Piano Meditations Podcast

Newly tuned by the great Victor La Gamma! Had a conversation with the guests after the music about the creative process. One person was talking how there are two approaches; one, to plan everything out and do your best to materialize exactly what you envision, a la Da Vinci, the other, to follow the inspiration where it leads and allow the creative impulse to guide you. Obviously what I do is the latter. I'm getting ready to explore non-spontaneous composition for a change, and see if I can bring the spur-of-the-moment approach to actually creating well-crafted instrumental music. I plan to start mining all this material from eight years (!) of doing Piano Meditations. Will be an interesting journey!

Tonight really felt "in the groove". There is a kind of freedom I feel when I get something solid rhythm-wise in the left hand, and the right hand can be free and not tethered to the beat of the left hand. Once I get into that vibe, the right hand becomes open to more spontaneous expression. Not sure how to describe it more than that, so let's just let it be what it is...

Towards the end I played along with a pad sound on my iPad, but I also had a borrowed Theremin! I didn't record the other instruments on their own track, so they are far back in the mix, but I thought I'd include them anyway. Also, one of my microphones finally ran out of battery, so I recorded the music in mono using one mic. Hey, one does what one can...

Tonight I needed to be patient as I got into the music. It can be tempting to compose "from the ego", where I'm playing what I know will sound good but I've also done it a million times. It's a little harder to wait until the music suggests itself where it wants to go. The music may meander for a while, or be seemingly stagnant as I'm repeating notes or chords and waiting for a direction to follow, but eventually I find that flow state and I can almost sit back and watch the music happen. The second to last piece apparently was seriously quoting Star Wars; I knew it sounded familiar but I couldn't tell where it was from.

Did a couple waltzes tonight. The last piece I took the opening motif from Beethoven's Fifth and had a bunch of fun with it. It morphed into Fiddler on the Roof and Fly Me To the Moon, so go figure. I had a couple note accidents; it is surprisingly difficult to play faster than one can think! ;)

One piece is definitely not relaxing, be warned. I started off just playing with staccato (light, separated notes) but didn't find my footing right away. At some point the left hand turned into a fast walking bass, then a kind of ragtime. My deal with myself is to practice "Yes, and..." when it comes to the direction the music is going, so I didn't fight it and just went for it. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was quoted a few times, too. Enjoy.

Quite the large audience tonight! I never know, nor does it matter, but it certainly is fun. I followed a common pattern of starting off with a few single notes which becomes the thematic material for the piece. Later pieces can have more energy and movement, and we bring it home with a simple tune to say goodnight. At the very end, I played a little phrase that took me into the final notes of "Where is Love" from the musical "Oliver!". I thought that was some subconscious at work. It felt good in any case. Enjoy.

A couple new people tonight; always fun. I felt in the zone tonight, and enjoyed composing as the music unfolded moment by moment, which has always been what I try to do! A few pieces felt like they could have ended a bit earlier but I was enjoying messing with them too much!

My friend and flautist Paul Harris joined me again tonight. It is always such a treat to play with him. It is rare indeed to meet another musician who can jump in to free improv, listen for harmonic shifts, know when to play and when to pause, take the lead and generate ideas for us both to develop, indeed a treat. I have been away for several weeks, but back now for some time, so look for a new episode each week! Tonight Paul and I did several pieces in solid diatonic territory, but we stretched out on one atonal piece, which was actually quite fun.

All good friends who know the drill here tonight. I edited out the clapping. I spent most of today doing paperwork and purging emails, so I was in a blah state when people arrived. I told them there were no guarantees; the music may put people to sleep or I might start banging as loud as I could. Kinda did a bit of both! Enjoy?

Several new friends tonight! Had about 12 people in the the audience. The piano was tuned today by the great Victor LaGamma, so I naturally was drawn to the most sonorous of harmonies. I seem to be averaging about ten minutes per piece. That's not a plan, but an observation! Some melodies were circling around in my head that might have been a nod to "Laura", "But Beautiful" and something else, but I never quite went there.

