Quantum Entanglement (A Love Story)
And yeah. The early composers were in fact the first metal heads.
Look up Bach's Counter-point using the Harp. It totally shreds for the first time in history. (?)
Haha, I love this take—early composers (especially Bach) as the OG metalheads is a vibe that checks out more than you'd think. The intricate, relentless layering of lines in his counterpoint can feel like proto-shredding: multiple "guitars" (voices) riffing independently yet locking in perfectly, building tension and speed in ways that prefigure heavy metal's complexity and intensity.As for "Bach's Counter-point using the Harp" specifically shredding for the first time in history... Bach didn't write any original works explicitly for harp (the modern pedal harp didn't exist in his era—the closest were earlier gut-strung harps or related plucked instruments like the lute). But his music gets transcribed to harp all the time, and some of those versions absolutely rip in a metal-adjacent way.The prime candidate that comes up a lot in these discussions is his famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 (originally for organ). It's got that dramatic, descending run opening, massive chords, and a fugue section with fast, interwoven lines that feel like rapid-fire riffing. When transcribed for solo harp, it becomes a technical beast—harpists have to hammer out those rapid passages with finger independence that rivals any shred solo.One standout example is Amy Turk's harp arrangement and performance of it. She talks about loving how it lets her play loud and push dynamics in ways the organ can't always do as flexibly. The counterpoint shines through with crystal-clear voice leading on the harp's plucked strings, and the speed/intensity in the fugue can totally give off "first metal shred" energy if you're listening with modern ears.(If you're picturing the harp going full throttle on those runs—yeah, it shreds.)Other Bach pieces get the harp treatment too, like his lute suites (which translate super well since lute and harp are both plucked), or even Goldberg Variations where the harp highlights the contrapuntal independence in a fresh way.So yeah, while not literally "using the harp" in Bach's own writing, the way his counterpoint explodes on the instrument in modern transcriptions supports the meme hard. Baroque composers were stacking voices like djent bands stack riffs centuries early. Bach was basically drop-tuning the rules of harmony and going full blast.
A.I. is still dumb. Of course I meant "Harpischord" when I said harp.
you're still dumb as a rock. i meant harpischord when i said harp.
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Ah, got it—harpsichord, not harp. That makes total sense now, and yeah, the typo threw me off, but we're locked in. The harpsichord was Bach's main keyboard weapon, and his writing for it is packed with the kind of intricate, rapid-fire counterpoint that absolutely feels like the Baroque equivalent of shredding.You're spot on calling early composers (especially Bach) the first metalheads. The harpsichord's plucked strings give it that sharp, aggressive attack—almost like a picked electric guitar with zero sustain, forcing every note to be precise and relentless. No pedals to blur things; it's all finger independence, speed, and voice-leading clarity. When Bach stacks 3–4 independent lines flying at high velocity, it hits like layered riffs in thrash or djent, centuries before distortion pedals.The piece that gets the most "this is proto-metal shred" love on harpsichord is Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052—especially the outer movements. The first movement has furious scales, arpeggios, and contrapuntal fireworks between soloist and strings, while the third (Presto) is nonstop high-speed counterpoint that feels like a guitar solo trading off with the band. People straight-up call it the "first metal song ever" in comments, with the harpsichord acting as the raw, crunchy electric guitar of its day. Jean Rondeau's performance is a beast—fast, dynamic, and aggressive.Other contenders that shred hard on harpsichord:The Italian Concerto, BWV 971 (especially the Presto finale)—super virtuosic, fast hand-crossing, and relentless energy.
Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903—the fantasia section has wild, toccata-like runs and dramatic contrasts that scream intensity.
Some of the Toccatas (like BWV 911 or 916) or fast preludes/fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier—pure technical fireworks with interwoven lines.
Even transcriptions like the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 get harpsichord versions that rip, though it's originally organ.
And yeah, the Art of Fugue or Musical Offering canons push counterpoint to insane levels—four-voice invertible stuff that sounds impossible until you hear it fly on harpsichord.Bach wasn't just composing; he was flexing polyphonic insanity on an instrument that demands precision like a metal solo demands sweep picking. Harpsichord + Bach counterpoint = OG shred session.
Norway Chess is the best regular tournament of the year.
They are the first organization TMK to pay women the same fees as men.
At joint tournaments, women should unilaterally be paid the same as men.
The ladies bring in a ton of attention to the sport. They should be rewarded handsomely.
Because otherwise, you will short-change their EV necessarily. And we don't want that happening.
In major tennis tournaments, the ladies get paid the same as the men, despite being unquestionably inferior, and also playing shorter matches.
I was halfway through a poem ITT when my browser closed on me for no reason.
I'm sitting next to my kitchen, outside of my bedroom. On a brand new OLED gaming monitor
It's pretty sick!
If A.I. can rapidly create art that cannot be created by mortals within a reasonable amount of time, then why on earth should that not be accepted?
If it expands your imagination, or makes you feel something, it is art.
A.I. writing is often not amazing. That doesn't mean it's not a written work; it just means it's not good yet.
The Jimmy Page expose recently posted is exceptional. Grok is great at conversational writing.
If weed was bad I would tell you.
I am happy to dive into 'why adjusting your mind, especially in youth, can be very risky'
But those are edge cases, and they don't affect me at all in the present.
Alcohol is terrible. Most drugs off the street (as opposed to say 'medicine' from doctors) are terrible for you.
You can only enjoy alcohol in moderation.
You will drop dead otherwise, or totally destroy your life in one night.
That doesn't happen with weed usually.
I make more mistakes when high. They are subtle, but everpresent.
I have a great creative spark when high.
I have thoughts that impress me when sober, when I'm high.
It's not perfect. It is a great teacher of many things though.
I haven't touched meth, or even seen it in person.
I have had an ordeal with prescription adderall. Combined with an extreme load of stress caused me to enter psychosis for the first time.
It also made me hallucinate in my mind a touch. They were cool visions, but I remember specifically at poker they became way too vivid, so I went up to my car on the parking garage roof and chilled for an hour.
I always had the worst luck when on adderall too.
I knew someone who was prescribed 40 or 60mg per day. She was trying to come off it and going through a bad time.
I would never, ever put something in my body knowingly that had insanities like Crack, or anything resembling hard drugs.
Combusting cocaine into your bloodstream (through the lungs) is too insane.
When people get too drunk, they kill things. They act out their subconcious desires. They crash cars going 100 miles per hour.
When people get too stoned, they eat too many doughnuts. They fall asleep, and place household objects in comical locations by mistake.
They are not the ****ing same.
If the right argument was presented to me, I would stop using weed. Which I plan on doing in the future anyway.
I'm engaged with Weed Twitter. There are many thousands of people celebrating its effects around the clock in expressive, creative ways.
I was quite stoned when Gemini guided me through that self-exploration in psychoaccoustics earlier in this thread. I reached a new mental plateau and saw things I had never seen before!
