*=Favorites.
With a little quote from Prokofiev’s violin sonata thrown in for good measure.
10/31/23
Trying to improvise using only thumbs. Slipped up once in the middle, hence the song title.
10/02/23
*=Favorites.
Inspired by a passage from the lovely and peaceable book, “The Perfect Wrong Note,” by William Westney.
09/14/23
*=Favorites.
I don’t know what scale degree 0 would be, so I used ^10 (interpreted as ^3 above the octave) instead. My first attempt at an improv exercise invented by the ballet-pianist Karen MacIver.
Also, if you happen to want my number, it’s in there too.
No, my number is not 911.
09/13/23
A creative way to explore scale sonorities that a student and I discovered earlier today.
09/12/23
It’s getting pretty late.
(Korg 09/10/23).
Yes
(Korg 09/07/23).
Jamming, carefully and considerately, while playing in an unfamiliar style.
(Korg 08/30/23).
Recorded 08/21/23. Playing with repetitive figures.
Who cares?
Been practicing lots of Joplin the last two days. That combined in a fairly recent interest in attempting to learn jazz again resulted in wanting to riff on this excerpt. Not really sure how to categorize it. Maybe “spazz”
(Korg 08/18/23).
Loosely inspired by recent readings from a passage about the inspiration for Rilke’s first Duino Elegy. Ravel Left Hand Concerto quote towards the end.
(Korg 08/16/23).
Dunno. But I am.
(Korg 08/10/23).
Korg SP-250, 07/29/23. Wanted to see what I would do given a shorter time-frame. And check off the improv habit task on my phone :)
Recorded on a Yamaha upright, July 19, 2023. A little predictable, trope-y, and heartthrob-y - but I still liked it.
Didn’t feel very inspired in the moment, but still sharing in the spirit of incremental progress and being able to someday look back on how all of these progressed.
What do you think tmp stands for?
Too much power? Too many pineapples? Two managers party? The mice persist? They’re making pies? Tobias, meet Pennie?
thumbs? ~ my pleasure!
…and there he was, in all his shining glory.
far yonder in ages of golde
old Jacques found a street to dispose
he steadied the bit
and tightened his grip,
‘twas manifest good to behold
Korg, phone recording, morning of 06.27.23. There’s construction going on right outside the apartment today and I hoped to produce a one-of-a-kind piano and jackhammer duet. Alas…
Korg SP-250, Phone recording, 06.10.23. Assigning names moving forward.
Korg SP-250, Phone recording, 06.09.23. Lots of quotes from…me?? Goodness.
Deliberate reference to the beginning of improv 2 towards the end of this one, and definitely drawing from other improvs elsewhere. Reduce, reuse, recycle baby!
Korg SP-250, Phone recording, 06.08.23. Unfortunately lost some momentum the past few days - hoping to rebound and continue refining in terms of deliberating and choosing each note.
Korg SP-250, Phone recording, 06.04.23. I tried being more deliberate about each note this morning (a directive stolen from the wonderful Aaron Pond), which resulted in a sparser, less tonal improvisation. It is easy, in improv as well as writing and speech, to let ideas flow without giving them any thought. In loosely attempting to grow as an improviser, I want to practice this more-critical style of intentionally choosing and linking every note and silence.
Recorded on my phone, 06.03.23, on the Korg this time. Tried to match to ceiling fan beat. Definitely not putting this here just for the sake of keeping up this nice little improv streak…
Recorded on my phone, 06.02.23. Less quotes. Felt like a weirder juxtaposition of ideas in the moment. Attempting to depart a bit from musical patterns showing up in the other improvs.
Recorded on my phone, 06.01.23. Lots of quotes, revolving around and returning to the Vulfpeck intro music.
Recorded on my phone, 05.31.23. Not sure where that came from! Star Wars reference and some heavy metal piano towards the middle/end.
Recorded on my phone, 05.31.23. Mostly hovering around Db Major/Bb minor, with a couple unintentional Balakirev/Debussy references.