411599127_699b03d2f0This is an exciting post for me, because I’ve decided to start posting some improvised piano music here, taking a risk, but getting it out there.

For as long as I’ve been playing piano I’ve held these types of personal sessions, where I hang my head and wail on the piano, following every idea as it pops into my head, encapsulating the mood of the moment in notes and chords and rhythms, letting go of any skill limitations and reaching in any direction I have the impulse to follow. When I was in high school I’d pick the lock of the theater door so I could jam on the baby grand on stage. When I moved out of my parents’ home, taking my piano with me, I’d often break into a meditation that lasted late into the night. And in college I again found ways to sneak into the auditoriums so I could play on the empty stage, whispering or pounding out music, alone and in the dark.

Now, as I’ve gotten older, my free time to jam like this is much less, which is why I’ve decided to start recording them when I get the chance.

For now, I’m playing these on a full size, USB-powered keyboard, using Garageband to record. The “Orchestra Steinway” piano in Apple’s symphony jam pack is incredibly warm and realistic, and with just enough echo to evoke an empty hall, the sound is perfect.

I’ll call these “piano meditations,” and I’ll post them as I record them.

The first one went in a somber, introspective direction, with moments of sweetness and a few spots of disorganized distress. I hope you enjoy it.

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Flickr photo by ramon_perez_terrassa

Related posts:

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  2. Piano meditation: The steps
  3. Piano meditation: The tempest
  4. Piano meditation: Peace, dark or light
  5. Piano meditation: One note, no more