Yesterday I was inspired to write a new piano piece. (Actually probably a "computer" piano piece... not necessarily possible/tolerable for human performance.) Got 5 minutes of it. I'll probably change it to an extent, but I'm happy with it. It's a new approach for me... one that still needs to be nourished to see where I can go with it -- where it will be more unique (personal to my own voice, not someone else's -- always the creative challenge.) Not terribly sophisticated which is probably why I initially drafted it so quickly.

Still, it's the first bit of music I've written fresh in 3 years!!

Genesis:

Tracey heard me improvising chord progressions on our little piano we have in our living room. She liked what I was playing, and wanted music like it to use in a video for time lapse sequences. As you may know, I want to score music for her and Russ for their videos and movies. Very much looking forward to those projects!

This is repetitive and decidedly so, but perhaps "minimalist" is not a perfect term as it's not that "hard core, and what, almost too simple minded to be "minimalist?" Suffice to say there is no distinct melody or "story" to it. It just sort of *is* and evolves.... and yah, you can hear maybe Glass style rhythms, etc.. my apologies. I am not claiming this to be super original.

You'll hear it just being a bunch of piano progressions: descending through ALL of the "Circle of Fifths" Major Keys (C, down to F, down to B-flat, down to E-flat ,etc -- very traditional... and essentially back to C) and arpeggios (broken chords -- meaning chords where each note is not played together, but sequentially). It also sounds a lot like a piano etude, or exercise. Which, heck, I don't mind it being used for at all. I play with rhythms too, with common time (in 4) having triplets (in 3 or in 6) interspersed.

After 1:00 (one minute) I change it up and go into other patterns ... just improvising around...

There is a LOT of virtuosity going on in the fingers... thank god a computer is playing this. I certainly can't. Hopefully the rhythms aren't too repetitive for you...but that's sort of the point. They should however, keep your interest as they do mine. I'd get bored if the piece was absolutely the SAME from moment to moment. This piece however, can also completely annoy you ... which is perfectly fine ;-)

It's probably best listened to with headphones with your eyes closed. Where you can concentrate on the changes and how they make you feel. If you can imagine a video with it too, great... but no dialog per se. Let your mind wander.

John Adams, wrote the opera "Nixon in China", which my voice professor in college had a premier role in btw, and a piece which recently Tracey and I have been listening a lot to. "Nixon" is a fun work to listen to, and the marriage of libretto and the music, pretty amazing. And yet, it's a "modern" or even "post modern" piece of music that you actually ENJOY listening to ;-) Not that this piece is "Adams" ish, per se, I just have to say I'm influenced by him, but I'm not sure how it will manifest itself quite yet.

New Piece

- Hunter