Clef Notes

Last weekend I discovered “Song Exploder” on Netflix. Each episode takes us inside a particular musician’s process in creating/constructing a song from concept to completion. Episode 2 grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Lin Manuel Miranda dives into Aaron Burr’s song “Wait for It” from “Hamilton.” I can’t get enough of Aaron Burr, so this episode felt as if it were curated just for me. Miranda goes back to an original clip of himself “rapping” on the way to a party when he was in the thick of creating “Wait for It.” He reflects on his relationship to the characters of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and his choice to play Hamilton. He feels less sure now — as a man with more experience — about whether he would still want to play Hamilton rather than Burr. An insightful and delicious 30 minutes!