This is an interesting post. I personally have focused on immediacy in my work for years now - since the kids came along - and have accepted the mistakes and imperfections as part of what makes the work interesting. I have also been sharing a new track every week on my substack - most of which are unfinished pieces. Isn’t it funny that we are always so keen to show people only the good or perfect. It’s as true in life as it is art and yet, nothing and nobody is perfect and more often than not it’s the imperfections that make art and life and people so interesting.
Yes, absolutely, some really interesting points here, and you're definitely right to link to other aspects of life as well our creative endeavours. It's a dangerous hole we can all so easily end up in, for sure.
I remember getting an extremely cross email from someone who had bought my first album on vinyl, having heard me perform it on a pretty nice grand piano. To his shock, surprise and - sadly - anger, he wasn't quite as appreciative of the felted piano sound, and the auditory quirks (pedal noises, stool squeaks etc) I'd decided to leave in. We had an interesting back and forth about it, and eventually I refunded the purchase for him, as I couldn't be bothered with it! But interesting nonetheless.
I'm intrigued as to how you're finding the regularity of sharing something new, especially with the context of time constraints. Do you set yourself a specific time to do it? And do you ever feel a frustration - resentment too strong a word - with "having to do something" because of the commitment to doing it?
Oh that it is a difficult one! I mean, I personally don't think you should ever assume that what you hear in a live setting is a true reflection of what you will get with a recording. That seems quite naive on the part of the customer! I can understand why you just washed your hands of it.
So I set out this year to create a new piece each week. That could be a piano piece or something else - depending on my mood. It wasn't specific to glacis either so I was open minded about what I could produce and knew that these could just be sketches of something to come. So far I have managed to produce something each week that I am happy to share. I am interested in where these pieces go I guess. And I've always been interested in hearing songs in more stripped back forms. For example - Wilco are one of my favourite bands but I love hearing Jeff Tweedy acoustic because I then feel more connected to the original idea. I love on his substack when he shares demos of tracks off albums. You then start to understand how songs became songs. And I find that fascinating. I guess I'm doing it the other way - allowing people to hear ideas and maybe there will be an interest in where these ideas or beginnings go and what they become. I don't know. And no, I don't feel frustration because part of the reason for doing it was because it's good for my mental health to be creative. It's the same with my target of running 100km a month - I am doing it because it helps my mind. The body benefits are good but it's not the main purpose. So I set the targets for healthy reasons and, as such, believe that I avoid negative emotions of the targets. If that makes sense?
The piece is great. I don't think you should change anything. Maybe an extra polish here and there, what you would obviously do before taking it to the studio. Errors? Oh, please you're just "playing away"... They're irrelevant. I hope you can record and release this piece soon. Congratulations for your work!
Thanks very much for your thoughts, Luiz! Very interesting. I guess we all tend to hear the little slips and fractional changes in intensity or accuracy so much more than the average listener who is hearing it for the first time. A good challenge for me, thank you!
"There comes a time in any creative person’s life/career where one has to acknowledge they can’t do everything they wished they could. It’s probably the most important realisation we can have." YES!! Thank you for your wise words and your courage to be vulnerable. And the work in progress--lovely! I can't wait to see where it takes you.
Thanks so much, as ever, Rhonda! Yes, on reflection I really do think I like that as a couple of sentences, and I'm pleased it resonates with you too. I shall take your kind 'wisdom' compliment and put it in my phantom back-pocket for when I need encouragement 😊
Thanks, too, for mentioning the courage of vulnerability. It's very often something of a challenge for creative people to do/be, me included, but it's always such a heartening thing to do, I'm surprised we (certainly I) don't remember it more regularly.
And thank you - a little more movement and rhythmicality than I've used of late, but I was especially enjoying both the reverberant space and the carry of the larger grand piano in filling the room, which encouraged me to keep adding to it. Still slightly unsure of whether to see the rippling effect of the RH as two distinctly different rhythms or whether to take an especially moltissimo rubato approach to it and see it as one and the same.
Fun to play though, and fun to share. Thanks for your thoughts!
