Originally published April 4, 2009, revised and republished February 7, 2025
This is the first post in what I hope will be an interesting and educational project: an amateur music blog.
My model is the myriad of amateur food blogs that are out there. If people without formal culinary training who like to eat can write about food at length, why can’t someone with some music training over the years who likes to listen do the same about music?
I’ve actually looked around and am struck by the fact that there really are very few musical blogs out there. And those that are out there tend to be by professionals. This is well and good: I appreciate being able to read them. But music, much like wine, tends to present an ominous, closed door to the uninitiated. Most of what’s written assumes that you know what a tritone is, for instance.
So, I think there’s a gap out there. A need for something that’s accessible, interesting and informative. And I think I’m a good person to do it: I know more about music than many but less than some. I’m not an expert but I know my way around. And most of all, I’m undertaking a renewed exploration and learning about music. So, I envision this blog to be a chronicle of the things I find and learn on my journey. But, too, unlike other musical resources out there, this is a personal chronicle. I don’t claim to be a music critic (and I tend to be, well, critical of critics). What I intend to write about is what I learn, what I find interesting, and what speaks to me. Taking a page out of travel writing, this isn’t only about the journey, it’s about the journeyer as well.
It’s because I think of this as a chronicle of a journey that I came up with the name: Andante. Andante is the musical term that means “play the music at a walking pace”. In other words, neither fast nor slow really; a nice leisurely amble. And that’s about the speed I see this going. A nice leisurely journey here and there through the various and sundry aspects of music that my journey takes me (and you, by extension, dear reader).
So, let me say welcome and that I hope this will be a grand tour for us all.
English