third eye. His last words on his last recording were, "When you hear music, after it's over, it's gone, in the air. You can never capture it again."

Siamese twins connected at the bandoneon (a free-reed instrument similar to the accordion and concertina). The faces are modeled after Astor Piazzolla, the Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player.

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The mbira dzavadzimu is an African instrument with metal keys plucked by the thumbs and index fingers. Large hollow calabash gourds are used as resonators. Bottle caps or snail shells are attached to create a buzzing sound. In religious ceremonies of the Shona people, mbira music is used to attract ancestral spirits. This figure is an homage to the Zimbabwean singer and mbira player, Stella Chiweshe.

Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, a four-part harmony. Somewhat reminiscent of the album cover for Funkadelic's Maggot Brain.

Inspired by the song by Bob Dylan. This character's eyes are also based on Dylan's. A time-lapse video of the creation of this drawing is at the bottom of this page.

A many-nostriled ocarina. Ear and eyebrows courtesy of Frank Zappa.

Extensions similar to the drones and chanters of bagpipes. The face is based on an early 1900s mugshot.

The throat and nostril cavities extend into bassoon-like tubes. The face is based on an early 1900s mugshot.

Grandpapa was a contrabassoon (see Prokofiev, "Peter & The Wolf").

A one-man brass section.

The sheng is a Chinese mouth-blown free reed instrument, often made of bamboo pipes.

Inspired by the natural (valveless) trumpet.

The fermata (also called the birdseye) is a musical symbol indicating that a rest or note be held - a floating elongation of silence or sound. "Silence Is The Question" is also the name of a composition by The Bad Plus.