Music from My Mother's Piano 3

I had one last full day of piano recording. Now the piano has been crated up by the shippers, and the old house is now truly and completely empty.

At the last, I recorded some good material, on those last few days of recording. Some good short improvisations, inspired by the warm green days in late June and early July. I recorded in the afternoon heat, with the verdant foliage outside the windows, and the clear blue sky.

Greening

flowerfall

I recorded a hymn-like version of the second of these three new pieces I have composed at the piano. I need to get around to transcribing them all, later. I also realize that, later on, since this piano is being shipped away, I will need to get myself another piano. Probably something smaller, even electronic; as long as the action and the sound are what I want, I can compose on it; when writing for piano, or chorus, it is very helpful to have the reference of being able to play it through. Other kinds of music don't need to be written at the piano; or at least I've never needed to do so.

the essential has remained: hymn

I also stumbled upon a new piece, which I played and recorded, and will later have to transcribe. This is a piece I must develop a bit more, but it is finished in its elements, and essence. I have yet to edit it for posting, but I will as soon as I have time.

The piano has fallen out of tune, which was expected. It's been very hot and humid, and when I had it tuned in April, it had been several years since its last tuning. And the flooding here in southern Wisconsin: the flood warnings have been continuous for months now, never removed from the weather service maps. Turtle Creek has returned to normal, but the flood waters on the Rock River are still taking their time to retreat. And last night we had another two inches of heavy rain. I sat outside in the garage for a while and watched the amazing lightning show, before the rains came down.



Still, even though some of these pieces will sound a little out of tune in these recordings, the process has been both useful and liberating. It's a way to start over, to get back to writing music, after some time away from it due to life's circumstances. Some of the pieces I will re-record later, on a tuned piano, in the studio, under better conditions. Let them stand for now as record of the process, if not as the ultimate versions of what can be done.