I was busy doing house chores and paperwork and din't have a chance to set up sounds for using the electronic music studio, so once again tonight is solo piano only. But hey, that's how this whole thing got started so I'm not worried I'm not meeting expectations... Anyway, had a good sized group tonight, and more than one person seems to have visual responses to my music, which I think is super cool. Enjoy.

My friend Paul Harris came again tonight with his gorgeous flute playing! This is the first podcast posting, however. I'm a bit backed up with a few evenings that I never mixed down. If you suddenly see three or four episodes on one day, that's what's going on. We played Manha de Carnaval from the movie Black Orpheus, and chose an Arabic scale to mess around in, but otherwise improvised free together. It takes a special kind of musician to jump in like that, but I think we listened well to each other.  We did some talking between pieces so I edited that out. Enjoy.

Small but appreciative audience tonight. I stayed in the lyrical realm, using the first few improvised notes as the thematic material for the pieces. There was a Spanish-sounding piece (happens with the Phrygian Mode), a pop-chord piece at the end, some impressionistic arpeggios and something that was at times in 7/8. Enjoy!

We have had several weeks with guest musicians! The downside is that I need to spend time mixing and editing, and the end result is procrastination. Tonight was just solo piano, however, so here it is. I felt like I was digging into the music tonight, and felt very focused on following the flow.

I know I've been less frequent with new episodes, and now the next won't be until March 27th. I'm actually leaning towards ending the podcast, and focus on recordings for albums on the streamers. Podcasts are inherently free, and it costs me over $300 a year for hosting. I don't have much hope for true income from Spotify, iTunes and the rest, but something is better than nothing. If you have enjoyed this podcast, please consider a donation, and/or look me up and stream one of my albums. In the meanwhile, here is some new music for you.

We are having people over every other week for the time being, in case you've noticed the episodes are less frequent. Tonight I played three live looping pieces, but only the last one recorded well, so I'm including it here. The rest is solo piano. Enjoy!

This episode only includes two rather long pieces. The second one began sounding like a Baroque melody I remembered, so I explored it without really knowing the whole tune. Afterwards I tracked it down, learning it was a Sarabande by Handel which was used in the movie Barry Lyndon. Go figure!

Well, I finally figured out how to record into the mixer while looping in the recording software on the computer. Here are two evenings put together, followed by solo piano as usual. If I were to try and make these into "finished" pieces, I would do some editing and better mixes, but at least you'll have an idea of where this is headed.  In the solo piano section tonight, I fell into Gracias a la Vida by Violetta Parra. Not completely, but enough I should mention it. Enjoy.

Our whole family and romantic partners took a sound bath at a local studio. It was very relaxing. Tonight I wanted to try to use the piano as a sound vibration vehicle; much of the music was quite mellow, but of course a couple pieces had a natural build so I went for it. Enjoy.

Once again, big crowd! Still asking them not to applaud after each piece so the podcast can be just music. The first four notes reminded me instantly of Danny Boy, so I played with it thematically, and Stephen Foster's Shenandoah got in there for a minute. Tried a ragtime ditty and a waltz, a jazz ballad style and an impressionistic, sort of atonal thing. Hope you enjoy.

Small group, but one new person tonight. I kept leaning into a bel canto, faux operatic sound tonight. I think the theme to All Things Considered worked its way in there. I was enjoying hearing harmonies that flipped between major and minor. Enjoy.

A bunch of new folks tonight! I must say, the numbers are growing. We still have enough chairs, but it's making me wonder if we will get to standing room only!  Anyway, had fun tonight, doing a little more jazz progressions and quirky rhythms. Enjoy.

Not much to say this time; enjoy!

Small but dedicated troupe tonight. Glad for the presence of people actively listening; it keeps me actively listening as well. In recent weeks I've been attempting to go into harmonies I'm not sure I know what I'll hear, and I have to remain adaptable to split-second implications of the harmonies. It's fun! The results are some surprises and a few thunks. Enjoy!

