After "Beret" and "Cowboy Hat," both overwhelmingly diatonic, it seems pretty obvious that I tried to cleanse my palate with the first two minutes of this piece, which are just me trying not to make much sense at the keyboard. From there, it takes on a restless feeling; I think it is caused by the C# ostinato pedal.
(See if you can catch where I get mixed up and switch the top and bottom C sharps.)
I didn't know how to end it.
download(option-click for Mac users, right-click and save for PC users)
Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.
For this improvisation, my one stipulation to myself was to only play chords. No single notes, no melodic lines. It's all about changing harmonies. A series of tone-colors.
download(option-click for Mac users, right-click and save for PC users)
Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.
Some of the improvisations thus far have spent the majority of the time exploring one tonality, but none have been so single-minded as this one. I begin with an F major triad and repeat it with different voicings, though the root remains the F. After 30 seconds I incorporate Bflat into the mix, then D, then E, then finally G to complete the F major scale. I consciously avoided any chromaticism – there are absolutely no pitches outside of the mode. There is a constant F pedal tone throughout the entire piece. There is a steady eighth-note rhythm, but no clear bars or time signature until past the five minute mark. More than anything, this is simply a study in F major.
download(option-click for Mac users, right-click and save for PC users)
Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.
When I come up with an interesting melody, especially if it's a bit unusual, I often have trouble remembering it. Such is the case with this piece. 46 seconds in, I come up with a measure of tune, but the fifth time I repeat, it gets changed just a little. It's like I'm playing Telephone with myself.
So, I took the mistake and ran with it – it became an excuse to play anything. What came were the relentless, ever-searching eighth notes in the right hand, over a methodical bass.
I realized that this piece was becoming circular and wasn't going to end well, so for the first time I consciously decided (as I was still playing) that I would fade it out on the recording.
download(option-click for Mac users, right-click and save for PC users)
Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.
I should clarify. It tickles me that the section starting at around 2:30 sounds like popcorn popping. I suppose it could be hailstones falling, but the rhythm is more unpredictable, closer to popcorn. And, like popcorn, it stops after about two minutes. From there it finds a plodding, slightly ominous sound.
download(option-click for Mac users, right-click and save for PC users)
Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.
I wish that I had had three hands for this one. It started off very promisingly, but I think I bit off more than I could chew. Starting at 3:57, my hands want to do more than they can handle – my right hand is doing all the work, while my left hand just sounds confused ("Buh!") – and the piece suffers.
download(option-click for Mac users, right-click and save for PC users)
Recorded on January 7th, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.
I like the opening Mixolydian feel to this, the slightly exotic opening chord that is rolled again and again, the two minute build until I find a syncopated but smooth groove that eventually (big surprise) hits a blues progression. There are more wrong notes than I'd like, but who cares?
download(option-click for Mac users, right-click and save for PC users)
Recorded on January 7th, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.
I had just played about 20 minutes of the most flowing, emotional music, so this piece is a rebellion against all of that. I tried to make it as disjointed as possible while still stay in a rhythm. It's ridiculous, and I realized it quickly. Still, I'll leave it in as a sort of palate cleanser.
download(option-click for Mac users, right-click and save for PC users)
Recorded on January 7th, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.
The goal of this blog is to post, on a semi-regular basis (I try to update it weekly), recordings of piano improvisation sessions, for people to listen to, and possibly comment on. These pieces are free improvs – stream-of-consciousness creations. Each improv session yields multiple pieces. A new piece starts when I sit down to play, and ends when I get up. Some pieces are split into movements, based on significant shifts in musical direction, usually with a complete stop. For more info, please read the introduction.
Podcast
The audio portions of this blog are also available as a podcast. Click below to subscribe in iTunes, or to use the generic feed.
