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!

Piano Meditations Podcast

Episode 174, 10-20-21

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. 

Episode 173, 10-13-21

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.

Episode 172, 10-6-21

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!

Episode 171, 9-29-21

New guests tonight; always a treat! Dug into a lot of alternating notes tonight, and rhythmic shifts.

Episode 170, 9-22-21

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.

Episode 169, 9-15-21

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.

Episode 168, 9-9-21

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.

Episode 167, 9-1-21

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.

Episode 166, 8-18-21

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. 

Episode 165, 8-11-21

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...

Episode 164, 7-21-21

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! 

Episode 163, 7-7-21

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!

Episode 162, 6-30-21

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!

Episode 161, 6-23-21

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.

Episode 160, 6-16-21

Welcome to Piano Meditations Podcast. Each week I will be hosting a listening session, exploring the keyboard in whatever way feels right that evening. It may be meditative, or meandering, or energetic, even chaotic, but most important, not just safe and predictable.

hubhopper

Piano Meditations Podcast

hubhopper