Piano Meditations Podcast: Recent Episodes
Blake Rowe
Welcome to Piano Meditations Podcast by Blake Rowe. For the past four years (with occasional breaks), Wednesday nights have been devoted to creating freely improvised music for about 45 minutes. Known melodies may come to mind and may be explored, but the pieces are primarily “spontaneously composed”. The music tends to follow an arc from introspective to energetic and back again. The first few notes become a motif to be explored; sometimes a piece is more structured and and other times more free form. Enjoy!
BTW, I'm not naming the episode number any more, because it already shows up in the podcast interface, and I'm always off by one number somehow.
I was planning to do some looping at the end of the evening, but after playing the piano it seemed like a big jump to a whole different musical style, so I skipped it. One of these days...
New friend and guitarist/bassist Marcus DaSilwa joined us tonight! We stuck with the "no plan-plan" and played together with no for-thought about what happens next. While it definitely kept us both listening intently to the other, we both agree that to feel better about the quality of the music, we really do need to have a plan, aka charts! When I play solo, I can explore, meander, jump at random to something new, but playing with another musician changes all that. If our musical vocabulary was more textural or atonal, new paths could emerge, but we both are more drawn to harmony and chord-based music. I did a solo and Marcus did a solo on bass at the end. Enjoy.
Went to some minor places tonight, and then fell into a crazy atonal piece, and ended with a super tuneful ballad. Trying to think in somewhat orchestral terms.
Not much to share about tonight; I find it a bit funny that when I hit "clunkers" as my dad used to call them, to me they sound spectacular, and not in a good way! It somehow seems like I walked right up and did a Splaat! like it's a gag or something. Well I had a few of these tonight. All I can say is whaddyagonnado... Hey, nobody gets hurt, so it's all good. The only quote that popped up tonight was Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy", and only briefly at that. Enjoy.
Notice the title; I had to delete episode 212 because somehow I made a final mix of just the metronome for 45 minutes. My apologies! Anyway, tonight was a bit of an early birthday party! Some new people came and afterwards, cake! Leaned toward classical sounds tonight; some spooky chord progressions, a little ragtime tag, kind of all over the place. Enjoy.
I decided to shelve the looping efforts for a while until I have better chops. I can rely on my friends in the living room to stay with me on this journey of discovery, but I think it's unfair to ask this of podcast subscribers! When I listen back and even I don't want to keep listening, the answer is obvious.
Please enjoy, and I'd love to hear your feedback as a comment, or even better, a review!
Every week I learn something new and I have new problems! Something happened where all the files were bound together, making it very hard to split the tracks and take out dialogue. Just fast forward a bit near the beginning, sorry.
I started with a few looping/computer music pieces then went to solo piano. The piano sounds amazing after being regulated. The quietest pianissimos, a thundering bass, I'm in love all over again. A little Pink Floyd crept in tonight; see if you find it!
I will spare you the loopy attempt at "Wimoweh" (aka the Lion Sleeps Tonight). I had the sound all worked out, but alas, something went awry and I didn't want to make the audience wait. However, the Steinway all by itself is certainly "Old Reliable"! I felt like playing some songs tonight, so you'll hear "Round Midnight" and a rainbow medley, along with other free improv. Enjoy.
Normally I just trim the beginning and end of the evening's recording, but tonight I had a bunch of false starts and a computer restart, so I edited out anything that wasn't music. I'm aware that my levels need work, but hopefully you'll see steady progress as the weeks go by. I did a couple of my rounds tonight, and with a looper it's easy to sing all the parts! My son Julian joined me on drums again which is always terrific fun.
A good crowd again tonight; the evening is evolving to include more audience participation! Some are dancing, others pick up handheld percussion and join the beat, and it's really turning into more of a party vibe. I'm fine with it, but not sure how it will be perceived by people listening to the podcast who may be wanting relaxing piano music.
This has always been an experiment, so hopefully people will stay with me on this journey!
Twelve people tonight! I finally did a more substantial dive into the looping equipment. It's still a steep learning curve, but each week it gets a little more comfortable. I really appreciate everyone's willingness to stay with me on this journey!
What a treat to have our son in town, and to have him join in on drums! Also, a new friend Marcus came and played guitar. I only have two mics, so I just used them as room mics, but I'm afraid it didn't do a great job of capturing all three of us. Nonetheless, the evening was terrifically fun, and many in the audience picked up handheld percussion instruments and joined in as well. Let's see where this goes!
OK I had to start sometime. The first piece incorporated my looper, the Boss RC505. In the coming weeks you will hear more attempts at layering sounds with instruments I have around the house as well as synths in the recording software.
It took me a little while to "get into the groove" but I know enough not to force it or judge it, and just keep going till inspiration arrives. I somehow found myself quoting "Dancing Queen". Felt the urge for ragtime. Went back to my roots playing for modern dance classes. Enjoy.
I came so close to using the looper/computer tonight but ran into last-minute routing issues. I spent the half hour before start time dealing with it, and then having to just let it go and get into the mental space for improvising. Anyway, I kept to sonorous harmonies for the most part, but the second piece was a bit "Halloweeny". The last piece fell into the first three notes of a Chopin Nocturne (or is it a Prelude...?) for the thematic material.
