I had a tape of this and a few others (preludes, fanatias n' such) and it was the only thing I'd listen to in my walkman. It was the reason I started playing the piano. I just wanted to learn to play this song (and I thought if I could play the theme to St. Elmo's fire I would get chicks) So I went out and found keyboard with the best Pipe Organ sound I could find. Then got a job at Swiss Chalet to pay for it (in the dish pit). I paid them 150 bucks a month (for a very very long-time) until it was paid off.
Everday after school and during lunch I'd sit at home and figure out what I could by ear. Then walk to Swiss Chalet three days a week and listen to this in my walkman. I did ok, I made it a couple minutes in, like up to 1:45 then I couldn't figure out about 30 secs then I got another minute or so later.
I was happy with that much so I would just play it over and over again and improv over it a little.
I tried piano lessons. The guy was doing all this 'silent night' crap. I struggled, I couldn't read music, the keys on the keyboard were weighted and they weren't on my keyboard. It was hard and I was sucking-ass.
After a few months I worked up the nerve to ask him if I could bring in a song to learn. "Sure! that would be great."
So the next week I exictedly bring in my well-worn tape, put it in the tape player and look at him expectantly. While the tape hiss crawls by he sips his coffee, then with a roar it starts up. he nearly chokes. After a second he looks at me with a half-smile and says,"You've GOT to be kidding."
I was pissed and sick to death of this "my little pony" shit.
"Why not?"
When he realized I was serious... I'll never forget the look on his face this shock and surprise was dead on his face.
"NO I'm not! I figured out this much." I play what I figured out so far.
He looked at me with a very strange look and obviously had no idea what to say... he stumbled and said "Well...uh... if you bring in the... umm music I guess we could give it a try. I guess." Then he continued to look at me so very oddly.
"Sure, sure. I can do that." I left.
"What a tool. This sucks." I never went back.
Anyway, this isn't the best version of this song I ever heard but it's the one I got. It long as hell and a huge file so I've put off sending it, but's my birthday so I can break all the rules I want. It gets very very cool at about 2:40. Dig it.
Today's Song of the Day "Toccata and Fugue, for organ in D minor, BWV 565" composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in roughly 1707 , performed by some lucky guy who had piano teacher who's claim to fame wasn't being in a band named "Gorilla" that frequently played 'The Misty Moon' and 'The Crazy Horse' so therefore taught him music that he liked and so stuck with it.
Crazy Fact: Three hundred years ago, J.S. Bach learned that the great Danish organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude would be performing in the city of Lübeck, about 250 miles from Arnstadt, where Bach lived. Having no other means to get to the concert, Bach walked the 250 miles in about 10 days. cRazY! rock ON Bach!
njoy
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