I've had a bit of trouble with the audio signal on this episode; hopefully this will be the last time I'm replacing the episode in the podcast. It was a quiet night with just my wife in the audience; she got the covid. I stayed in a primarily mellow mood, with a few unusual (for me) harmonic explorations. One quote got in there but I don't know what is was, I just know it's something I've heard before! Maybe you can tell me? Enjoy.

WE had almost twenty people here tonight! Some new folks too. I stayed squarely in the tonal realm tonight, and did a few genre-specific type pieces. One started off like an old hymn, then became a pompous overblown operatic cliché! I still didn't record it, but I did have a successful looping improv that was meditative, and didn't include any equipment failures. Progress!

After the first piece I really felt like stretching a bit, so I did! I'm not sure if the pieces "worked" as well, but it is a good idea to just let the music be what it wants to be. I then did some looping but of course forgot to record it, so tonight's episode is a little short. Enjoy.

Our numbers have grown! WE had about twenty people tonight. I was buried in audio cabling issues until right before we began, but I was able to change gears and get into the music. I did a looping piece at the end which went very well; once I figure out how to record everything along with the piano I'l start including it in the podcast.  I did a bunch of straight-ahead improvs, then did one that was pretty experimental. It morphed into progressive jazz/Gershwin kind of thing. Enjoy!

Really big crowd tonight! Some new people, and the piano is in a more central spot after we painted and I reconfigured the studio. Consequently the music was a little more all over the place! I kept almost playing a melody of a song I know but couldn't quite bring to consciousness. Maybe you can tell me! Enjoy.

Always exciting to have new guests! I stayed in the very tonal realm tonight, and was also feeling pretty mellow; we had our first fire for the fall! Some pieces began very muted but got pretty energetic. Some quotes emerged; "Trials and Tribulations" from Jesus Christ, Superstar, "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Pachelbel's Canon in D, even Dancing Queen, which seems to show up rather frequently... Enjoy.

One piece began in a very atonal, "contemporary piano" kind of way, but then I caught a groove and really dug into some unfamiliar sonorities. Maybe not good for listening while making dinner, but who am I to say? Staying with piano only for the time being for the podcast; but for the guests who come in person I stop recording after 45 minutes and do an ambient/looping thing at the end. Building confidence!

Some new guests tonight; always fun to welcome them! Played some gentle explorations but also some pretty atonal energetic stuff. Not much in the way of quotes, but "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (melody by Chopin) made it in there for a moment.

We are back at it! This begins year seven. I hadn't practiced with the looping since the last episode in June or July, so I stuck with the old Steinway. One friend asked for a piece with the equipment, so I obliged, but didn't record it here. The music tonight was in several different harmonic realms; sometimes new-age, sometimes pop-rock. The pop-rock one had a bunch of quotes that I couldn't even list; You Can't Hurry Love, Dancing Queen, and others... enjoy!

OK! This is a bit of a benchmark episode. I still played solo piano for much of the evening, but I switched to the computer/looping setup and was able to keep the music going without running into tech problems, and today I succeeded in creating a simple mixdown of the different sounds and combining it with the piano recording. I cut out the gradual layering of the percussion instruments, as it takes too long to wait for a melodic element. Enjoy.

It's funny; I was all set to do more looping and synth playing tonight, but I just kept playing solo piano. I got a little carried away in the moment and a few times I stumbled over myself, but to tell the truth I almost like it, because it's not so "careful". A couple quotes were glanced at at the the end; Dan Fogelberg's Longer Than and Lloyd Webber's All My Tribulations from Superstar. Enjoy.

Small crowd tonight. I was just in a quiet, reflective mood, so I played accordingly. Sometimes it's nice to settle into an unhurried approach, and just listen more deeply to the tones and emerging melodies. Enjoy.

Small crowd and one new guest tonight. Felt like playing around with chords and arpeggios. I think "Dancing Queen" showed up, but other than that, not much else to say! Enjoy.