It took me a little while to settle into a flow tonight. I found myself leaning towards repeating the thematic material of the prior piece, so I was working against myself! I finally just let it meander a bit, then it felt much better. Some quotes showed up tonight; "But Beautiful" by Bill Evans, a tune from Fiddler on the Roof, and apparently I played part of a song by Queen, but it was news to me! Enjoy.
Some new guests tonight! Always a treat for me. At the end one shared that they felt transported, and surprisingly un-distracted. She said she's usually thinking about something else whatever is going on, but tonight the music kept her in the moment. I consider that a high compliment! But that is the goal; if I can truly follow the musical impulse and allow myself to become totally absorbed in the flow of the music, perhaps those listening will come along for the ride. Sounds like that was achieved tonight! Enjoy.
Nice group tonight. It's also our anniversary; 36 years! I started with Thomas Pond, a piece I wrote when I first met my future wife and felt I had to do anything in my power to impress her. Gotta play to your strengths, right?
Anyway, had fun with some cinematic sounds tonight, some spritely jaunts and some slow jazz jams. Enjoy.
Went with triads to start, threw out a waltz, tried a steady bass groove and resisted changing the chord till the very end, and riffed on a Bach piece. Enjoy!
We're baaack! I still plan to start working with loops and computer equipment, but why not also just make up music on the piano? (rhetorical question)
We had a nice crowd of friends and neighbors, so it feels great to host and have a format for people to enjoy each other's company and also listen to music for 45 minutes. I was leaning into impressionistic harmonies tonight, which is kind of my jam anyway. Enjoy.
We did it! 200 episodes over four (five?) years. I started this project to practice allowing the music to flow through me, and trust the process. I've gained confidence that the music is good quality and something interesting seems to have happened every week. Taking a break now till after the summer. In the fall I plan to start again with a different format. I'd love to hear your comments, please leave a review, tell your friends, you know the drill! See you in September!
A dozen people tonight! When we have a good crowd like that, we open it up for applause; if it's just a few people it sort of sounds sad, so I play straight through without applause. I don't think any quotes came into the fingers tonight. Definitely digging into more energetic playing.
Next week will be the 200th episode. After that I plan to take a break for a while, regroup and start again in the fall with more prepared pieces. I hope to incorporate computer sounds and looping techniques, and possibly create composed music from previous episodes.
Small group tonight; I was feeling more introspective and just went with it for the most part. I also felt a little disconnected from the "muse", but I didn't want to fall back to tried and true sonorities, so towards the end I just started playing really randomly and didn't try to "make sense" of it. At some point I just went with the energy and it kind of turned into a strange Stravinsky-meets-Cecil Taylor kind of thing, with a touch of Rachmaninoff thrown in!
I've been exploring more rhythmic and energetic playing. Part of it is knowing I have some dancers in the dining room, and others tuning in and moving to the music! The "Meditations" part of Piano Meditations is really about my attempt to get into a flow state and let the music literally flow out; it is not so much about providing music for meditation! A lot of my playing does tend to be more introspective, but that's because it gives me a little more time to listen to the direction of the music. It's more challenging to play fast and still stay "in control".
Drummer Dan Burke joined us again! Once again, the music went in totally new directions with the addition of percussion. Most of the music was still completely free improv, but I went in a more jazz sound and played a blues (or sort of a blues!) and a rendition of When Sunny Gets Blue. It feels strange to ask people not to clap (so that the podcast is just the music), so you'll hear that. But hey, it's living room concert!
As I was playing the first piece, I realized I was touching on Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", so I just went for it. Later, the first two chords reminded me of Stephen Foster's "Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair" so I went for that too, but somehow it turned into a rag! I played one piece that was pretty atonal, which sometimes helps me get out of "functional harmony" habit. It was fun.
We are in the countdown to a pause, and a change of sound. We will probably go to a monthly format, and I'm planning to share a bunch of my songs, as well as integrating electronics and looping for a more orchestral approach. Stay tuned!
After two weeks away from the piano, there's a feeling that I might not be in my best form, but often the opposite happens, as it did tonight. I think it's because my ears are more attuned to the notes because it seems fresh and new.
Not many quotes tonight, but one was pretty funny; I was doing a waltzy thing and somehow "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" popped up. Go figure.
It's my wife's birthday tomorrow so we invited a bunch of our friends for a quick celebration before the music. 14 people! I started with the piece of music I wrote for Sharon when we first met, "Thomas Pond" (didn't practice it first; whoops!). Then I did an improv on the same piece. I was feeling my old ballet accompaniment roots, so lots of steady rhythms and four bar phrases!
Except for one piece that was sort of atonal, I felt pretty good about most of the music tonight. It's unrealistic to expect myself to be inspired on every piece! Sometimes I'm just not sure what I'm doing, but now I keep going rather than bail out. It's like riding a horse; sometimes there's a great connection between my brain and my fingers, sometimes not.
