#37: Improvisational Nocturn
I promised myself I'd get to bed before 1 AM this evening. This week has been a string of late nights preparing presents and dishes for family functions. I guess it didn't happen. My wife went to bed early feeling under the weather. I started to get a little moody as I am apt to do from time to time. I decided to work through it at the keyboard. I also decided to record it. And now here I am posting it online.
I've been improvising on the piano since high school. I was fortunate enough to attend one with a music wing and dedicated sound proof practice rooms. Though I played saxophone at the time, I often would slip into one of those rooms and tinker on the piano whenever I could steal a minute... during lunch, after school, etc. It was a good stress reliever.
A few years ago I bought a small digital "virtual studio" (this was pre-Garage Band days) to start recording some of my compositions, though I use that term loosely. Most of what I create is very ephemeral. I have no background in reading piano music. I doubt I could reproduce anything I play. I only hit record when the mood strikes, capturing only a fraction of what flows through me. I'm okay with that, though. It's all about the moment of creation and the creative spark.
I don't have much background in audio engineering either, so this recording is pretty raw. It was recorded in one take. No overdubs or edits. I transferred it into Garage Band, slapped a small amount of reverb on it, converted it to AAC and uploaded it here.
So if you find yourself in a bit of a mood tonight or tomorrow or sometime this holiday season, this track is dedicated to you.
Posted by Brahm at December 26, 2009 01:53 AM