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

Flickr photo by Tim Green aka atoach

© 2010, Henry E. Powderly II. All rights reserved.

Related posts:

1. Piano meditation: On the breeze
2. Piano meditation: The tempest
3. Piano meditation: Peace, dark or light
4. Piano meditation: One note, no more
5. The first keyboard meditation