Piano Journeys

I've decided to start releasing my piano music as albums on a variety of streaming sites, including Spotify, Amazon Music, and iHeart radio. As a result, I will no longer adding new songs to the podcast. I will be releasing songs under the name "If Pianos Could". Below you can find links to my first album, "Opening Moves". The album on Spotify The album on YouTube The album on iHeart The album on Amazon Music Thanks for listening to Piano Journeys! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This song is an attempt to have a unique, quirky feel to it, unlike most of my other pieces. After the performance was done (which was on a single take), I realized I might have been influenced by a new Tori Amos song I heard yesterday. Nothing specific, but perhaps her quirky creativity inspired me somehow, hence the title. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This piece features a driving beat on a single note accompanied by chords every few beats, and is more about rhythm than anything else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A simple piece that focuses on movement in the left hand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this song rather than focus on atmosphere, I tried to develop a melody. Because I forgot to turn off Wifi on my phone when recording, I got static during one part and had to cut around 20 seconds from 0:50, but I tried to keep the transition smooth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This piece is just about trying to get energy out and into the piano, into the world, and that energy is mostly in the form of movement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A tender, nostalgic piece that might be a good background piece for a movie about young romance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this song I didn't hesitate to use many of my traditional phrases and chords, but instead focused on playing with them emotion, and telling a story. Sometimes the song title hits me midway through playing, but this time I had to listen to the recording all the way through before it struck me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An amelodic piece build off cascading 9th chords (with other chords thrown in). I think of this more of background music for a movie. Listening to it moment-to-moment isn't necessarily engaging, but my hope is that by the end you feel like you experienced something different, some sort of cryptic story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was listening to a good interview of the musician Sting (on Rick Beato's YouTube channel) and he said he loved 3/4 time, so I decided to make today's composition in mostly 3/4. It ended up with a nice melodic piece that (to me) invokes rolling country fields. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A song where I tried to really put some thought and feeling into the chord structure. There's a simple melody that things are built off, but the chords are the focus. For this song I did a little pre-practice and recording (roughly 20 minutes), so perhaps the overall quality or at least compositional complexity is a bit higher than average. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My attempt at a jazzy, offbeat piece. Partway through I realized I was being influenced by the classic "Take Five" song, so I decided to name this 変取五, which is formed from the Japanese characters for "strange" "take" and "five". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I intended to upload this yesterday, but mysteriously it disappeared, so uploading it again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this piece I tried to give a feeling of nostalgia, not unlike that felt towards an old pair of well-worn shoes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A short, jazzy improv with only the right hand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hakuchuumu (白昼夢) means something like a dream except we experience it while still awake, something like a reverie. And yes, this was likely partially inspired by Debussy's Reverie (: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A song's whose primary goal was stay quiet and peaceful (and not wake someone sleeping in a nearby room). The soft pedal (left mode pedal) was pressed down the entire time. I was likely inspired by those songs you hear when watching videos of beautiful scenery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this song I ended up developing a simple chord progression in a style that is somewhat rare for me, that I can only call "soulful" or perhaps blues-influenced. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A piece characterized by nearly endless spiraling runs in both hands, creating a mysterious atmosphere that leads to the unknown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A complex, amelodic, epic piece that was intended as the opposite of my last piece (which tried hard to fit a certain mold). Maybe there's a bit of Debussy influence in it? This piece came in in just around 6 minutes, which is one of the longest pieces I've recorded in some time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a change of pace: this is my quick attempt a Fugue inspired by Bach's works, however since it is made on the fly and not composed properly like a real Fugue, I call it a "Faux Fugue". I hope to try more pieces like this in the future, and hopefully I can learn to more masterfully make a Fugue-like sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'd like to introduce a new instrument to change things up a little: a Harp. My harp skill is a bit rudimentary, but if I just think it's a piano I'm able to do some basic things. I've managed to do a duet here with Piano + Harp, recording both at the same time. Position-wise it's a bit awkward, but maybe next time I'll try to hold it a bit differently. Anyway, I hope you like it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A frenetic jazz piece that showcases fast movement in the right hand and funky rhythms in the left. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a change, rather than a one-shot improv piece I tried to do some pre-composition before recording, and then do a few takes to see if I can gradually improve the result. While this can result more structured (and potentially musical) melodies, it's somewhat time-consuming. Partway through I realized that this style was influenced by some classical piece(s) I had practiced in the past, but not sure off hand which. In any case, I always appreciate feedback on which songs you like. Please email me at jdpianojourneys@gmail.com for any feedback. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A bright, peaceful melody with a bit of disturbance here and there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A wistful, nostalgic piece. I think the fact my piano is slightly out of tune actually helps the atmosphere on this one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A energetic piece with a tight structure, inspired by classic David Benoit works. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'll just let the music speak for this one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A complex, creative piece that switches from a simple intro to a series of thick, rich chords around one-third through. While I made a few slip-ups and considered stopping partway through, I decided to keep going and I was very happy with how it turned out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A simple piece that is a weird mix of honkey-tonk and jazz. This piece is much more structured than my average piece (and for a change I used no pedal!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An atmospheric piece that was inspired by some of Debussy's works. Recorded in a single take (as with most of the works on here.) I accidentally had the microphone level a bit too high so apologies if some of the louder stuff is a little distorted. (Overall the volume level should be close to that of the last piece though.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A short, sweet piece with a feeling of nostalgia that transitions between high and mid-low registers of the piano. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A very newagey melody that, after I listened to it, is clearly influenced by early Yanni works. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I piece without a theme when I was feeling especially creative. Sometimes (perhaps often?) even I don't know where these melodies will go until I try to play them. Named "Take Four" because when I looked at the recorder, the time was exactly 4:00 (though a few empty seconds got shaved off this when I prepared the final file). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A complex atonal piece that is more about atmosphere than any clear melody lines. I composed this with the feeling of being background music for some sort of movie. I haven't done many pieces like this and am curious how it sounds. Let me know what you think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm really happy to have made it to episode 50! Thank you very much to all the listeners who have checked out this podcast. I'm curious to hear feedback about the songs so far and any requests you have (genres, etc.) Please email me at "jdpianojourneys@gmail.com". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A dramatic piece of contrasts, which I felt quite inspired during, and overall feels somewhat cohesive as a story. While listening to it the word "fantasy" came into mind, hence the title. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An odd piece with various rhythms and chord structures that somehow pulls itself together as a song. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A peaceful, pondering piece that is one of the more melodic and structured than the majority of my recent works. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An jazzy improvisational melody based on a free-flowing right hand, backed up by major chords in the left hand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An improvisation session where I felt particularly inspired. By the way, near the end of the song the microphone fell off the piano lid onto the strings, making a horrible sound. I managed to cut around a second so that you can't hear it, but at the very end there is a strange tinny sound when I try play one of those strings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Non-themed improv where I tried to use some of my usual patterns in a different way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes you just want to express, without any specific ideas in mind. Fun Fact: the little clunking sound at the end of the song was my head banging lightly against the stand sitting behind me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A song with a simple melody that brings to mind a player piano. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A simple, upbeat melody that is heavy on structure and light on improvisation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A lively piece loosely inspired by an Irish Jig. (Note: there is no connection to the Will Smith song with a similar name.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This song is more about the physical aspect of extending my fingers than the mood created by that, though perhaps you can also think of it as an extension of my ability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A slow, methodical piece that focuses on a sense of expectancy and tension. But does it ever resolve? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A short piece focusing on a catchy main melody, interspersed with contrasting parts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A dramatic piece involving a recurring theme and various diversions, painting a complex picture over time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.