What a treat to have a guest musician! Sometimes you don't realize just how much you're missing until it comes true. Drummer Dan Burke fully embraced the totally-free music-making, and provided a rhythmic foundation to every piece. His support gave me a sense of confidence with my own rhythm, and I felt the music went in a whole new direction! We had a big audience, too, so it made sense to include the applause.
I was wearing a very bold striped shirt tonight and a few guests mentioned barbershop quartets, so of course the music was influenced! Most of the pieces had a "functional harmony" feel, and I tried a jazzy walking bass kind of thing. Enjoy.
I keep diving into romantic harmonies! Rachmaninoff is a big influence, so why the hell not. One piece was a one-off jazz ballad. I ended the evening with a new-agey, impressionistic Garden of Eden kind of thing. Enjoy.
Fresh tuning; sorry about the last few weeks! Had a boisterous crew tonight, so I felt like diving right into something dramatic. After that I was in the mood for a waltz and a rag! I played a piece that borrowed a feel from Mendelssohn's Songs without Words, and a quasi 5/8 piece that borrowed a left hand riff from Chick Corea. Also played a standard I love, When Sunny Gets Blue. Enjoy.
Had a bunch of people over for chili and homemade bread before the music!
I tried to approach the music with an image in my mind, and thought it could be an inspiration for what to play. It didn't work. The music itself took over.
Enjoy.
Felt like stretching harmonically tonight, which was fun. Hearing two different chords simultaneously helped to open my ears to some new directions. Enjoy!
Stretched a bit on a couple pieces, and it reminds me of the balance between playing it safe and going out on a limb. The pieces felt a little uncomfortable and awkward, but I've learned not to bail to and just power through. I'm including them because that's kind of the point of this podcast! You might hear some melody snippets of songs you know; will leave it to you to find them!
One of the pieces began like Paul Simon's Sound of Silence, but I went elsewhere. At the end, some chords evolved into rising thirds, which reminded me both of Silver Bells and Blue Monk, so... I kind of played both at the same time!
Tonight I dug into the kind of sonorities I was wanting to hear, reminding myself that so much of this project is to do exactly that. Sometimes I try to challenge myself to go into unfamiliar styles or genres, and that is a good exercise, but I feel most at home with a particular sound that seems to draw my ear into it, and I more successfully become absorbed in it. I also messed with the mixer settings which may have helped with some of the ringing in the audio. This piano does create a LOT of overtones, but everything else is so wonderful I'm not complaining!
I didn't feel very psyched to play tonight, and I wondered if the music would feel stiff and unimaginative. I didn't share this with our guests and started playing as usual. Sure enough, the music just kind of takes over, and everything felt fine!
Three people here tonight. Went in several different directions tonight; started a rolling thing that turned into a tribute to Stephen Sondheim. One piece became an epic 50s ballad, and the last piece began as an imitative melodic counterpoint which somehow evolved into Simple Gifts. Enjoy.
Felt like playing faux jazz standards tonight. I attempted to create melodies that sounded like songs! I suppose it was inevitable that real songs would show up. First came Oh What a Beautiful Morning, which associatively led to America, which led to Imagine. I'll leave it to you to figure out those associations.. It was a little shorter tonight, sorry!
Ten people here tonight! On the night before Thanksgiving! Pushed myself a bit tonight; tried a few new pathways, and hit a few stumbly notes! Hey, it's all grist for the mill. Went back to my days as a ballet accompanist and played a boisterous waltz. One piece was all about how chords can spill into each other. Another piece felt a little Russian folk, perhaps?
Really dug into some thematic elements tonight. A motif of a few notes really can be the fuel which propels the music forward. It's also a balancing act, because you also don't want overdo a theme and render it boring. It's certainly fun to play with the balance! Enjoy.
Nice group tonight! Worked with some motifs and explored different harmonies with them. Towards the end I started a blues, but I wasn't really feeling connected to a "free blues" so I segued into a version of God Bless the Child. After that I still felt like staying with a jazz sound so the next piece was Manhã de Carnaval, also known as Black Orpheus. Enjoy.
I do tend to follow a certain arc to each evening's music; the first one is a rolling piece that evolves gently, then I tend to dig a little deeper into some more complex harmonies, then try a rhythmic thing that moves and builds. After that I often do a more simple, easy thing, then maybe another energetic piece, or a very somber dirge. Whatever the particular flow, I try to have variety and some development over the course of the set. Now watch me mess with it now that I've described the "usual"! Hey, whatever; enjoy!
Something happens when you don't question your choices. The confidence to own your choices creates a kind of inevitability of the music, and by allowing it to happen, it somehow generates music that has a deliberate quality to it. The more I explore this kind of expression, the more it takes on a life of its own. Thanks for joining me on this exploration.
Ok, tonight felt a bit like catharsis. Maybe self indulgent, maybe not, you decide. I wasn't in the best mood starting in, so I just went with the feelings that were there. The second piece just went wherever it wanted and I let it go! Probably not the most "meditative" but it was nonetheless still in "flow". Curious if you have comments!
Pretty big group tonight, but Facebook didn't allow Livestreaming. So this is it! It's way better audio quality anyway. Really felt good about the flow of tonight's music.
