Sparse music with flow and poetry
In this piece, “Darkest Before Dawn”, I use the poetic structure of the rhythmic matrix or groove to generate a powerful feeling of poetic flow and deep, melancholy feeling. It’s easy to play the notes, as there are so few of them, but the poetry needs disciplined focus as you let go to feel the waves of flowing energy. The sheet music is available here.
Clear rhythmic structure in Chopin’s Prelude in E minor generates a dark story
By allowing the symmetry and flow of rhythmic structure or groove to unfold with natural strength, with elastic tempo rubato that never breaks the flow, this piece tells its story with understated power. Without needing to exaggerate or emote, the darkness, melancholy and aching beauty emerge naturally.
How to play with great rhythm – 7 important keys
How to practise to make your playing rhythmically flowing and stable can be quite a conundrum. People often struggle to feel confident that they’re playing the correct rhythm and they tend to worry about going out of time. Often they resort to practising with a metronome and try to be perfectly in time but this just leads to more problems, tension and stiff unmusical playing. In this short video, I explain how to approach improving your rhythm and developing a strong sense of musical pulse and metre. Put these 7 keys to good rhythm into practice and you’ll find that playing with great rhythm can be easy and natural.
How to use an audible groove to sense the music’s structure
When music has some kind of accompanying figuration that shows the underlying groove, that can be a very helpful way to feel the rhythmic structure of the music as it unfolds. But you still need to consciously generate a strong matrix structure and know where you are within it at every moment, so that the music makes perfect sense – like a poem.
Who knew quick 11/16 time could have a flowing lilt?
On a hot humid day, I decided to make a refreshing, sweet piano improvisation over a cool groove in 11/16 time.
Returning to normal after bizarre dreams
The imagination can invent such extraordinary dreams that can leave us feeling a little untethered. Music has the power to bring us back to our centre.
Telling my story candidly is not always comfortable
I believe music helps us make sense of life in all its complexity and confusion. So that means I have to share the complexity and confusion of my life. Yikes!
Improvising some big sounds on Pianoteq’s new Bösendorfer model
Listen to Pianoteq’s new Bösendorfer – a massive piano with a tremendous, thick, warm tone.
I’ve finally got my act together!
For many years, the way I have made music privately for myself and how I’ve shared it publicly have not quite matched. So now I’ve decided to stop hiding behind other genres and to share my improvisations, pieces and songs exactly as they are.
How to get a fluent sense of tonality
Tonality works according to some basic, solid principles that we can easily learn. But we must also use strong expressive intention which is based more on rhythm and cadence than theory.