Monthly Update - Oct 2025
Why am I starting a blog on my music site?
Well, a few reasons. First, in my experience, it's fun to learn more about the artists whose work you connect with and to get their perspective on their stuff. Going forward, I plan on releasing one new composition per month on this site, so I want to have posts to coincide with those releases to add a little context to anyone coming across what I do.
At the moment I don't think there's anyone doing that... Haha. But that's ok - that also leads me to my second reason:
For my own sake. For accountability, processing, and keeping a record of my art. I think art has two audiences: the people who experience it and the people who create it. I hope as many people as possible can discover and appreciate my songs, but at the end of the day, I do this because I think it's fun. For me.
What am I working on?
In the last year I have written around eight solo piano pieces that I'm really proud of. But I haven't taken the time to notate or record of any of them. So while I'm always tinkering, new music isn't the focus right now. It's going back and putting these songs out!
Something I'm struggling with is how to record these pieces. I think it's important to have recordings for discoverability - unless someone's a master sight reader, they probably won't be enticed to check out my music by just viewing a PDF of it. I have a few options, and don't love any of them:
1 - Go to a recording studio. Pros: high quality recordings. Cons: I've never done this and wouldn't know where to start, money, time - not to mention a song basically has to be in perfect shape to be ready to record at that level.
2 - Record digitally using MIDI. I've done a good amount of this, and don't love it for piano solos where you want a high range of expression. The computer doesn't pick up the nuances of a real piano. Plus I always run into issues with the pedal which can really ruin the sound.
3 - Just make a low-quality recording on my phone or with a microphone at home. This could work, except I only have a digital piano and I've found that those sound terrible when just put up against a mic.
I'll probably end up going with option number 2 for now. But I'm not happy about it. If anyone out there has a solution, I'm all ears!
What's coming next?
The next thing I'll put out on here is a song I've mostly finished notating and have yet to record. I really like this one. It's in C Sharp Minor and definitely draws from the pallet of the Moonlight Sonata. I think it is my best attempt at developing a simple motif across an entire piece so far.
I don't have a title for this piece yet. I asked my wife what I should call it and she said "Mumble Grumble" lol. Probably won't be the final name (I think it's a little prettier than that) but is for sure the working name.
My goal is to have a midi recording and the notation live on this site by the end of this month.
A Piano Piece I've Enjoyed Recently
"Quietly Yours" - Birdy
I just watched the movie Persuasion on Netflix and this plays towards the end. It's emotional and dreamy. Recommend the song and the movie.