Dear listeners, I've been holding out on you; for the past several weeks I've been closing the evening with an improvisation with the studio equipment, using looping and synths to create different soundscapes or rhythm grooves. Tonight's piano music is shorter because I finally spent more time looping. I hope to incorporate this sound very soon in the podcast. It's not exactly "piano meditations" but "improvisations with studio equipment" just doesn't have the same ring to it...

Went to some more bombastic places tonight, but also some introspective places, too. Started to do a percussive, atonal piece but it turned into an old-style blues. Did a sweet little melodic thing that morphed into a schizophrenic ragtime. Go figure.

I did a couple freestyle pieces as usual, but then I played a classical piece and followed it with an improvisation based on thematic elements of the piece. The pieces were Brahms Intermezzo in A Major, Mendelssohn Song Without Words in F# minor, and a Debussy Prelude, Girl With the Flaxen Hair. On the last improvisation, I took the descending thirds and reversed it. In the middle of the piece, I realized ascending thirds was actually the beginning of "I Loves You, Porgy", so I followed that thread for a bit.

Update: my podcast host has started playing ads; I noticed there were ads in the middle of the podcast which have now been removed.  Living room was full tonight! I'm happy people feel fulfilled enough to come so regularly. Tonight I started off with a couple freestyle pieces like I usually do, but then I alternated between a classical piece and an improvisation loosely based on the same piece. I stream these concerts with my phone to FB, and a bunch of the evening was muted out because of copyright claims! I filed a dispute, but I have to say I'm flattered; the claims were from famous concert pianists! As if I had played their recordings instead of playing the pieces myself! So, thanks FB, but no, I'm not Yuja Wang, nor am I playing her performance....

We've been getting a nice crowd in recent weeks; 12 this time. I'm glad these evenings are appreciated, and I'm realizing it's a wonderful opportunity for people to forget about everything else, not look at phones for an hour, relax and enjoy a live piano. The audience helps me stay focused and intentional, and I get a podcast out of it. Win win!

Back to the core group tonight. Even just one person (besides myself!) actively listening to the music makes a difference in the performance. I can't say exactly how, but their focus helps my focus, and it becomes a conversation, not a monologue! Tonight I was exploring contrapuntal harmony and multiple melodies. Had a little Joplin-esque jaunt at the end. Enjoy!

Just my own family in the audience tonight, but at this point it's almost as if I just let the horse out and see where she goes! Tonight I just felt like having steady chords in the left hand and exploring free melody in the right hand. Also staying with very traditional key-center tonality, which in many ways is very freeing. Let me know what you think!

It's a good approach to remind myself to listen by playing just one or two notes at the beginning, then gradually build to see where it goes. If I start with a particular style or genre it kind of locks me in to that style, so it's harder to be "authentic" in terms of truly "following the music". In any case, it's a balance, so you take the highs with the lows! Enjoy.

For some reason I felt like I was "copying myself" tonight; sometimes it's fun to go to favorite progressions, but other times it feels like there are no new ideas! Felt like the latter tonight. Part of the reason is that I keep wanting to add some looping and layering effects with the computer but I never get time to explore it. I'm also putting feelers out for other musicians to join me but it hasn't happened yet. In any case, hope you enjoy!

Thanks for tuning in. Let's all create for the love of it, and keep each other's virtual company as we wait out this Corona crisis. May we all be well, and for those who are not, may they all receive the care they need.  Had some strange quotes show up in my fingers tonight; not sure how "Walk Like an Egyptian" or "Camptown Races" got in there, but there they were so I had to deal with them!

Almost ready to transition to video podcast. I recorded tonight with several cameras, but I don't know my way around Final Cut Pro yet! Really feeling the need to explore pleasant, pretty sounds at this time. So many are suffering right now. i started one piece with simple triads and it segued somehow into "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John, which made me think of my song "Circle of Life" which of course he has a song with the same title, so of course I had to play a little of that, too. once I was going down memory lane I felt the urge to play another song from that album, "Willow". Then, that reminded me of an old song from a very long time ago; "Starlight". So I guess tonight had a lot of personal nostalgia. Enjoy.