New guest tonight, always fun. Started with fifths because I was showing our new guest a simple way to create harmony and add melody. Not sure if it was this one, but on one piece I fell into a bit of "El Condor Pasa". The second piece began as an exploration of an upbeat tempo, but it went pretty dark at times. I chose a high, quiet sound as a contrast for the next piece. It touched on "Tender Shepherd" from Peter Pan. The next piece was sort of a standard jazz tune that never repeated anything! Finally, I wanted to play a straightforward positive vibe kind of thing, and I kept circling around a known theme but couldn't figure out what it was. Then I realized it was the Cinema Paradiso theme, so I messed with that a bit. Enjoy.
A big part of what I do with these pieces is to see if I can hear what the next chord or melody movement should be. I also try to keep a certain thematic unity with whatever happens with the first notes. It helps my ear, but what's also interesting is when I think something will sound a certain way, but it doesn't, I then have to retroactively try to make it make musical sense! Fun and risk combined!
New guests tonight; always a treat! Dug into a lot of alternating notes tonight, and rhythmic shifts.
Yom Kippur Eve; small but appreciative audience tonight. Going ever deeper into favorite sonorities, not concerning myself with being "new". Maybe you've heard similar music in previous episodes, but every evening is its own experience. NOTE: I didn't set the phone to Do Not Disturb for the Livestream, and I got a call in the middle of the music. Oops! I guess that track won't ever be on an album! Enjoy.
Nine listeners live tonight. I approached the music tonight with the idea of working with a smaller set of musical materials. I thought i could limit myself and perhaps dig deeper into the themes. I'm not sure i succeeded, but it did make a difference to take more time to explore. The music still took off on its own trajectory, of course, but I like the idea of having a stated direction.
Just our dedicated neighbors in attendance tonight, but it is a deluge outside with a tornado warning, after all. The melody on first piece was reminding me of something, but I couldn't tell what it was while I was playing it, so I just kept gnawing on it. Listening back, I can tell it was "People Will Say We're in Love". We went to concert last night at our (same) neighbors house where we heard "I Could Have Danced All Night", and sure enough it found its way into a piece tonight. The evening ended with some romantic, passionate thing. It briefly felt like a piano concerto! Enjoy.
Ten guests tonight! It makes all the difference in the world knowing people are listening live. Tonight's music tended toward more 'groove-based'. More repeating patterns over different harmonies. Enjoy.
After a two week hiatus for vacations, I truly wasn't sure what the music would end up being. Like an old friend, the sounds of this awesome Steinway proved a good guide. Went to some unusual sonorities (for me) and it was intriguing to explore.
Tonight I tried to incorporate sounds from the computer software, but I forgot to record the piano; so I'm not including just the computer sounds in tonight's episode. The episode is about 15 minutes shorter as a result.
Growing up, I took to extremes my father's advice to "delay gratification" and "postpone reward", so I kept trying to get better before I performed. No more! Hopefully you will indulge my learning curve as I gradually get better incorporating the studio, rather than toil at home and emerge as a master ten years from now...
The first two pieces tonight were very tongue-in-cheek; it's actually tough to be genre-specific and not fall into an existing tune. "Blue Monk" kind of had to happen! After that, I did a bit of a reset and slowed down to exploring single notes and voice leading. I was very happy to be able to play tonight; I just had shoulder surgery last Friday!
As anyone who follows this podcast knows, I really don't plan ahead of time what the music will be, or even the general mood or energy. Tonight tended toward the operatic for some reason! I started with a canon where the melody was following itself around, and ended with something that sounded like it was the finale of some epic drama. Enjoy!
Feeling a little energetic tonight! A few quotes made their way in; Still Crazy After All These Years, something from Jesus Christ, Superstar, Dream On (Aerosmith), probably others of which I'm unaware. Had a good group of in-person folks tonight. Feels so good!
Tonight I wasn't feeling too inspired and I had the sense I was likely to "plagiarize myself" if I didn't really commit to listening to the notes and being honest in their development. So, that's what I did, and it ended up feeling great! The pieces necessarily started off slowly, and over time built in intensity.
Several pieces took a little longer to take shape tonight. I stayed with one or two chords and just waited until I found some direction. It's tempting to just start doing something for fear of sounding aimless or boring, but then there's the wisdom I saw on someone's shirt at a meditation retreat; "Don't just do something, sit there!"
So nice to have live audiences again! I was feeling very mellow tonight, and I thought I'd be actually playing music for meditation tonight, but, as usual, the music went its own direction. Still pretty mellow, but I got into a few energetic grooves. Enjoy!
Tonight’s music is all an exploration of the three-note theme (1-7-6) offered by NASA to accompany the Lucy Mission, meant to encourage musical creation and discovery. NASA may use the music if they like (yes to Creative Commons license, NASA!).
nasalucysoundscape
I tried to use the motif in many different ways. One of our guests tonight had associations with the different planets! One piece is very dissonant, which could be asteroids colliding... or whatever comes up for you. enjoy!
