Piano meditation: The steps

written by Henry E. Powderly II on January 26, 2010 in Music with one Comment

When I sit down to record a piano improvisation sometimes I just empty my head, play what I feel until I’ve said what I need to say. But sometimes I like to restrict myself to a specific motive, one of music’s oldest tricks, to create the piece.

You’ve already heard my “one note” meditation, as well as my exploration of the V-I progression. However, for this latest one, it’s all about octaves.

To create this each hand only plays octaves, so the harmonies never include more than two notes. The result is a sometimes haunting piece that climbs and falls, or mounts and slides downhill at times.

It’s beautiful and creepy and I’m happy with it.

Piano Meditation 5