I never open the bar but I just finished this song and want to put it out there. I actually wrote it years ago as a kind of anti war tune but never recorded it. It always seemed kind of long and pondorous but there has also been parts about it that I really like as well. Anyway... It's called "The Color of His Eyes". The lyrics are up on the youtube if anyone is interested.

Wow, Peyton, what a beautiful song! I'll have to listen again though, & pay attention to the piano - first time through, I was listening to the lyrics. "If his life was worth a dollar, then he was down to change" - great metaphor!

Peyton~~

What a fabulous ballad! The lyrics are poignant, your voice fits the tone and mood of the piece so very well, the accompaniment is excellent, the solo, all fit together beautifully. Man, you got it going!

A fantastic opening to the June Piano Bar, Peyton.

Thank you for your music

Glen

Great opening to June's Piano Bar, Peyton!

Clocking in at just 12 measures, this one is short, but very sweet; Scriabin Prelude in E Flat Minor, Op. 16 No. 4

A PW member submitted this for the ABF online recital this month. I loved it and started working on it immediately. I don't have a teacher, and didn't know what "sotto voce" was until I looked it up. It's hard on my upright and I just did the best I could. There are some hesitations too, but making those jumps to a 4 key chord isn't easy for me!

On a side note, I'm surprised the screaming kids in the backyard didn't make it on the audio. With the noise and the interruptions for potty breaks and requests for popsicles, it was a little distracting, but I was just happy to have the brief chance to record this short work!

In recognition of contributing towards the required monthly quota of Einaudi ....
This is a piece called Ascolta from the Divenire album.

Many Thanks Jououssong, Ben and Inlanding. Yes that line "If his life was worth a dollar, then he was down to change" is one of my favorites in the song too. That's probably why I sing it so many times...

June 1st and already 3 great submissions.

Peyton - really liked your song , great performance of a powerful and touching song.

BenPiano - I understand why you took to this piece , lovely chords, enjoyed it very much.

cgyan - Ascolta - Expertly played and beautifully produced.

Serious red dot problems while recording this, took 5 attempts to get this recorded though a couple of those were but a few bars long before I crashed and burned. Attempt 3 was more or less perfect(for me anyway) until the last 8 bars where I just inexplicably went blank and just stopped lol.

My take on Over The Rainbow:

Ben ~ Scriabin is quite an undertaking! I still have one of his preludes that stares me in the face and dares me to attempt it! Very nicely done. Your repertoire is growing by leaps and bounds!

Iain ~ I liked the special effects you used on Asolta - it helps set the mood for this very serious sounding, ethereal sounding piece of music. Your playing is very smooth. I've listened to it several times.

Jazzpt ~ well, what can one say about a superbly played rendition of such a popular piece of music. Too bad you decided to bail towards the last several measures. However...your playing is excellent!

I decided to try and make up my own arrangement on a song;)
So I thought I would try and make my own little version of Appalachian springs/simple gifts

Some of it I took from my Lord of the Dance piece, then added a few things of my own. It's not quit finished yet. Here's what I have so far:)

http://www.box.net/shared/hry69fklid

Wow Ben, that's pretty darned good considering you just picked it up this month. Looks like you already have it memorized? Will you keep working it?

cgyan..... how did you do that??? Are those effects in the keyboard? You made the whole thing sound so effortless. Really spacey, dreamy and cool. enjoyed the vid as well. Almost seemed in slow motion.

Iain - I love your productions. Very enjoyable, thanks.

Peyton, wow. That is a Powerful song. Very nice.

BenPiano, I've always loved this prelude. You play it beautifully with expressiveness.

Iain, I haven't heard this one before. Your performance is beautiful. I like the way you approached this.

jazztpt, however many takes this is beautiful. A very inspiring performance.

Augustina, that's a favorite hymn of mine. I enjoyed your version.

