My "musical" neighbour

Has played these songs on his increasingly out-of-tune guitar this week:

Eagles - New Kid in Town
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary
Simon and Garfunkel - America
Simon and Garfunkel - Mrs Robinson
Simon and Garfunkel - Sound of Silence
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Eagles - Lyin' eyes
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Who'll Stop The Rain

You know, while I don't hate any of this music, all these songs give me a great big MEH feeling. With the possible exception of an unbutchered Sound of Silence, this kind of MOR bores me to tears at the best of times. This guy is at least 10 years younger than me. Doesn't he know anything from the last decade, or even the last 20 years?

There's plenty of more recent stuff you can play on a guitar - Ani Di Franco? Radiohead? Nirvana? REM? Smashing Pumpkins? Moby? Franz Ferdinand or the Scissor Sisters? Anything! Argh!

...Actually, maybe not. His singing is still utterly utterly vile, and I'd hate him to ruin some of their songs for me. Time for some fat drum and bass on the stereo then. Actually, I have a craving for some of Bach's organ music at the mo. I should go out CD shopping, replace some of my missing toccatas and fugues and give him a nice blast at volume 10.

Speaking of Bach

I've found an awesome website, discussing Bach's fugues and running through each of the 48 pieces from The Well Tempered Clavier by way of example.

It uses Shockwave. You have audio of the piece being played (very nicely). At the same time, the sheet music is being displayed, with each measure marked via highlighting. There is a description of the performance. There is analysis that describes what is going on with the music. Ok, I can read simple music (eighth notes are a sufficient challenge, thank you, and with wind instruments, you're only following a single line), but when you start talking counterpoint, I start feeling like Larson's dog: blah blah blah notes blah music blah. The analysis is done in such a clear way that it's almost intelligible to me. It's also hyperlinked, so that when it starts talking about the triple counterpoint, you can click and it starts playing those measures. There is a graphical exposition of the music that shows what's going on in its structure (the intertwining of subject and countersubject, the play of canons and sequences) using wee animations.

( Here's a screenshot. )

Just fantastic, and you can tell it's a labour of love from the commentary:

Delicious Canons & Sequences

If Bach were a chef, the canonic sequences in this fugue would be his Crêpes Suzettes Flambé. Before sinking your teeth into this delight you might enjoy an appetizier -- a quick review of canon and seqence.

The food parallels are quite common throughout. And, hey, that's a metaphor that works for me.

The analysis from Fugue 16, Book II has to be seen to be believed. The writer draws comparisons with the Grand Canyon, and you have a slideshow of pics playing throughout. When the discussion is on themes (Moonlight), the pictures are in black and white, as are the sheetmusic and exposition. When he talks about voices (Colorado), the pictures are in colour, as are the sheet music and exposition parts. Amazing.

Also, listening to the pieces again and seeing the explanation of their structure reminds me of why I can't be an atheist. I mean, the music just goes beyond genius.