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In my studio, above the piano, I have a piece of artwork created in the '70s by my dear friend Nick Baron. I've kept it through years. It's of 'The Boys' when we were about 14 or 15. It's the inspiration for this piece.
Quite simply, this is how I felt when I sat at the piano this time: calm, measured, at peace...serene. The piano 'whispers' to the listener and asks if they would like to feel the same.
If anybody needs to take away anything from this song, it's the realisation that we all have this 'inner strength' somewhere. You may not know it, you may not know where it is, you may think that everything's hopeless, but its there! You may need help to access it but you have it!
Believe in yourself! You're stronger than you think! You can 'Deal with It!'
I was asked to produce a solo piano version of 'In Memoriam'. Yer tiz! It exposes the starkness of the piano giving a lonely, melancholic atmosphere.
I didn't know how my thoughts would manifest themselves via the piano, and it turned out that the overwhelming emotion I was experiencing was 'sadness'. This became the dominant nuance of my playing and expression.
Do you think things are going a bit mad? This track is me asking for the world to quieten down, just a bit...please!
Spoken word combining a calm, serene piano based backing with the cool drums of Emily Dolan Davies.
Do you ever feel like you've had enough? You need to make changes in your life? I felt like this and as usual, sat at the piano. I used the instrument to 'reset' my frame of mind, as a bridge from one life experience to another. The result is an expressive, dynamic piece full of changes of pace and touch. The overall effect instilling an air of calm and closing of a chapter. It's mood is also positive and conveys a feeling of optimism for the future.
A bombastic start where I let loose my frustration! Then...calm!
I said what I needed to say, now I've reset and at peace once again.
A simple piano piece with an air of calm and fulfilling phrases leading to a resolve. A pleasant melody and harmonic structure allows the listener to easily enjoy the flow of the piece which allows for a peaceful experience and, although in a minor key is quite uplifting.
Hence the ‘minor adjustment'.
I teach piano. While waiting in the studio for a young student, Wesley, I doodled. Always having the DAW recording, this piece emanated. What you hear is the actual doodle. It's how I was feeling at the time, calm, relaxed, just chilling and getting my mind ready for a fun, stimulating and creative session. Mentally preparing.
It's a bluesy, rocky, dancy sort of thing using minor chords, a synthy echoey lead at the end and in the middle me actually singing (I use the term very loosely). In order to do this, having absolutely no confidence as a singer, I had to delve into my inner Elvis (which I'm sure everyone has), which is plainly evident as you will hear.
This piece is a sonic yearning. A delicate piano forms a foundation for one instrument in isolation. This is a viola, its sound shaped to represent the dichotomy of pain and calm in the acceptance of never attaining one's desire, an inner wailing. The piece is one of mood rather than form, the piano arrangement ever restless in shape and dynamics, the wistful, distant, melancholic tone of the viola giving a sense of wishful longing.
I love the sound of a cello and wanted to create a piano/cello piece . My heritage is Celtic and I hadn't heard a piano/cello arrangement flavoured by this so I created one. I wanted to emphasis the beauty, melancholy and expressiveness of the cello's tone so created a minimalist piano piece for a haunting melody to compliment. The cello responds to the piano but rather than following weaves its own path, the instruments intertwining.
I sit at the piano. I let my fingers be the conduit between feelings and the piano. I record the experience. The result is an improvised solo piano piece full of expression, dynamic range, melody and emotion. It's a 'one off', a unique performance captured for an audience to listen and imagination to be stimulated.
Solo piano piece written especially to calm and soothe. Chill and relax to the tone and expression of the playing. An easy arrangement sets up mellow vibes to 'Ease Your Day'!
0400, a Summer's morning in my garden, the 'dawn chorus'. I've taken my last release 'Summer Piano Improv', raised it an octave and added an evolving, evocative, ambient arrangement. The two compliment each other to envoke a calm, grounding start to a day. Both meditative and emotionally stimulating the piece encourages the imagination and, with a satisfying coda envokes a sense of peace and completion.
My piano pieces are all about 'feeling' and communication of emotion. I have been told many times that I have a great 'touch' and very expressive when playing the piano. I decided that it might be interesting to capture this in a 'live', improvised session. This piece is this attempt. I thought it may be fun and interesting to release it and maybe people would enjoy the spontaneity and free expression.
'This is a bit of fun! A funky, bluesy jam to the drums of Emily Dolan Davies. 'You Got a Day' celebrates the fact that you got a day! I know for some people having to live through another day may not be a great prospect, but at the moment of recording I felt joyous that I had another day, another day free of the chains of addiction and mental health struggles. If I can do it, you can too!'
A personal awakening from creative comatose.
A conversation with myself when I was going through dark times. Deals with mental health and the struggles it can cause offering a mantra to evoke positivity.
This is a version of Dream Away with an addition of a choir arrangement. The choir voices were taken from about 400 people from the community and is a mixture of all sorts giving it a great tone. The choir samples is a Pianobook project by Christian Henson called ‘Winter Voices’.
Just a piano. An original piece which hopefully relaxes and soothes.
An instrumental piano oriented track based on four musical doodles in a cinematic style. An ambient, sparse beginning leads to a crescendo utilising percussion and a full sound. A gentle descending piano finishes the piece.
My piano pieces are all about 'feeling' and communication of emotion. I have been told that I have a great 'touch' and I'm very expressive when playing the piano. I decided that it might be interesting to capture this in a 'live', improvised session. This piece is this attempt. I thought it may be fun and interesting to release it and maybe people would enjoy the spontaneity and free expression.
My first serious solo piano piece written several years ago. Recorded in one sitting from memory. It's surprising how music can sit in your brain and re-emerge after a period of dormancy almost intact.
I was asked to create music for meditation, this is it. I chose a very simple melody over a repeating chord pattern with emphasis on an ambient/vocal sound to create a human like medatitive sound. There are subtle changes as the meditation proceeds but the emphasis is on a calm, relaxing and cyclic ambience. The idea is to generate a peaceful mood of wellness within the listener.
I had a little classical piano motif in my head. Sat at the piano to develop it, didn't quite 'feel' it, 'felt'something else and out popped this piece.
So, I went back into the studio to do a live take/video for social media.
Of course, I wasn't waiting for Wesley and it came out slightly differently.
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