For those of you who compose or arrange. As I said once or twice before, I'm an amateur pianist. I know most of the basics of the instrument and music theory but what I wanna do is write original songs. So for a while I've been trying to put this tune together, but... I don't know. I just haven't felt at home on the keys lately. I've got basic ideas but I'm failing at fleshing them out. Do y'all have any tips for helping focus your inspiration? Relaxation, practice drills, anything like that?
Continue to fiddle around with it until you feel that it is right. It seems to me that you're overthinking. My old jazz teacher told me something: "Don't think, just play." Play whatever's in your mind without stopping. Better yet, record yourself playing and improvising. Here's an example. This is a piece I improvised. I did it around the piece "So Many Wonders" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5t13wXdFr4 Notice how I take the melody and make it own. I then incorporate my own ideas. Keep playing and try to remember what you did the before.
Advice taken. This is the result: https://soundcloud.com/keldeo/everything-will-be-all-right [video=youtube;wGANoWIujq0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGANoWIujq0[/video] Personally I'm not happy with it, but I went and recorded it anyway so you have something to critique. It's not very polished and I messed up a few times, but I let it go as per the "don't think, just play" idea. And if it's not obvious I also get rather nervous when I record. Thoughts?
It's pretty good. Did you use the sustainer pedal? I feel this piece needs some of that. As far as that mistake, sometimes, let'em go. Who knows, maybe that note you hit might just fit in. It just sounds awkward when one goes back to fix a mistake. I saw you took the beat of "Carol of the Bells" and put it in there. Maybe add a little bit of harmonization on the right hand. Keep working at it and it'll come to you. Just remember, when you make a mistake, it can be good sometimes, for that note you hit, can be used.
I used the sustain a little bit, particularly in the C-minor part (0:48 to 1:09). But I try not to use it too much because it can cloud the sound, in my opinion (...pun semi-intended), when it's used excessively. The progression from BM7 (1:42 and the similar parts) sounds especially muddy to me when I sustain it. It might be because B is off-key for Eb, but there's also the possibility that my keyboard is just cheap and could be mixing the notes wrong. lol And yeah, I hear you about using mistakes to my advantage, but... it's a tough thing for me. To be honest the use of B stemmed from a mistake when I was practicing one day, but I was only able to integrate that into the song after going back to hear it again, and then finagling other parts of the song around it to make it fit. I don't really have the skill yet to improvise well.