New guests again tonight! All vaccinated, feels great. The piano was just tuned by the great Victor La Gamma, so I always lean into the rich deep chords that just feel so good.
We're back to live audience in earnest! Eight people tonight, and some new guests! A couple quotes crept in; Brother Can You Spare a Dime, Rainbow Connection, maybe more. A nice waltz at the end, some minor ruminations, a jazzy romp, a little of everything tonight!
I didn't catch the fact that my audio defaulted to a different microphone, which resulted in very poor audio, so tonight is a revisit to episode 4, August 30, 2017. This HAS been going for awhile!
We had a huge crowd tonight; six people! ;)
It's so wonderful beginning to play again for people in the room hearing the actual vibrations of the piano. Of course I'm very happy people enjoy the music on FB and the pro-audio podcast, too, but something unique does happen with the symbiosis of performer and audience. Tonight's music felt very good, hope you enjoy!
More live guests tonight! Feels so good to socialize again now that we're vaccinated. Nothing special to report about the music, but I hope you like it!
Wow, episode 150! There's one spot where you may hear something else going on; Sharon was streaming on another platform and someone wasn't muted. Hey, it's a momentary duet!
My hands were tired from chopping wood earlier today. Took a few minutes to loosen up. Anyway, enjoy! If you would, I'd appreciate a review of the podcast.
Our friend Erik came over to listen! Sharon hosted a listening session on another platform, too; just having new ears added a sense of focus for me tonight. Hoping we can start to have more vaccinated people over soon.
The second to last piece was quoting something, maybe Ravel's Bolero, maybe something else. Erik was talking about Chick Corea's "My Spanish Heart" so I may have been influenced! Enjoy.
Some pieces felt great tonight; two in the middle less so. It seems I have the hardest time really listening and getting into a groove when I play 'genre-ish" music; either going for a jazz sound or using very functional harmony and chord changes. Curious to hear some feedback on this idea! Can you tell when I'm not feeling inspired?
Almost forgot it was St Patrick's Day! For the last piece I improvised a little 6/8 mixolydian mode thing to sound vaguely Irish... Somehow Moon River crept in on another piece. I started one piece with an idea towards fugue, but it ended up just being something in a minor key. In any case, hope you enjoy.
Happy birthday to my wonderful wife Sharon! Throughout this pandemic she has been usually my only in-person audience, but thankfully she enjoys what I do! Tonight's music felt like it had more movement in it; I posed the idea on the Facebook Piano Meditations Livestream that people may enjoy moving to the music, so I suppose that's why it felt that way... Anyway, on one piece I was kind of already falling into the chords for Gershwin's "Summertime", so at one point I tried actually playing it. Interestingly, when you aren't quite sure of the harmonies and you have to depend on your ear, one can end up "re-harmonizing" by accident. Or is it? Hmmm...
Just going for pretty sounds tonight. I tried to listen for multiple melodic lines and keep track of them. The only known quote was the beginning of the Star Trek theme as I started a piece. I had to, couldn't help it...
Got the high quality audio back online! Calling this episode 144 instead of 143 because the podcast app is calling it that. Maybe it's still counting the intro episode, who knows. No conscious quotes tonight, just putting the focus on allowing the music to take its own path.
iPhone audio only; sorry! I had trouble with my studio computer in the moments before the Facebook Livestream. This audio has been extracted from the livestream recording, so the quality is not great. I'm experimenting with an audio setup which may allow me to channel the pro-quality microphones into the FB livestream, so the quality will be as good as the podcast!
I've said this before but tonight was again one of those nights where I felt like I was in a "same-old", kind of uninspired place, but by now I know better than to start editing or judging myself harshly while it's happening. I just keep going, maybe coming to the same old chord progressions I use so often, but I keep listening and allowing whatever's happening to just happen. Then, sure enough, some little spark starts going and the music catches a groove and I can ride it out. The only melody that presented itself tonight was Tender Shepherd from the musical Peter Pan. Go figure.
The only spontaneous melody quotes that popped up tonight were "As Long as He Needs Me" and "Desafinado". A friend asked for something Satie-like and my wife asked for deep, rich tones. I try to oblige. The piano was tuned today by the great Victor LaGamma, so naturally I was drawn to those deep, rich tones! Enjoy.
I asked Sharon (my beloved) if she wanted to hear anything in particular tonight and she suggested I take my time exploring the tones and not feel any need to "develop" or build the momentum or energy. So I did, and I didn't! It takes restraint to stay with a sound longer than usual, or even comfortable, but sure enough, it then opens up in a new way. Enjoy.
Bonus Episode! I am a pianist at the Noyes Rhythm camp in Portland, CT for over 35 years, and I offered a Piano Meditations evening as an auction item for a fundraiser. The person who was highest bidder decided to open it up to the whole community, so I livestreamed it on Facebook. At the camp, the evening activity is a "Playtime", where the dancers come down to the dance space (the Pavalon) nestled in the woods and open on all sides. Kerosene lanterns light the floor and the pianist plays jazz, ragtime, classical music and improvisations on the grand piano. It's truly magical; so tonight the music was meant to evoke that setting and provide the impetus to dance. Enjoy.
