Piano Meditations Podcast

Paul and Susan hosted a concert in their home, and I brought a stand-alone digital recorder. Back in the studio I added a little reverb and let it roll unedited. You'll hear the applause and little side comments here and there. As always, such a pleasure to play together. We're doing a fully improvised concert on the 14th as part of the Hastings River Arts Festival. Kinda gettin' out there!  

Hmm. I seem to have not uploaded the last episode or two. If you see the dates out of order that'll be why. My friend Paul came with his flute again tonight, and will come next week as well. We do have a sympatico vibe. I lean towards more chordal playing to allow space for his melody, but we are always listening to each other and adjusting moment by moment. A couple nods tonight; opening of Sound of Silence and a little Charlie Brown. Enjoy.

Thank goodness the piano was tuned! The cold and dry weather wreaked havoc, and my tuner said the pin block was at risk if I didn't get humidifiers going. Humidifiers are now going... Small crowd tonight, more snow is on the way. My friend Paul Harris joined again, and I tried to give him open-ended accompaniments. We got into the groove right away, and danced around little motifs as we improvised. Such fun. Enjoy.

ooohhh, so sorry; I'm posting this, but damn is it out of tune! I didn't realize it was so bad. I'm grimacing as I'm playing, but the music had to happen! There was a variation on a Chopin Prelude in there; see if you can find it. 

Whoops. I didn't turn on one of the microphones... I mixed it in mono, added a little gain, messed with EQ and crossed my fingers. Good crowd tonight, who wanted to clap, so I left it in. Went to some pretty lush romantic harmonies, and did one atonal piece (which always sounds like there is more tonality and shape when I listen back!). I think I quoted the theme to All Things Considered in there. One piece went sort of Musical Theater, Pippin style? You be the judge.

I was away for a few weeks without a piano, and once back still didn't have a chance to do much playing, so, interestingly, I thought I may feel rusty. But in point of fact I felt fresh and renewed! I paid a little more attention to the sound of the notes, and just enjoyed the harmonies as they rolled along. As a consequence, the music felt very organic and 'in the flow'. If you enjoy this podcast, please consider leaving me a review!

Paul Harris and his magic flute joined us again this week, and it looks good for more guests for next week as well! I have long wanted to share these evenings with other musicians, but like any relationship, sometimes there's more "chemistry" than others, especially when the stated goal is to make music completely on the spur of the moment. I'll let you be the judge, but I certainly feel a musical kinship with Paul. I didn't even tell anyone, but if there are any listeners out there that went to Camp Wigwam in Maine, you will recognize "We'll Remember Wigwam"! At the very end, I was playing something that reminded me of the classic riff in Bruce Hornsby's "Just the Way it Is", so I popped that in there. Enjoy.

My friend Paul Harris joined me again with his amazing flute playing! Plus, we had a big group with several new people! When it's a large group I tell them it's fine if they clap after a piece; I ask people not to clap when there are only a few in attendance, because it just sounds sort of sad. Anyway, I also didn't edit out the banter in between pieces because I feel the whole evening was a unified feeling, so why not include it all?! You can hear Paul and I quasi-deciding on a direction here and there, and I roamed around the other instruments on one piece while Paul played flute. Enjoy!

A few new folks tonight; always fun to introduce them to this free improv thing! Got into some rhythm grooves and a wee bit of jazz. Not much more to say, but, enjoy!

Newly tuned by the great Victor La Gamma! Had a conversation with the guests after the music about the creative process. One person was talking how there are two approaches; one, to plan everything out and do your best to materialize exactly what you envision, a la Da Vinci, the other, to follow the inspiration where it leads and allow the creative impulse to guide you. Obviously what I do is the latter. I'm getting ready to explore non-spontaneous composition for a change, and see if I can bring the spur-of-the-moment approach to actually creating well-crafted instrumental music. I plan to start mining all this material from eight years (!) of doing Piano Meditations. Will be an interesting journey!

