Nobody asked me, but … (#12)
May 16th, 2008 Al KalterOpening bars. Let’s start with that phrase, shall we? Not as it refers to unlocking the doors to local taverns, or to prying open the metallic walls of a prison, but rather to the musical meaning, as in the first several measures of a song. On the radio the other day, I heard a familiar combination of chords and bongo drum, and immediately recognized it as the opening bars of the Yardbirds’ classic, For Your Love. And it got me to thinking about how we are able to instantly recall from memory a song that we might not have heard for many years, and even sing along with it, based just on a few notes.