Happy Inauguration Day! I for one am very happy to have a new administration. It also happened to be my birthday.. Tonight's music was for dancing and feeling good!
Ok back to (mostly) mellow. A number of tunes crept in tonight; see if you can spot them! Some are actually the tune, others are snippets. Tonight's last piece was a riff on the melodic shape of Bach's Prelude #1.
Sometimes you have to shake it up. "Meditations" doesn't necessarily mean "mellow". I make bigger mistakes when I'm playing fast or in uncharted territory, but that's half the reason I started doing this in the first place. And as my old improv teacher Anne Farber once said, "There are no mistakes in improvisation, just new directions". So there you go.
Well, I took a break, and I sort of thought it might be time to move on to other musical projects, but I missed the process! Plus, by now there are many subscribers to this podcast, and I have to believe people are enjoying the music, so, let's keep going!
Happy Holidays and first day after the Winter Solstice! Tonight's music had a few familiar tunes circling around, and I went for some sparkly sounds and bell chimes. I love how "Ain't Misbehavin" and "Santa Claus is Comin' to town" have the same chord progression. Enjoy.
I'm still not sure if i'm back to a new episode every week, but it actually feels like I'm missing something if it doesn't happen! I personally enjoy listening back myself, so it's almost like I buy a new CD each week...
I know a lot of people enjoy listening to the podcast while cooking, doing yoga, having tea, etc, so I tend to not get too bombastic; plus, when I really start playing fast I can't truly hear where the music wants to go, and I fall into "rote" phrases that I know I can play rather than listening deeply to the direction of the music. In any case, enjoy!
I decided to take a break from making a new episode weekly, as you may know. At this point I may repost a previous episode, or make a new one! The piano was just tuned by the great Victor LaGamma, so naturally I wanted to share the beautiful richness that this piano has. Enjoy.
I asked my wife if there was anything she'd like to hear tonight and she said she'd like to hear the kind of brooding minor sounds from "Game of Thrones". We also talked about Cinema Paradiso tonight, so the theme was circling around. Whatever was happening in the moment I tried to let it go where it willed, but every now and then brought back a main chord or motif. I'm realizing I should change the intro, too, by the way. Aside from the piano being badly out of tune, friends and neighbors don't come over, we don't have wine, and I actually never go for an hour. OK, I'll get to that soon.
Really feeling dance phrasing tonight; Four bars, chord progressions, predictable melodic contours, the whole thing. Naturally, a lot of songs suggested themselves so I explored them a bit. "Michelle", a touch of "Yesterday", a melody from Jesus Christ Superstar, I think even the theme from All Things Considered. In any case, I was imagining my dancing friends from Noyes School of Rhythm who sometimes use these evenings as their "Playtime". Hope I made you move! Enjoy.
Went a little out there tonight! Hope this isn't being listened to during a spa or actual meditation! Even so, I gotta break out a little now and then and work my fingers into some unfamiliar territory. And who knows; it happens rather often that I think I'm going crazy when I'm playing, but listening back it actually sounds like it makes sense. Go figure. There's plenty of mellow stuff in tonight's episode as well. Enjoy.
My sonic palate seems to be centering around a set number of "archetypical" approaches; I don't feel as if I'm copying myself, and I do get into the emotional feel of the music, so I'm certainly not bothered by it, but at the same time, I'm not trying to push boundaries or stretch my technical abilities. Part of me feels like I'm being lazy or getting into a rut, but the other part is like, "I'm playing exactly what I feel like playing, so what's wrong with that? Absolutely nothing!" Enjoy.
Knowing I have a few friends who like to dance to Piano Meditations definitely influences what I play sometimes! Tonight I played around with seconds (as in notes next to each other) and triple meters. It felt more "dancey" so of course I just went with it. I tried a little bouncy two-step at the end. Those can be hard because they pull so strongly into "functional harmony" which tends to box me in, but it's a fun challenge nonetheless. Enjoy.
Felt a little off tonight, but I know better than to judge it while it's happening! The humidity is making some notes stick and I have a squeak in the pedal, so I may have just been distracted. In any case, tonight music went pretty mellow for the most part. A few quotes worked their way in; "Still Crazy After All These Years", and some camp song about the Titanic going down. Go figure...
Had a few family members come for dinner and stay for the music. Opened all the windows for the best ventilation, so of course tonight's music became a duet with the sounds of nightlife outside. Enjoy!
Really focusing on enjoying rich tonality and melody tonight; not too worrying about structure or development, and letting "free" actually mean free! Tonight's music had a few quotes; I fell into Gershwin's "I Loves You, Porgy" after realizing after the fact I had already played a bit of the melody. Also, messing around with intervals of thirds, it naturally went into a touch of "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from The Fantasticks (looking at you, Janice!). Enjoy!
iPhone-only audio tonight, sorry! Once again I forgot to hit record with my wonderful studio mics. I have to always remember there's more music where I found it tonight. I felt good about the pieces, so I hope you can get past the lo-fi audio. Enjoy.