Tonight really felt "in the groove". There is a kind of freedom I feel when I get something solid rhythm-wise in the left hand, and the right hand can be free and not tethered to the beat of the left hand. Once I get into that vibe, the right hand becomes open to more spontaneous expression. Not sure how to describe it more than that, so let's just let it be what it is...

Tonight I needed to be patient as I got into the music. It can be tempting to compose "from the ego", where I'm playing what I know will sound good but I've also done it a million times. It's a little harder to wait until the music suggests itself where it wants to go. The music may meander for a while, or be seemingly stagnant as I'm repeating notes or chords and waiting for a direction to follow, but eventually I find that flow state and I can almost sit back and watch the music happen. The second to last piece apparently was seriously quoting Star Wars; I knew it sounded familiar but I couldn't tell where it was from. 

Towards the end I played along with a pad sound on my iPad, but I also had a borrowed Theremin! I didn't record the other instruments on their own track, so they are far back in the mix, but I thought I'd include them anyway. Also, one of my microphones finally ran out of battery, so I recorded the music in mono using one mic. Hey, one does what one can...

Did a couple waltzes tonight. The last piece I took the opening motif from Beethoven's Fifth and had a bunch of fun with it. It morphed into Fiddler on the Roof and Fly Me To the Moon, so go figure. I had a couple note accidents; it is surprisingly difficult to play faster than one can think! ;)

One piece is definitely not relaxing, be warned. I started off just playing with staccato (light, separated notes) but didn't find my footing right away. At some point the left hand turned into a fast walking bass, then a kind of ragtime. My deal with myself is to practice "Yes, and..." when it comes to the direction the music is going, so I didn't fight it and just went for it. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was quoted a few times, too. Enjoy.

Quite the large audience tonight! I never know, nor does it matter, but it certainly is fun. I followed a common pattern of starting off with a few single notes which becomes the thematic material for the piece. Later pieces can have more energy and movement, and we bring it home with a simple tune to say goodnight. At the very end, I played a little phrase that took me into the final notes of "Where is Love" from the musical "Oliver!". I thought that was some subconscious at work. It felt good in any case. Enjoy.

A couple new people tonight; always fun. I felt in the zone tonight, and enjoyed composing as the music unfolded moment by moment, which has always been what I try to do! A few pieces felt like they could have ended a bit earlier but I was enjoying messing with them too much!

My friend and flautist Paul Harris joined me again tonight. It is always such a treat to play with him. It is rare indeed to meet another musician who can jump in to free improv, listen for harmonic shifts, know when to play and when to pause, take the lead and generate ideas for us both to develop, indeed a treat. I have been away for several weeks, but back now for some time, so look for a new episode each week! Tonight Paul and I did several pieces in solid diatonic territory, but we stretched out on one atonal piece, which was actually quite fun. 

All good friends who know the drill here tonight. I edited out the clapping. I spent most of today doing paperwork and purging emails, so I was in a blah state when people arrived. I told them there were no guarantees; the music may put people to sleep or I might start banging as loud as I could. Kinda did a bit of both! Enjoy?

Several new friends tonight! Had about 12 people in the the audience. The piano was tuned today by the great Victor LaGamma, so I naturally was drawn to the most sonorous of harmonies. I seem to be averaging about ten minutes per piece. That's not a plan, but an observation! Some melodies were circling around in my head that might have been a nod to "Laura", "But Beautiful" and something else, but I never quite went there.

I was busy doing house chores and paperwork and din't have a chance to set up sounds for using the electronic music studio, so once again tonight is solo piano only. But hey, that's how this whole thing got started so I'm not worried I'm not meeting expectations... Anyway, had a good sized group tonight, and more than one person seems to have visual responses to my music, which I think is super cool. Enjoy.

My friend Paul Harris came again tonight with his gorgeous flute playing! This is the first podcast posting, however. I'm a bit backed up with a few evenings that I never mixed down. If you suddenly see three or four episodes on one day, that's what's going on. We played Manha de Carnaval from the movie Black Orpheus, and chose an Arabic scale to mess around in, but otherwise improvised free together. It takes a special kind of musician to jump in like that, but I think we listened well to each other.  We did some talking between pieces so I edited that out. Enjoy.

