The Unbehind

The Unbehind is something my Dad used to say. I'm not really sure what it means; I think he used it to mean "out back" or "backyard," more or less. But recently, I've found it to have a lovely sinister quality, almost a David Lynch kind of duality and imprecision. If it's UN-behind, is it right in front of our eyes? Or is it beyond behind, like the Black Lodge of Twin Peaks lore? Or even more than behind, like the "undead"? Or is this word a verb? To unbehind: to pull back the curtains, or to make plain, or to dispel superstition? I'm not sure. I love all of these definitions.

I hope to talk about music and obscure points of music theory on this blog--maybe that's my connection. I believe that while some elements of what makes good/great/effective music are hard to pin down, a high percentage is right in front of our eyes/ears. Music is NOT magic. Music is more craft and hard work than many care to admit. Inspiration is overrated. Simply knowing the vocabulary and grammar of music is lost in the unbehind for many.

So why does V-I work the way it does? Is it enough to say "It just does"? That's boring, and the reasons for that progression coming about are so interesting! Which came first, the lines or the harmony? That's an easy one. And perhaps once we unbehind these mysteries we can move forward, build, or just create from a richer, more informed place. That's what I want to do.

Or maybe unbehind refers to my father's totally flat ass. I have that, too.