Suddenly Benjamin Zander* (conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra) appeared like a ghost at my kitchen station, clapped his hands in delight and said, "What amazing possibilities!"
I looked at him rather crossly. "You may be an expert on the art of possibility, but even you never had to conduct a symphony that involved bacon, peanut butter and lemons."
"True", he replied, "But if I ever get the chance, what fun I shall have!" He grinned like an excited schoolboy, which only made me feel more irritable.
"Are you always this happy?" I growled.
"Think about it, Annie. What chord are you playing? If bacon is one note, and peanut butter is another note, and lemons are a third, what chord would that be?"
"It wouldn't be a chord at all," I replied emphatically, "but three wrong notes played together and believe me - even the audience would hear that mistake."
"But even wrong notes constitute a chord, though it might not have been the chord you intended to play. Think hard - what chord is it?"
I was angry. I didn't want to play this game, so I said the worst thing I could think of - "A C# augmented with a minor 7th." Take that, I said in my mind, but to my surprise Benjamin Zander winked and said, "Sounds delicious!"
He began to fade out of the game show and said, "Play the notes, Annie. Play the notes. Even if they weren't the expected ones."
[*note: this has no reflection on the real Benjamin Zander, of whom I have nothing but the utmost respect. I'm just relating my dream, although I'd like to think that if I did meet Benjamin Zander in person he'd say much the same thing]
I looked at him rather crossly. "You may be an expert on the art of possibility, but even you never had to conduct a symphony that involved bacon, peanut butter and lemons."
"True", he replied, "But if I ever get the chance, what fun I shall have!" He grinned like an excited schoolboy, which only made me feel more irritable.
"Are you always this happy?" I growled.
"Think about it, Annie. What chord are you playing? If bacon is one note, and peanut butter is another note, and lemons are a third, what chord would that be?"
"It wouldn't be a chord at all," I replied emphatically, "but three wrong notes played together and believe me - even the audience would hear that mistake."
"But even wrong notes constitute a chord, though it might not have been the chord you intended to play. Think hard - what chord is it?"
I was angry. I didn't want to play this game, so I said the worst thing I could think of - "A C# augmented with a minor 7th." Take that, I said in my mind, but to my surprise Benjamin Zander winked and said, "Sounds delicious!"
He began to fade out of the game show and said, "Play the notes, Annie. Play the notes. Even if they weren't the expected ones."
[*note: this has no reflection on the real Benjamin Zander, of whom I have nothing but the utmost respect. I'm just relating my dream, although I'd like to think that if I did meet Benjamin Zander in person he'd say much the same thing]
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