MY IMPROVIZED PIANO SESSIONS

To improve my piano playing, I record myself improvising on the fly – mostly video game music. I’m a classically trained pianist since the age of 5 (who enjoyed a kind of D-list internet celebrity in the 2000’s) trying to get back into the music scene, flourish as a musician, and craft an album all at the same time.

I record and listen to myself often to improve my technique, but I also want to embrace a “warts-and-all” approach to presenting creativity. So, in utter embarrassment, I present all my fumbles, fat fingers, creative cul-de-sacs, and generally bad playing in the service of showing you the excellence begins with an astounding amount of oopsies. Check back often, as I will frequently replace this practice session with others.

0:00 The Legend of Zelda – Medley ●

4:20 Skyrim – Town Theme

6:20 Super Metroid – Underground Depths

8:23 Doom – E1M7, Demons on the Prey △

10:38 Super Metroid – Norfair Theme

12:06 Torin’s Passage – Overworld Theme

13:12 Kingdom Hearts – Dearly Beloved

14:51 The Little Mermaid – Part of your World

16:27 Chrono Trigger – Frog’s Theme

19:02 Quest for Glory 1 – Fairy Ring Theme ●●

21:20 Heroes of Might and Magic 2 – Sorceress’ Theme ●

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Highlight ● Learning by Ear △ Best of the Session ●●

Recorded November 9th, 2020

I’m toying more and more with the idea of presenting micro-concerts; a playlist of music embedded in videos specifically for Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. The idea is, in lieu of concerts and outdoor musical venues in the throes of Covid’s second wave – the need for more mobile-centric music will skyrocket. If true, the way we consume music is going to dramatically change, which means the way we think about making it should adjust accordingly.

So I’m thinking more of very small, compact, “gourmet” songs. That means an avoidance of repetition and expectant chords. Each second is used to express newer, fresher ideas, and leave as quickly as it all came together.

And secretly, I’d like to encourage myself to cut an album with much smaller songs… if for no other reason to make the album a reality.

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ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY?

OLDER RECORDINGS

0:00 The Legend of Zelda Series – Medley ●

2:17 The Legend of Zelda OOT – Song of Storms

3:31 Dungeon Explorer – Cherry Tower

4:54 Starfox – Main Theme

5:29 Kingdom Hearts – Dearly Beloved

6:50 I accidentally recorded over myself, but the interplay here is just so pretty & unusual

7:52 And here the overlap is just… unlistenable. Sorry! Just skip Ahead

12:49 Final Fantasy VII – Jenova’s Theme △

14:14 Metroid Prime – Phendrana Drifts

16:16 Battle of Olympus – Name Entry Form ●

18:20 Original – The Fantabulous Airballoon Adventures of H.G. HuggleDuff, esq. ●●

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Highlight ● Learning by Ear △ Best of the Session ●●

Recorded October 31st, 2020

I love this recording so much, mostly because of the horrible mistake I make around 6:50. See, I must have misclicked, but I ended up recording over a previous section, and it’s impossible to seperate the audio once it’s spot-welded like that. But I was playing in the same key, just not the same time, and the result is… interesting

Right before it crashes into a telephone pole and hobbles down the road. There’s a good 5 minutes that’s just unlistenable because of the cacophany, so my apologies in advance. But I really like everything else about the recording, especially throwing in a little more original work at the end, as opposed to just completely nerding out on video game music (not that there’s anything wrong with that, George!)

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0:29 The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim – Main Theme

2:11 Final Fantasy VI – Terra’s Theme

4:30 Nier Automata – City Ruins ●

8:18 The Legend of Zelda, LttP- Dark World Theme △

8:49 The Legend of Zelda – Overworld Theme

9:09 The Legend of Zelda – Fairy Theme

10:36 Super Mario World – Overworld Theme △

12:45 The Legend of Zelda II – Grand Palace Theme

14:22 Smash Bros Melee – Main Theme △●●

16:00 The Guardian Legend – Finale Theme ●

18:50 Super Metroid – Jungle Theme

20:10 Radical Dreamers – Main theme

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Highlight ● Learning by Ear △ Best of the Session ●●

Recorded August 14th, 2020

Now that I’ve been recording my practice and presenting them in this formal and disarmingly social setting, I’ve noticed my sound changing. Not so much a change in dynamics or mood – a change in how I think about practice. It’s not so much me noodling around at the piano in front of a pretty landscape. It’s something I’ll listen to for hours on end to scrutinize. It’s something that will represent me and my talents these days. It’s also rough and laughably raw, so how vain could I possibly be? Presenting finished work to the public eye is one thing. Revealing all levers and pullies it took to get there is quite another.

But dear God, will somebody teach this kid to hit the right notes ON TIME? I can hear every flub and missed 32nd note as clear as breaking glass in a crystal showroom. Part of the benefits of listening to your practice: you can hear what would be unacceptable in a Spotify album.

Recognizable Themes

0:00 Metroid – Kraid’s Theme

1:40 Dark Souls – Gwen’s Theme

2:20 Super Metroid – Norfair Theme

3:17 Earthbound – Onett Theme

4:38 Heroes of Might and Magic 2 – Sorceress’ Theme ●●

7:10 The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Song of Storms ●

9:13 Nier Automata – City Ruins

10:53 Legendary Wings – Level 2 ●

13:55 The Legend of Zelda II – Grand Palace Theme

15:48 Echochrome 2 – Main Theme △

19:50 God of War – Main Theme

21:42 Final Fantasy VII – Highwind Theme

22:55 Final Fantasy – Prelude ●

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Highlight ● Learning by Ear △ Best of the Session ●●

Recorded August 2nd, 2020

This was the session that convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt of two things. 1.) my chord structures are getting more exotic by the day and 2.) my rhythm has been shot to hell from the decades of not focusing on my technique. The edict from here on out is to practice with a metronome and see if I can hammer home the lesson that time is a rule, not a guideline.

The addition of linking more people to my practice has dramatically changed how I practice. The social element alone presents unique ways of listening: what is a highlight? What is fluff? What’s the dividing line? I’ve known for a long time that the public eye demands a kind of excellence from you that’s hard to simulate. But it never occurred to me that practice would similarly improve under public scrutiny as well.

Highlights include the obscure beauty The Sorceress’ Theme that I’ve loved since the moment I first heard it. The syncopated head-boppin’ joy of The Song of Storms around 8:12. 15:48 is especially fun, because you get to hear me try to figure out the Echochrome 2 theme song by ear in real time. By around 18:00, you can hear me finally start to “get it”. It’s pretty fun to hear the gears turning.