My opinion: An innocuous part of the whole

When I took my seat at the summer workshop for Music Students, I did not expect to be sitting next to somebody who knows the double-base part to one of the musical examples the teacher was playing.

The “hummer” was neither loud nor making attempts to impress or bring attention to himself. It happened just intermittingly and during certain passages of the music he had an urge to inject himself. To “hum” the double-base parts, if you will. I was fascinated, sitting stiff as a statue, hearing this periodic murmuring in my right ear complementing the overall music coming from the sound system in the front of the classroom.

I later learned he played double-base and another instrument in a major symphony orchestra and they were in Washington to play a few concerts at Constitution Hall. The Kennedy Center was not built at that time and I do not remember the name of the composition to which he was humming. He and a few other players were at the lecture that day at the invitation of the teacher.

I never forgot that day and to this very day, listening for music passages other than the melody in just a part of me. I also do it when I listen to people or read something. I conclude this is not unique to me. Other than do what I do, some people are very close observers of body language or vocal inflections, choice of words and the likes. In any case, there is a secondary or perhaps even a tercery performance supporting the main idea. I admit some observers do become a little bizarre but hey, what the hell. Let’em ‘spress themselves, different drummer and all. You do.

So it is with these Obama flaps that keep dominating the scene, there are people who hear, see and read secondary systems in relationship to the main idea or melody. My reflections would be if, at the workshop, I would have told the “hummer” to shut up! “I want to hear the music.”
As always,
BB