So many subscribers and listeners say they find Piano Meditations relaxing, calming, mellow, etc that I find I'm leaning into that vibe! I do try to mix it up in the course of the evening; both for my sake and to make sure it doesn't become too much like background music. However, it's nice to know people are finding it enjoyable, in any case.
I lost an episode in there somewhere, so I called this one #121 so it lines up with the official podcast count. Just played live for my wonderful wife tonight, but it's encouraging knowing people are also listening from home! Tonight's music kept to relatively familiar territory; hopefully explored in a fresh way. Enjoy.
Had some new guests who enjoyed the music from the front yard. They brought dinner! Can't beat that. The rain began just as the last chord was fading away. Tonight the music was in a major mood. Some upbeat, some mellow, a conversation about Bruce Hornsby inspired a riff from "The Way it Is". There was another quote at the end, but I still don't know what what I was quoting. If you hear it, help me out! I think it was a song from the 50s.
Big night; three guests! Rather than have everyone in the living room they sat outside on the grass and I had the windows wide open. Side benefit; apparently they were dancing! I had a little Latin feel to one piece, and "Maria" from West Side Story crept in somehow. Enjoy.
Thank you for the amazing tuning, Victor LaGamma! It's funny, the last couple of weeks I felt I hadn't been really listening deeply as I played, and sure enough, with everything in such alignment tonight, it felt like the notes were just lining up in the order they should be played, and all I had to do was drop them in their spots. I leaned into more of a jazz feel at the beginning, then did a little contrapuntal ditty, then a drone/melody thing, and finished with a dainty waltz. Enjoy.
Had our first guests inside the house since the beginning of quarantine. Keeping it small, just two friends, kept our distance, opened windows, and it felt great to connect again! I was playing with major and minor for most of the evening, with a little nod to a Chopin Polonaise, and maybe "Where or When" towards the end. Enjoy!
I had some auditory enhancements tonight in the form of night birds and a gentle thunderstorm! I couldn't help but focus on quiet tones and high notes. Of course, while I'm playing our dog Bear is pacing around and panting with anxiety. You may hear some other knocking around in the mix. Enjoy!
Just working on getting into a groove and seeing where it goes. It helps to get a little repeating pattern going, then expand it a bit until it wants to bust out. Not spending much energy on creating a more classical structure of theme, second theme, development and recap. I think that's ok... Enjoy!
Had a little blues, a little broadway, a little folk, a little pop, tonight was just a romp. The piano is pretty out of tune, but it just had a new humidity control system put in and it needs a few more weeks before it can be brought back to its sonorous magnificence. In the meanwhile, we have a cool idea for local friends; while we are still staying safe from covid-19, feel free to come spread a blanket on our yard and hear the piano outside the living room! It's warming up now, and we tested it; it sounds really nice!
After all these episodes, it certainly doesn't feel "new", but it does still feel "fresh". I couldn't have hoped for more! It is truly fascinating how much comes out that that has a certain "style" (one could say "voice") but still isn't a complete rehash of old ideas. I guess it's like language; you can always find a different way to say the same thing; but then again, sometimes what you've said before is exactly what's called for in the moment. Go figure.
Once again making music tonight to benefit our local www.gullottahouse.org; the organization has done essential assistance for years helping those in need, but has stepped up like never before during this crisis. They help both people in need of food and restaurants in need of customers. Please consider donating if you have enjoyed the music tonight. I played a couple standards tonight; All the Things You Are and Black Orpheus. Otherwise just grooving on whatever tones were stopping by!
Had some new listeners tonight because on the Facebook Live stream we asked for donations to www.gullottahouse.org. They are a local non-profit bringing food to people in need before and during this crisis. It's fun to be making up a melody and suddenly a composed melody emerges. Tonight the music fell into Send in the Clowns and the Game of Thrones theme. (Actually, full disclosure, my wife asked me to weave it in somewhere!) Thanks for listening!
Staying home, waiting out the pandemic, cooking great meals that my wife and I share (with no guests), cleaning up, and then it's time to play music. I have to admit enjoying a cocktail or two before setting up the microphones... But then, the music starts, I have no idea what's coming next, but the music takes its own direction, and, although my fingers may be somewhat compromised from those cocktails, still it takes me somewhere. wherever it goes, I hope you enjoy the direction it takes!
I was so busy with dinner I almost forgot to set up and play! I didn't warm up tonight beforehand, so I took it easy until I felt loose enough to stretch a bit. We are binge-watching Game of Thrones so it's inevitable that the theme would pop up at some point, and tonight was the night. Funny, my ear didn't let me play the theme straight out, even though I kind of wanted to dive into it; so, it stayed a mere reference. Enjoy.
I had designs of moving to a video podcast with multiple camera angles and a snazzy video intro, but got overwhelmed. It's for listening to, anyway!
In these virtual times, I hope the music can be a salve. Felt a little jazzy tonight, and fell into Brother Can You Spare a Dime and Round Midnight. I think Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas made an appearance, too. See if you can find them!
