Bach, Blunders, and a Beginner’s Guide to the Piano

Dan Moller, a philosophy professor at the University of Maryland, describes his experiences with Bach and, more specifically, learning to play Bach on the piano, despite never having had a piano lesson.
How hard can it be? His goal is to play the C minor fugue from the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier.
This is generally considered one of Bach's easier fugues, but “easy” is relative, especially for a beginner who still needs to learn the notes on the piano.
Dan Moller writes with plenty of humor and self-deprecation. As a bumbling amateur pianist, much of what he goes through feels very familiar.
At times, he comes across as arrogant and contrarian, and I wasn’t always sure if his opinions were genuine or if he was just trying to be provocative.
For example, he expresses disdain for the Brandenburg Concertos, the harpsichord, and the recorder. While he does so humorously, you can’t help but wonder if he's just seeking attention with such blunt criticism.
Especially his certainty about some interpretations of specific works (like BWV 582) comes across as pompous and preachy.
I do, however, agree with his observations about Gould. His recordings are indeed benchmarks, but at some point, the constant humming can become tiring.
Despite some reflections coming off as pretentious, he does offer "food for thought." He rails against the idea that all classical music is good just because it is classical music. When he applies this to Bach, he ultimately concludes that not all of Bach’s music is great either. His arguments, however, don’t go much further than a personal dislike for the harpsichord, the recorder, and major keys, which seem to reflect personal taste more than sound reasoning.

This doesn’t detract from the enjoyment though. I read this little book with pleasure, and I can recommend it to anyone with an interest in piano and Bach in particular.

Rating: 3.5 stars.