I had designs of moving to a video podcast with multiple camera angles and a snazzy video intro, but got overwhelmed. It's for listening to, anyway! In these virtual times, I hope the music can be a salve. Felt a little jazzy tonight, and fell into Brother Can You Spare a Dime and Round Midnight. I think Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas made an appearance, too. See if you can find them!

I was so busy with dinner I almost forgot to set up and play! I didn't warm up tonight beforehand, so I took it easy until I felt loose enough to stretch a bit. We are binge-watching Game of Thrones so it's inevitable that the theme would pop up at some point, and tonight was the night. Funny, my ear didn't let me play the theme straight out, even though I kind of wanted to dive into it; so, it stayed a mere reference. Enjoy.

Staying home, waiting out the pandemic, cooking great meals that my wife and I share (with no guests), cleaning up, and then it's time to play music. I have to admit enjoying a cocktail or two before setting up the microphones... But then, the music starts, I have no idea what's coming next, but the music takes its own direction, and, although my fingers may be somewhat compromised from those cocktails, still it takes me somewhere. wherever it goes, I hope you enjoy the direction it takes!

Had some new listeners tonight because on the Facebook Live stream we asked for donations to www.gullottahouse.org. They are a local non-profit bringing food to people in need before and during this crisis. It's fun to be making up a melody and suddenly a composed melody emerges. Tonight the music fell into Send in the Clowns and the Game of Thrones theme. (Actually, full disclosure, my wife asked me to weave it in somewhere!) Thanks for listening!

Once again making music tonight to benefit our local www.gullottahouse.org; the organization has done essential assistance for years helping those in need, but has stepped up like never before during this crisis. They help both people in need of food and restaurants in need of customers. Please consider donating if you have enjoyed the music tonight. I played a couple standards tonight; All the Things You Are and Black Orpheus. Otherwise just grooving on whatever tones were stopping by!

After all these episodes, it certainly doesn't feel "new", but it does still feel "fresh". I couldn't have hoped for more! It is truly fascinating how much comes out that that has a certain "style" (one could say "voice") but still isn't a complete rehash of old ideas. I guess it's like language; you can always find a different way to say the same thing; but then again, sometimes what you've said before is exactly what's called for in the moment. Go figure.

Had a little blues, a little broadway, a little folk, a little pop, tonight was just a romp. The piano is pretty out of tune, but it just had a new humidity control system put in and it needs a few more weeks before it can be brought back to its sonorous magnificence. In the meanwhile, we have a cool idea for local friends; while we are still staying safe from covid-19, feel free to come spread a blanket on our yard and hear the piano outside the living room! It's warming up now, and we tested it; it sounds really nice!

Just working on getting into a groove and seeing where it goes. It helps to get a little repeating pattern going, then expand it a bit until it wants to bust out. Not spending much energy on creating a more classical structure of theme, second theme, development and recap. I think that's ok... Enjoy!

I had some auditory enhancements tonight in the form of night birds and a gentle thunderstorm! I couldn't help but focus on quiet tones and high notes. Of course, while I'm playing our dog Bear is pacing around and panting with anxiety. You may hear some other knocking around in the mix. Enjoy!

Had our first guests inside the house since the beginning of quarantine. Keeping it small, just two friends, kept our distance, opened windows, and it felt great to connect again! I was playing with major and minor for most of the evening, with a little nod to a Chopin Polonaise, and maybe "Where or When" towards the end. Enjoy!

Thank you for the amazing tuning, Victor LaGamma! It's funny, the last couple of weeks I felt I hadn't been really listening deeply as I played, and sure enough, with everything in such alignment tonight, it felt like the notes were just lining up in the order they should be played, and all I had to do was drop them in their spots. I leaned into more of a jazz feel at the beginning, then did a little contrapuntal ditty, then a drone/melody thing, and finished with a dainty waltz. Enjoy.

