Interesting history. You’ve been able to develop your talent in many different settings. Many say, if a child starts learning how to play musically, that trait of being able to analyze, identify and compare, stays with them throughout life. Many take this skill set into other arenas of performance. I’m thinking of people like Condoleeza Rice.
It’s funny that you mention J.S. Bach Prelude in C. I love that piece. As you know it’s from his book of instructions
for one of his many sons. What was that title;
Well Tempered Clavier. That simple little song takes you all sorts of places if you let it. It is absolutely hypnotic
(in a good way) for people like me, who want to hold on to a melody and keep following my nose (or ear as it were). The octave and tonal changes are very, very nice. I rarely get to talk about that
tune, as I am not a trained musician, and most people are not aware of it’s existence or it’s
gentle power to beckon. If I could ever learn to play that song, I’d be very fullfilled indeed.
But to listen to too much classical, can't get into it. The melody is number 1 for me. The music I like best has pretty melodies. Some classical pieces have sections with lovely melodies, Moonlight Sonata, think it's the second movement, hypnotic to me also Tschaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.
The one I played was Rachmaninoff's C sharp Minor. Boom, boom, boom. I loved page 2.
I have learned to listen to some pop music and pick out some of the things that make them work so well, self harmony through dubbing, chord changes for transition, different embellishments. But as you noted with Some Velvet Morning, I wouldn't be able to critique that well at all like you did.
Thanks for the inspiration from someone who can talk music. It's time to knock it off. Past time, but I have my days and nights turned around lately :-(.