Small but appreciative audience tonight. I stayed in the lyrical realm, using the first few improvised notes as the thematic material for the pieces. There was a Spanish-sounding piece (happens with the Phrygian Mode), a pop-chord piece at the end, some impressionistic arpeggios and something that was at times in 7/8. Enjoy!

We have had several weeks with guest musicians! The downside is that I need to spend time mixing and editing, and the end result is procrastination. Tonight was just solo piano, however, so here it is. I felt like I was digging into the music tonight, and felt very focused on following the flow.

I know I've been less frequent with new episodes, and now the next won't be until March 27th. I'm actually leaning towards ending the podcast, and focus on recordings for albums on the streamers. Podcasts are inherently free, and it costs me over $300 a year for hosting. I don't have much hope for true income from Spotify, iTunes and the rest, but something is better than nothing. If you have enjoyed this podcast, please consider a donation, and/or look me up and stream one of my albums. In the meanwhile, here is some new music for you.

We are having people over every other week for the time being, in case you've noticed the episodes are less frequent. Tonight I played three live looping pieces, but only the last one recorded well, so I'm including it here. The rest is solo piano. Enjoy!

This episode only includes two rather long pieces. The second one began sounding like a Baroque melody I remembered, so I explored it without really knowing the whole tune. Afterwards I tracked it down, learning it was a Sarabande by Handel which was used in the movie Barry Lyndon. Go figure!

Well, I finally figured out how to record into the mixer while looping in the recording software on the computer. Here are two evenings put together, followed by solo piano as usual. If I were to try and make these into "finished" pieces, I would do some editing and better mixes, but at least you'll have an idea of where this is headed.  In the solo piano section tonight, I fell into Gracias a la Vida by Violetta Parra. Not completely, but enough I should mention it. Enjoy.

Our whole family and romantic partners took a sound bath at a local studio. It was very relaxing. Tonight I wanted to try to use the piano as a sound vibration vehicle; much of the music was quite mellow, but of course a couple pieces had a natural build so I went for it. Enjoy.

Once again, big crowd! Still asking them not to applaud after each piece so the podcast can be just music. The first four notes reminded me instantly of Danny Boy, so I played with it thematically, and Stephen Foster's Shenandoah got in there for a minute. Tried a ragtime ditty and a waltz, a jazz ballad style and an impressionistic, sort of atonal thing. Hope you enjoy.

Small group, but one new person tonight. I kept leaning into a bel canto, faux operatic sound tonight. I think the theme to All Things Considered worked its way in there. I was enjoying hearing harmonies that flipped between major and minor. Enjoy.

A bunch of new folks tonight! I must say, the numbers are growing. We still have enough chairs, but it's making me wonder if we will get to standing room only!  Anyway, had fun tonight, doing a little more jazz progressions and quirky rhythms. Enjoy.

Not much to say this time; enjoy!

Small but dedicated troupe tonight. Glad for the presence of people actively listening; it keeps me actively listening as well. In recent weeks I've been attempting to go into harmonies I'm not sure I know what I'll hear, and I have to remain adaptable to split-second implications of the harmonies. It's fun! The results are some surprises and a few thunks. Enjoy!

I've had a bit of trouble with the audio signal on this episode; hopefully this will be the last time I'm replacing the episode in the podcast. It was a quiet night with just my wife in the audience; she got the covid. I stayed in a primarily mellow mood, with a few unusual (for me) harmonic explorations. One quote got in there but I don't know what is was, I just know it's something I've heard before! Maybe you can tell me? Enjoy.

WE had almost twenty people here tonight! Some new folks too. I stayed squarely in the tonal realm tonight, and did a few genre-specific type pieces. One started off like an old hymn, then became a pompous overblown operatic cliché! I still didn't record it, but I did have a successful looping improv that was meditative, and didn't include any equipment failures. Progress!

After the first piece I really felt like stretching a bit, so I did! I'm not sure if the pieces "worked" as well, but it is a good idea to just let the music be what it wants to be. I then did some looping but of course forgot to record it, so tonight's episode is a little short. Enjoy.