Big night; three guests! Rather than have everyone in the living room they sat outside on the grass and I had the windows wide open. Side benefit; apparently they were dancing! I had a little Latin feel to one piece, and "Maria" from West Side Story crept in somehow. Enjoy.

Had some new guests who enjoyed the music from the front yard. They brought dinner! Can't beat that. The rain began just as the last chord was fading away. Tonight the music was in a major mood. Some upbeat, some mellow, a conversation about Bruce Hornsby inspired a riff from "The Way it Is". There was another quote at the end, but I still don't know what what I was quoting. If you hear it, help me out! I think it was a song from the 50s.

I lost an episode in there somewhere, so I called this one #121 so it lines up with the official podcast count. Just played live for my wonderful wife tonight, but it's encouraging knowing people are also listening from home! Tonight's music kept to relatively familiar territory; hopefully explored in a fresh way. Enjoy.

So many subscribers and listeners say they find Piano Meditations relaxing, calming, mellow, etc that I find I'm leaning into that vibe! I do try to mix it up in the course of the evening; both for my sake and to make sure it doesn't become too much like background music. However, it's nice to know people are finding it enjoyable, in any case.

iPhone-only audio tonight, sorry! Once again I forgot to hit record with my wonderful studio mics. I have to always remember there's more music where I found it tonight. I felt good about the pieces, so I hope you can get past the lo-fi audio. Enjoy.

Really focusing on enjoying rich tonality and melody tonight; not too worrying about structure or development, and letting "free" actually mean free! Tonight's music had a few quotes; I fell into Gershwin's "I Loves You, Porgy" after realizing after the fact I had already played a bit of the melody. Also, messing around with intervals of thirds, it naturally went into a touch of "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from The Fantasticks (looking at you, Janice!). Enjoy!

Had a few family members come for dinner and stay for the music. Opened all the windows for the best ventilation, so of course tonight's music became a duet with the sounds of nightlife outside. Enjoy!

Felt a little off tonight, but I know better than to judge it while it's happening! The humidity is making some notes stick and I have a squeak in the pedal, so I may have just been distracted. In any case, tonight music went pretty mellow for the most part. A few quotes worked their way in; "Still Crazy After All These Years", and some camp song about the Titanic going down. Go figure...

Knowing I have a few friends who like to dance to Piano Meditations definitely influences what I play sometimes! Tonight I played around with seconds (as in notes next to each other) and triple meters. It felt more "dancey" so of course I just went with it. I tried a little bouncy two-step at the end. Those can be hard because they pull so strongly into "functional harmony" which tends to box me in, but it's a fun challenge nonetheless. Enjoy.

My sonic palate seems to be centering around a set number of "archetypical" approaches; I don't feel as if I'm copying myself, and I do get into the emotional feel of the music, so I'm certainly not bothered by it, but at the same time, I'm not trying to push boundaries or stretch my technical abilities. Part of me feels like I'm being lazy or getting into a rut, but the other part is like, "I'm playing exactly what I feel like playing, so what's wrong with that? Absolutely nothing!" Enjoy.

Went a little out there tonight! Hope this isn't being listened to during a spa or actual meditation! Even so, I gotta break out a little now and then and work my fingers into some unfamiliar territory. And who knows; it happens rather often that I think I'm going crazy when I'm playing, but listening back it actually sounds like it makes sense. Go figure. There's plenty of mellow stuff in tonight's episode as well. Enjoy.

Really feeling dance phrasing tonight; Four bars, chord progressions, predictable melodic contours, the whole thing. Naturally, a lot of songs suggested themselves so I explored them a bit. "Michelle", a touch of "Yesterday", a melody from Jesus Christ Superstar, I think even the theme from All Things Considered. In any case, I was imagining my dancing friends from Noyes School of Rhythm who sometimes use these evenings as their "Playtime". Hope I made you move! Enjoy.

