**Disclaimer: The problem with having an extinct, deleted blog is that I can’t remember which stories I’ve told and which ones I haven’t. If I’ve already told this one, I’m sorry. You can skip this post.**
My brother and I were both in the pit orchestra at Pinewood Bowl several times. I can’t remember which year this story happened, but I know I was in early high school and Sam was in college. We were driving home from one of the rehearsals, and the radio was tuned to NPR. As we listened to the string quartet, Sam said to me, “Name the composer.”
“I don’t know… I’ve never heard this piece,” I replied.
“That’s okay, just take a guess.”
“Heh, I really don’t know.”
Sam wasn’t relenting. “Compare it to a composer you know, and just guess.”
“Um…” I had no idea how to play this game, and I was terrified that I’d make a stupid guess. “It kind of sounds like Mozart,” I said finally.
“That’s a good pick,” Sam said. “I was thinking Mozart, too, but it could also be by [I can't remember the other name that Sam guessed].”
At the end of the piece, the DJ told us who the composer was. The way I remember it, it wasn’t either of the compsers we guessed, but we had the correct era. Even though we were both wrong, an important seed was planted during that ride. Sam made me think like a musician. He encouraged me to listen actively instead of just letting the music wash over me. I still play this game all the time. It’s gotten a little easier since I’ve been through music school (but I’m still probably wrong about two thirds of the time).
I think that car ride was a notable step on my journey to becoming a better musician. And the game gives me something music geeky to do while listening to the radio, other than chordal analyses.