Our numbers have grown! WE had about twenty people tonight. I was buried in audio cabling issues until right before we began, but I was able to change gears and get into the music. I did a looping piece at the end which went very well; once I figure out how to record everything along with the piano I'l start including it in the podcast.  I did a bunch of straight-ahead improvs, then did one that was pretty experimental. It morphed into progressive jazz/Gershwin kind of thing. Enjoy!

Really big crowd tonight! Some new people, and the piano is in a more central spot after we painted and I reconfigured the studio. Consequently the music was a little more all over the place! I kept almost playing a melody of a song I know but couldn't quite bring to consciousness. Maybe you can tell me! Enjoy.

Always exciting to have new guests! I stayed in the very tonal realm tonight, and was also feeling pretty mellow; we had our first fire for the fall! Some pieces began very muted but got pretty energetic. Some quotes emerged; "Trials and Tribulations" from Jesus Christ, Superstar, "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Pachelbel's Canon in D, even Dancing Queen, which seems to show up rather frequently... Enjoy.

One piece began in a very atonal, "contemporary piano" kind of way, but then I caught a groove and really dug into some unfamiliar sonorities. Maybe not good for listening while making dinner, but who am I to say? Staying with piano only for the time being for the podcast; but for the guests who come in person I stop recording after 45 minutes and do an ambient/looping thing at the end. Building confidence!  

Some new guests tonight; always fun to welcome them! Played some gentle explorations but also some pretty atonal energetic stuff. Not much in the way of quotes, but "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (melody by Chopin) made it in there for a moment. 

We are back at it! This begins year seven. I hadn't practiced with the looping since the last episode in June or July, so I stuck with the old Steinway. One friend asked for a piece with the equipment, so I obliged, but didn't record it here. The music tonight was in several different harmonic realms; sometimes new-age, sometimes pop-rock. The pop-rock one had a bunch of quotes that I couldn't even list; You Can't Hurry Love, Dancing Queen, and others... enjoy!

OK! This is a bit of a benchmark episode. I still played solo piano for much of the evening, but I switched to the computer/looping setup and was able to keep the music going without running into tech problems, and today I succeeded in creating a simple mixdown of the different sounds and combining it with the piano recording. I cut out the gradual layering of the percussion instruments, as it takes too long to wait for a melodic element. Enjoy.

It's funny; I was all set to do more looping and synth playing tonight, but I just kept playing solo piano. I got a little carried away in the moment and a few times I stumbled over myself, but to tell the truth I almost like it, because it's not so "careful". A couple quotes were glanced at at the the end; Dan Fogelberg's Longer Than and Lloyd Webber's All My Tribulations from Superstar. Enjoy.

Small crowd tonight. I was just in a quiet, reflective mood, so I played accordingly. Sometimes it's nice to settle into an unhurried approach, and just listen more deeply to the tones and emerging melodies. Enjoy.

Small crowd and one new guest tonight. Felt like playing around with chords and arpeggios. I think "Dancing Queen" showed up, but other than that, not much else to say! Enjoy.

Dear listeners, I've been holding out on you; for the past several weeks I've been closing the evening with an improvisation with the studio equipment, using looping and synths to create different soundscapes or rhythm grooves. Tonight's piano music is shorter because I finally spent more time looping. I hope to incorporate this sound very soon in the podcast. It's not exactly "piano meditations" but "improvisations with studio equipment" just doesn't have the same ring to it...

Went to some more bombastic places tonight, but also some introspective places, too. Started to do a percussive, atonal piece but it turned into an old-style blues. Did a sweet little melodic thing that morphed into a schizophrenic ragtime. Go figure. 

I did a couple freestyle pieces as usual, but then I played a classical piece and followed it with an improvisation based on thematic elements of the piece. The pieces were Brahms Intermezzo in A Major, Mendelssohn Song Without Words in F# minor, and a Debussy Prelude, Girl With the Flaxen Hair. On the last improvisation, I took the descending thirds and reversed it. In the middle of the piece, I realized ascending thirds was actually the beginning of "I Loves You, Porgy", so I followed that thread for a bit.