“Row Row Row Your Boat” is one of the simplest songs in the world. Little kids sing it. It’s obvious what time signature it’s in. Or so you would think. But people are arguing about it on Reddit, and more people are arguing about it on Twitter, and there is no consensus. Is it in …
Continue reading “No one can agree what time signature “Row Row Row Your Boat” is in”
I have a lot of blog posts and videos in the pipeline, but I’m feeling some anxiety about where all this work is taking me. Don’t get me wrong, I love blogging for the sake of blogging, it has improved my life immeasurably and has had major professional benefits as well. But it’s not very …
I don’t love the settler colonialist lyrics, but I do love this arrangement: And while I don’t love the song, I do think Lady Gaga sang it as well as I’ve heard it sung.
Update: the Groove Pizzaria is live! An NYU music tech student named Tyler Bisson is about to complete his masters thesis, a circular rhythmic sequencer called the Groove Pizzaria. As the name implies, it’s based on the Groove Pizza, but it does complex polyrhythms and has a sharper, more minimalist design. It’s beautiful and awesome.
My son is deeply obsessed with Batman, like any four year old should be. His favorite articles of clothing include a Batman sweatshirt, Batman pajamas, and Batmobile-shaped slippers. When he plays Batman, he imagines his powers to include shooting bats out of his hands. And he loves the Batman theme song. In fact, the boy …
In the wake of David Bowie’s death, I went on iTunes and bought a couple of his tracks, including the majestic “Blackstar.” In economic terms, I “consumed” this song. I am a “music consumer.” I made an emotional connection to a dying man who has been a creative inspiration of mine for more than twenty years, via “consumption.” That …
I’m currently reading On Immunity by Eula Biss, which is so good you can’t believe it. Recommended if you’re interested in vaccination, health generally, being a parent, gender, race, class, the history of medicine, Greek mythology, vampires, or if you just need an example of how to parse out a difficult subject in a warm …
In his book Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation, David Huron does some fascinating speculation about the evolutionary origin of laughter.
From from Sagan’s highly-recommended 1977 book The Dragons Of Eden: There is a popular game, sometimes called Pong, which simulates on a television screen a perfectly elastic ball bouncing between two surfaces. Each player is given a dial that permits him to intercept the ball with a movable “racket”. Points are scored if the motion …
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Received via email from one Pierre Boyer: Wow. I just stumbled upon your blog tonight, and I’ve been reading it for 4 hours straight now. I just can’t stop. I’ve been a rock enthusiast, guitar player and amateur composer for some years,but only as a hobby. Being more of a scientific mind, I’ve always tried …
