Cup of Coffee

I was sitting across from X. I was teaching X English. I was testing him really hard. We were in a room and X had a cup of coffee in front of him, a coffee I had gotten for him. We were really working hard. I asked him a series of questions. He kept getting the answers wrong. Every time he would get an answer wrong, we would have to stop and I would have to reiterate a point. Finally, he got a crucial question correct. The moment he did, he took a sip of his coffee.

Chess win (Sicilian Defense)

Here is a nice win of mine in the Sicilian Defense. I especially liked how active my pieces where. I'm Black.

"Ditto"

One of my favorite movie scenes—matched only by the scene at the end when she says the word.

Middle Eight

So one of my hobbies is songwriting. I think I wrote my first song at 19, for a girl I was dating at the time. Over the years, I have written about 20 songs, some of them pretty good. 

One cool thing about writing songs is that you wind up becoming very aware of how a song is constructed, and having that awareness makes you appreciate music more. Also, it's fun to think about hooks, licks and other aspects of a song that make it great or not. 

One aspect of a song that I often think about a lot, both when I'm writing and listening, is the middle eight. I first learned of this term, "middle eight," through the Beatles. In interviews, John Lennon would sometimes say that he had written the middle eight to some of Paul's songs and vice versa. 

But the term itself to me was so weird—"middle eight." I knew what a chorus was, and I knew what a bridge was, but what the heck was a "middle eight"? 

Well, basically, a middle eight is a bridge. However, it's a specific type of bridge. (Just to be clear, the "bridge" is the part of the song where the melody changes. It usually occurs when the piece is three-fourths finished and literally acts as a bridge to the end of the song.) 

A middle eight is a bridge that (usually) lasts eight measures. Hence, middle eight. (Oh, and just in case you were wondering, there are four beats in one measure. So, for example, one-two-three-four, one-two-three-four would be two measures. A middle eight lasts eight of those.) 

Anyway, I love middle eights because I love the part of the song where there is a departure, a change, a release, something new. Sure, the main melody is important, and of course, a hooky refrain is important, too. But there is something special about the middle eight. 

And maybe you can come to appreciate the art of the middle eight as well? 

Each of the songs below has an excellent middle eight. 

Enjoy! 

"A Hard Day's Night." 

The middle eight begins at the part, "When I'm home everything seems to be 

right..."  

"Colors of the Wind" 

 The middle eight begins at, "Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon..." 

 "Let It Be Me" 

"Each time we meet love..."