I asked my wife if there was anything she'd like to hear tonight and she said she'd like to hear the kind of brooding minor sounds from "Game of Thrones". We also talked about Cinema Paradiso tonight, so the theme was circling around. Whatever was happening in the moment I tried to let it go where it willed, but every now and then brought back a main chord or motif. I'm realizing I should change the intro, too, by the way. Aside from the piano being badly out of tune, friends and neighbors don't come over, we don't have wine, and I actually never go for an hour. OK, I'll get to that soon.

I decided to take a break from making a new episode weekly, as you may know. At this point I may repost a previous episode, or make a new one! The piano was just tuned by the great Victor LaGamma, so naturally I wanted to share the beautiful richness that this piano has. Enjoy.

I'm still not sure if i'm back to a new episode every week, but it actually feels like I'm missing something if it doesn't happen! I personally enjoy listening back myself, so it's almost like I buy a new CD each week... I know a lot of people enjoy listening to the podcast while cooking, doing yoga, having tea, etc, so I tend to not get too bombastic; plus, when I really start playing fast I can't truly hear where the music wants to go, and I fall into "rote" phrases that I know I can play rather than listening deeply to the direction of the music. In any case, enjoy!

Happy Holidays and first day after the Winter Solstice! Tonight's music had a few familiar tunes circling around, and I went for some sparkly sounds and bell chimes. I love how "Ain't Misbehavin" and "Santa Claus is Comin' to town" have the same chord progression. Enjoy.

Well, I took a break, and I sort of thought it might be time to move on to other musical projects, but I missed the process! Plus, by now there are many subscribers to this podcast, and I have to believe people are enjoying the music, so, let's keep going!

Sometimes you have to shake it up. "Meditations" doesn't necessarily mean "mellow". I make bigger mistakes when I'm playing fast or in uncharted territory, but that's half the reason I started doing this in the first place. And as my old improv teacher Anne Farber once said, "There are no mistakes in improvisation, just new directions". So there you go.

Ok back to (mostly) mellow. A number of tunes crept in tonight; see if you can spot them! Some are actually the tune, others are snippets. Tonight's last piece was a riff on the melodic shape of Bach's Prelude #1.

Happy Inauguration Day! I for one am very happy to have a new administration. It also happened to be my birthday.. Tonight's music was for dancing and feeling good!

Bonus Episode! I am a pianist at the Noyes Rhythm camp in Portland, CT for over 35 years, and I offered a Piano Meditations evening as an auction item for a fundraiser. The person who was highest bidder decided to open it up to the whole community, so I livestreamed it on Facebook. At the camp, the evening activity is a "Playtime", where the dancers come down to the dance space (the Pavalon) nestled in the woods and open on all sides. Kerosene lanterns light the floor and the pianist plays jazz, ragtime, classical music and improvisations on the grand piano. It's truly magical; so tonight the music was meant to evoke that setting and provide the impetus to dance. Enjoy.

I asked Sharon (my beloved) if she wanted to hear anything in particular tonight and she suggested I take my time exploring the tones and not feel any need to "develop" or build the momentum or energy. So I did, and I didn't! It takes restraint to stay with a sound longer than usual, or even comfortable, but sure enough, it then opens up in a new way. Enjoy.

The only spontaneous melody quotes that popped up tonight were "As Long as He Needs Me" and "Desafinado". A friend asked for something Satie-like and my wife asked for deep, rich tones. I try to oblige. The piano was tuned today by the great Victor LaGamma, so naturally I was drawn to those deep, rich tones! Enjoy.

I've said this before but tonight was again one of those nights where I felt like I was in a "same-old", kind of uninspired place, but by now I know better than to start editing or judging myself harshly while it's happening. I just keep going, maybe coming to the same old chord progressions I use so often, but I keep listening and allowing whatever's happening to just happen. Then, sure enough, some little spark starts going and the music catches a groove and I can ride it out. The only melody that presented itself tonight was Tender Shepherd from the musical Peter Pan. Go figure.

iPhone audio only; sorry! I had trouble with my studio computer in the moments before the Facebook Livestream. This audio has been extracted from the livestream recording, so the quality is not great. I'm experimenting with an audio setup which may allow me to channel the pro-quality microphones into the FB livestream, so the quality will be as good as the podcast!