This is an interesting post. I personally have focused on immediacy in my work for years now - since the kids came along - and have accepted the mistakes and imperfections as part of what makes the work interesting. I have also been sharing a new track every week on my substack - most of which are unfinished pieces. Isn’t it funny that we are always so keen to show people only the good or perfect. It’s as true in life as it is art and yet, nothing and nobody is perfect and more often than not it’s the imperfections that make art and life and people so interesting.
Yes, absolutely, some really interesting points here, and you're definitely right to link to other aspects of life as well our creative endeavours. It's a dangerous hole we can all so easily end up in, for sure.
I remember getting an extremely cross email from someone who had bought my first album on vinyl, having heard me perform it on a pretty nice grand piano. To his shock, surprise and - sadly - anger, he wasn't quite as appreciative of the felted piano sound, and the auditory quirks (pedal noises, stool squeaks etc) I'd decided to leave in. We had an interesting back and forth about it, and eventually I refunded the purchase for him, as I couldn't be bothered with it! But interesting nonetheless.
I'm intrigued as to how you're finding the regularity of sharing something new, especially with the context of time constraints. Do you set yourself a specific time to do it? And do you ever feel a frustration - resentment too strong a word - with "having to do something" because of the commitment to doing it?
Oh that it is a difficult one! I mean, I personally don't think you should ever assume that what you hear in a live setting is a true reflection of what you will get with a recording. That seems quite naive on the part of the customer! I can understand why you just washed your hands of it.
So I set out this year to create a new piece each week. That could be a piano piece or something else - depending on my mood. It wasn't specific to glacis either so I was open minded about what I could produce and knew that these could just be sketches of something to come. So far I have managed to produce something each week that I am happy to share. I am interested in where these pieces go I guess. And I've always been interested in hearing songs in more stripped back forms. For example - Wilco are one of my favourite bands but I love hearing Jeff Tweedy acoustic because I then feel more connected to the original idea. I love on his substack when he shares demos of tracks off albums. You then start to understand how songs became songs. And I find that fascinating. I guess I'm doing it the other way - allowing people to hear ideas and maybe there will be an interest in where these ideas or beginnings go and what they become. I don't know. And no, I don't feel frustration because part of the reason for doing it was because it's good for my mental health to be creative. It's the same with my target of running 100km a month - I am doing it because it helps my mind. The body benefits are good but it's not the main purpose. So I set the targets for healthy reasons and, as such, believe that I avoid negative emotions of the targets. If that makes sense?
Romantic.
Can I hear other movements coming on the horizon?
Oooh, interesting! Movements as in additional sections within a larger piece as a whole? Or even greater rhythmical movement?! Food for thought....!
I was thinking of additional sections, which would, of course, open up the possibility of greater rhythmical movement.
Interesting! Logged and noted, thanks as ever for listening!
The piece is great. I don't think you should change anything. Maybe an extra polish here and there, what you would obviously do before taking it to the studio. Errors? Oh, please you're just "playing away"... They're irrelevant. I hope you can record and release this piece soon. Congratulations for your work!
Thanks very much for your thoughts, Luiz! Very interesting. I guess we all tend to hear the little slips and fractional changes in intensity or accuracy so much more than the average listener who is hearing it for the first time. A good challenge for me, thank you!
Thank you for your comments and encouragement!
"There comes a time in any creative person’s life/career where one has to acknowledge they can’t do everything they wished they could. It’s probably the most important realisation we can have." YES!! Thank you for your wise words and your courage to be vulnerable. And the work in progress--lovely! I can't wait to see where it takes you.
Thanks so much, as ever, Rhonda! Yes, on reflection I really do think I like that as a couple of sentences, and I'm pleased it resonates with you too. I shall take your kind 'wisdom' compliment and put it in my phantom back-pocket for when I need encouragement 😊
Thanks, too, for mentioning the courage of vulnerability. It's very often something of a challenge for creative people to do/be, me included, but it's always such a heartening thing to do, I'm surprised we (certainly I) don't remember it more regularly.
And thank you - a little more movement and rhythmicality than I've used of late, but I was especially enjoying both the reverberant space and the carry of the larger grand piano in filling the room, which encouraged me to keep adding to it. Still slightly unsure of whether to see the rippling effect of the RH as two distinctly different rhythms or whether to take an especially moltissimo rubato approach to it and see it as one and the same.
Fun to play though, and fun to share. Thanks for your thoughts!