i am learning "star dust" on the guitar.*
the lyrics are by mitchell parish, and they are lyric, and quite beautiful. (this is something that will never be said about "louie louie," for instance.) but, i am especially impressed by the music for the song, written by hoagy carmichael.
the music is also very beautiful. but, the amazing part, is that they are quite simple musically, at least the melody part. the harmonization may be more complicated, but, it is quite outside my grasp, and so will go unremarked upon, and never learned on the piano, for instance, let alone my guitar.
and, yes, carmichael had an exceptionally good ear, and especially for sharps and flats here and there.
but, there is something quite amazing, at least for the guitar, and that is part of the genius of the song on the guitar. mechanically, that is, the effort to reach the notes and fret them quickly and smoothly is built right in, by carmichael's exploitation of the fret board. basically, he uses notes mostly from three adjacent strings, within a space of 4 or 5 frets, so that even someone like me can reach the strings/frets without a whole lot of fuss and bother, and exploit the octave and key in which the song is performed.
now, the sheet music i have is written in the key of "c." but, the patterns of the notes/melody are such that my observations would be true in any key. and, the basic pattern in "c" can be reached in other places on the key board, if a more mellow and slightly deeper tonality is desired.
i will learn that next.
now, a good and experienced guitarist could play the lyrics to "star dust" standing on his head, while eating a double cheeseburger. perhaps even napping in spots. it's pretty straight forward, utilizing very standard intervals between the notes and phrases. probably to a more experienced musician, maybe even boringly simple, to someone who has played for much of his or her life.
that much is to be conceded.
but, it is exactly as i have said. there is genius in that. and, it is, beyond all that, enchantingly beautiful. and, as perfect a match with the words and mood of the song as can be imagined. no one has ever convincingly said or argued that "genius" has to be complicated and unreachable, especially when it comes to music. some of the most haunting musical phrases consist of nothing more than about thee or four, or five or six, notes strung together in just the right sequence, and in just the right tempo.
and, hoagy carmichael delivers all of that, to a hack like me. like i said, genius.
john jay @ 06.14.2022
*i have struggled learning the guitar for years, and was horrible and extremely "unaccomplished." about three years ago i had a stroke that accompanied a heart procedure, and since then, i have taken to the guitar with an increasing enthusiasm, skill and comprehension. i know, i know, "might bold talk for a one-eyed fat man!!" but i am picking it up quite nicely. and, i am learning things that seemed to elude my grasp, though they seem simple, and fundamental, now.
such is life. i am 74 years of age.
i would add that amanda tapping in a bikini is pretty simple. about as straightforward as it gets. and, i would argue, that it is genius. you are free to disagree: it is, after all, a free country. even for people who may be slightly brain dead.
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