Autumn Wind (Improv in A min)

[Plowking]

Just wanted to throw this up - short piano improv in A minor.

Autumn Wind

[Michael A. Wiktor]

"...Wiktor's a Jekyll-Hyde personality..." - Lycos Music
http://www.miserymadebeautiful.com

[Cass Hansen]

Graham,

I'm always impressed on how this beautiful melodious stuff just seems to flow out of you effortlessly and sounds so polished. I'm envious you can improv like that and make it sound so good. I'm the type that writes, then re-writes, then writes again only to find I've put to much thought into it so the inspiration evaporates and sounds hacked together.

I also like the ending but even more the 3-single repeated notes at the beginning and then again towards the end, which ushers in the final thought. Makes it very pensive and says, "hold that thought".

Super! Thanks for posting.

Cass

[rbowser-]

Just wanted to throw this up...

"Throwing up" isn't the right image for this, Graham.---Sorry -

It's "late night in a dark room at a piano" to the maximum. Couldn't be more evocative, couldn't be more impressively delicate, poignant, and expressive. Man - your piano's a lucky creature to have you for its master.

Beautiful stuff, my man. Thanks.

Randy

[sunbird]

Lovely, Graham!

You have come up with a very romantic improvisation which I can hear
with the accompaniment of a mellow string orchestra…

One can feel your connection with your piano and your enjoyment of using it
as a tool for expression. And I like those little slowdowns and pauses
where you wait for the next string of notes to come…

Gentle and sensitive… Well done!


~ Yudit ~

[swinkler]

Very nice.

Was this totally improvised or did you have some sort of structure you were working within? I'm always curious when people post improvisations to what extent the improv goes.

[Plowking]

Hi everyone - ok first up, thanks for the kind words on this and my playing.

I've always tried to make my piano pieces as expressive as I can (if the music supports the idea), and its nice to see that that expression is clearly evident when people listen.

The idea of an improv is taken as flexible as there can often be an underlining direction or basic chord idea worked out before hand, and then just play within that. Or it can be just sit, pick a key, and make something up.

The latter is what I did here - hit record, sat and played. You might interested to learn that the single notes being played at the start are me thinking ok, 'note', what will I 'note', play...

And then again when I'm slowing down on a little scale run, I'm thinking again about where to go. The single notes again at 1:40ish are the same process again. 'What will I do?'

Sometimes this process produces something worth while, other times it goes on a bar too long and falls over itself. I'm thinking a bar ahead of what I'm playing, and trying to keep it together. I'm familar with playing that style of music and melody, so it's possible to get through it and keep it coherent. Much like a jazz player knows the scales and chords to ring fence an improv and keep it consistent, I tried to do that here in my mellow style of playing. It's a form of 'mental' structure, not a structure worked out 'on paper'.

Thanks for listening

[DelCarry]

Graham - the Steinway really suites your style. Very nicely done! Your excellent piano abilities most likely help you express what your are thinking or feeling which translates into really wonderful stuff.

Thanks for sharing your process as mine is sort of similar. I could never play the same thing twice and half of the time never know where it is coming from. Thank God for DAW recording programs.

Keep them coming!

Del