Got the high quality audio back online! Calling this episode 144 instead of 143 because the podcast app is calling it that. Maybe it's still counting the intro episode, who knows. No conscious quotes tonight, just putting the focus on allowing the music to take its own path.

Just going for pretty sounds tonight. I tried to listen for multiple melodic lines and keep track of them. The only known quote was the beginning of the Star Trek theme as I started a piece. I had to, couldn't help it...

Happy birthday to my wonderful wife Sharon! Throughout this pandemic she has been usually my only in-person audience, but thankfully she enjoys what I do! Tonight's music felt like it had more movement in it; I posed the idea on the Facebook Piano Meditations Livestream that people may enjoy moving to the music, so I suppose that's why it felt that way... Anyway, on one piece I was kind of already falling into the chords for Gershwin's "Summertime", so at one point I tried actually playing it.  Interestingly, when you aren't quite sure of the harmonies and you have to depend on your ear, one can end up "re-harmonizing" by accident. Or is it? Hmmm...

Almost forgot it was St Patrick's Day! For the last piece I improvised a little 6/8 mixolydian mode thing to sound vaguely Irish... Somehow Moon River crept in on another piece. I started one piece with an idea towards fugue, but it ended up just being something in a minor key. In any case, hope you enjoy.

Some pieces felt great tonight; two in the middle less so. It seems I have the hardest time really listening and getting into a groove when I play 'genre-ish" music; either going for a jazz sound or using very functional harmony and chord changes. Curious to hear some feedback on this idea! Can you tell when I'm not feeling inspired?

Our friend Erik came over to listen! Sharon hosted a listening session on another platform, too; just having new ears added a sense of focus for me tonight. Hoping we can start to have more vaccinated people over soon. The second to last piece was quoting something, maybe Ravel's Bolero, maybe something else. Erik was talking about Chick Corea's "My Spanish Heart" so I may have been influenced! Enjoy.

Wow, episode 150! There's one spot where you may hear something else going on; Sharon was streaming on another platform and someone wasn't muted. Hey, it's a momentary duet! My hands were tired from chopping wood earlier today. Took a few minutes to loosen up. Anyway, enjoy! If you would, I'd appreciate a review of the podcast.

More live guests tonight! Feels so good to socialize again now that we're vaccinated. Nothing special to report about the music, but I hope you like it!

We had a huge crowd tonight; six people! ;) It's so wonderful beginning to play again for people in the room hearing the actual vibrations of the piano. Of course I'm very happy people enjoy the music on FB and the pro-audio podcast, too, but something unique does happen with the symbiosis of performer and audience. Tonight's music felt very good, hope you enjoy!

Another one in the books!

We're back to live audience in earnest! Eight people tonight, and some new guests! A couple quotes crept in; Brother Can You Spare a Dime, Rainbow Connection, maybe more. A nice waltz at the end, some minor ruminations, a jazzy romp, a little of everything tonight!

New guests again tonight! All vaccinated, feels great. The piano was just tuned by the great Victor La Gamma, so I always lean into the rich deep chords that just feel so good.

Tonight’s music is all an exploration of the three-note theme (1-7-6) offered by NASA to accompany the Lucy Mission, meant to encourage musical creation and discovery. NASA may use the music if they like (yes to Creative Commons license, NASA!). #nasalucysoundscape I tried to use the motif in many different ways. One of our guests tonight had associations with the different planets! One piece is very dissonant, which could be asteroids colliding... or whatever comes up for you. enjoy!

So nice to have live audiences again! I was feeling very mellow tonight, and I thought I'd be actually playing music for meditation tonight, but, as usual, the music went its own direction. Still pretty mellow, but I got into a few energetic grooves. Enjoy!