Almost ready to transition to video podcast. I recorded tonight with several cameras, but I don't know my way around Final Cut Pro yet! Really feeling the need to explore pleasant, pretty sounds at this time. So many are suffering right now. i started one piece with simple triads and it segued somehow into "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John, which made me think of my song "Circle of Life" which of course he has a song with the same title, so of course I had to play a little of that, too. once I was going down memory lane I felt the urge to play another song from that album, "Willow". Then, that reminded me of an old song from a very long time ago; "Starlight". So I guess tonight had a lot of personal nostalgia. Enjoy.
Thanks for tuning in. Let's all create for the love of it, and keep each other's virtual company as we wait out this Corona crisis. May we all be well, and for those who are not, may they all receive the care they need.
Had some strange quotes show up in my fingers tonight; not sure how "Walk Like an Egyptian" or "Camptown Races" got in there, but there they were so I had to deal with them!
For some reason I felt like I was "copying myself" tonight; sometimes it's fun to go to favorite progressions, but other times it feels like there are no new ideas! Felt like the latter tonight. Part of the reason is that I keep wanting to add some looping and layering effects with the computer but I never get time to explore it. I'm also putting feelers out for other musicians to join me but it hasn't happened yet. In any case, hope you enjoy!
It's a good approach to remind myself to listen by playing just one or two notes at the beginning, then gradually build to see where it goes. If I start with a particular style or genre it kind of locks me in to that style, so it's harder to be "authentic" in terms of truly "following the music". In any case, it's a balance, so you take the highs with the lows! Enjoy.
Just my own family in the audience tonight, but at this point it's almost as if I just let the horse out and see where she goes! Tonight I just felt like having steady chords in the left hand and exploring free melody in the right hand. Also staying with very traditional key-center tonality, which in many ways is very freeing. Let me know what you think!
Back to the core group tonight. Even just one person (besides myself!) actively listening to the music makes a difference in the performance. I can't say exactly how, but their focus helps my focus, and it becomes a conversation, not a monologue! Tonight I was exploring contrapuntal harmony and multiple melodies. Had a little Joplin-esque jaunt at the end. Enjoy!
Episode 100! Definitely calls for a party. I invited anyone and everyone who came at least once since I began this project over two years ago. So many came! We had about 50 people. I usually ask people not to applaud at the end of a piece because it sounds kind of pitiful with two or three in the audience, but tonight it was game on! I'm actually a little stunned at the enthusiastic response! In any case, the evening felt great, and I hope you enjoy the music.
Penultimate episode to 100! Piano was just tuned by the incomparable Victor La Gamma. I'm always drawn to open harmonies with a fresh tuning. Except for a crazy atonal blues, most of the music tonight was centered on rich harmonies.
New audience member tonight. Seems like the way to go deeper is to go more into the very sounds I like to hear anyway. It's probably a fool's errand to try and "stretch'; I only end up feeling artificial. Finding one's "voice" may be more about playing what's comfortable than trying to do something new or unusual. At least, that's how it felt tonight!
Ok it's starting to feel a little tough to keep a fresh approach. After almost 100 episodes, it's safe to say I've got some sounds and pathways that I go to again and again. Tonight began with the sense that I was mimicking myself. I wasn't feeling like the music had any sense of direction or coherence. However, eventually an energy came into the piece and I was able to get into the groove. Once there, it was a fun night as usual, and I feel satisfied with the overall episode. I wonder how long this project will continue!
I thought I'd be solo in my living room tonight, but by 8:00 there were five people here!
I've been exploring simple pentatonic scales but tried layering patterns with rhythmic complexity; seems to make a nice combo. Also did a fractured waltz, and a take-off of the first few notes of "Where or When". Enjoy.
I had some (what felt like) spectacular bloopers tonight; sometimes I'm digging into the keys and fingers just slip off and clunk onto the next key. I couldn't help but groan. Hey, it's all part of the journey, right? I was solo in the living room tonight, so thanks to those who tune in virtually each week!
First episode of the new decade! Five more till the 100th episode. In a few weeks I'm going to be trying out some new equipment; stay tuned.
Stuck to tried and true harmonic moves tonight; there's something incredibly free when using the pentatonic scale and scale-tone chords. Everything just sounds good. Also, taking a few notes and repeating them while changing the chords underneath makes for interesting movement.
We had our neighborhood latke party tonight, so, naturally since it was Wednesday it came with a concert! When we only have a few guests I ask that there be no applause, 'cause it just sounds pitiful, but we had about twenty people so applause was not a problem! Hopefully it won't be jarring for podcast subscribers. Feel free to comment with your feedback.
Felt the pull to go simple tonight, and try a little more long-form playing. I stuck to a smaller palate of harmonies on each piece and took the time to explore them deeper and longer than I tend to, and it really felt good.
Tending towards minor and sort of Slavic/Spanish?? I'm drawn to the tension with some of these modes, which creates momentum to continue and build. Finding inner lines also helps to get into deeper listening. A couple pieces had a slow time getting started, but eventually I found a path to explore.
A new listener tonight, always a treat! It's a lot of fun to share the sound of this beautiful piano, and be able to play any notes I want in whatever order I choose, to hear the music I want to hear, and have people actively listening and enjoying it. In eleven more evenings it will be the 100th episode!