Wow Ben, very nice! I like it! Solemn yet beautiful at the same time and dramatic with the 4 note chords. I might have to have a go at this one. But first I wonder if I should keep going on the THREE OR FOUR pieces I'm trying to learn simultaneously. Good grief.

Cgyan, awesome, thanks. The synth effects were perfect. Good looking soft B&W effect as always!

jazztpt, what a wonderful arrangement. Listening to it is starting my morning off just right. You play it like a pro. Seriously.

Peyton - Wonderful song. I'm the opposite of Carol though - I was focusing on your great playing the first time through. Will listen again and pay more attention to the lyrics!

BenPiano - I'm always impressed with your control and precision. I don't know the piece, but it sounds great.

cgyan - Very atmospheric, and you have a nice relaxed feel to your playing.

jazztpt - Wonderful arrangement wonderfully played. Is that arrangement written, or is it your own?

Augustina - Great job doing your own arrangement!

cgyan - wow, that was really well done! Care to go into some detail on how you did that? Was the synth just the same thing looped over and over, or was there more to it? Also, if the synth was done externally, how did you manage to maintain strict tempo alignment? Really fascinating!

jazztpt - Great jazz style on this one! I know what you mean about crashing and burning. I've got 4 pieces down that I just can't record without a meltdown somewhere. On the bright side, not recording them keeps them in my rep. On the down side, everyone is getting sick of hearing them.

Many thanks for all your kind comments they are really much appreciated.

Larry B - yes this is my arrangement, glad you liked it.

Augustina - well done with the arrangement, keep working on it.

Thanks BenPiano - funny that , when I have recorded a piece I also stop playing it, must be a relief for my wife :-)

Peyton, that was great! Your Young Chang still sounds wonderful too!

Very nice, BenPiano! Smooth and calculated!

Sounding good, Iain… love the reverb!

Jazztpt, I enjoyed your rendition of “Over the rainbow”!

Nice piece, Augustina!

I really enjoyed listening to all the great submissions to the June piano bar! Wow, doesn't time fly! I didn’t post anything to the April piano bar… I must be slipping.

Anyway, I haven’t recorded anything new in a while… guess I’ve lost my mo-jo for writing new songs lately. I went back in my YT archives a pulled this little gem… I had forgotten how much fun I had writing and playing this song… of course, it was not exactly a mega hit, but fun still.

"Google my name if you want to know who I am" :-)

Take care,

Rick

Rick, you da man! I enjoyed that gem.

Peyton, excellent playing and singing, as usual; and there is some real profundity in those lyrics!

BenPiano, love those chords! Very well done. Looks like the kids know good music and respect it!

Iain, well done. Very professional.

Jazztpt, I have always liked that song and I find your arrangement very intriguing harmonically. Nice intro, and nifty left hand work on the bridge! And of course I always like a cool ending like that! (Some jealousy here - I have tried to arrange that song myself but I have never been satisfied with my efforts.)

Augustina, love that piece. Glad to see you creating your own arrangement. Fun, isn't it?

Rickster, very clever, and well sung/played as usual. Just out of curiosity, I googled my own name, and was suprised to find that a patent I got 20-some years ago is now online. It's something I haven't thought about in years. Our memories fade but the internet remembers forever. I think there's a song idea in there somewhere, just waiting for you to tap into it.

My piece this month is an arrangement of Round Midnight which I wrote away from the piano while traveling. Some of it I did on a laptop while riding on a train, reminding me of the old photos of Duke Ellington writing arrangements as he and his band traveled the country by rail. Of course, I reworked it a bit after I got home and played it and found that some of it was pretty thin soup.

Ed


http://www.box.net/shared/4xt5lihfxk

A great one Rick. And so true...

Ed... You WROTE this arrangement while AWAY from the piano? Man am I jealous. That is such a nice smooth arrangement and such sweet playing.

Augustina ~ very excellent original arrangement. I look forward to hearing more as you continue to add to it.

Rick ~ You never cease to amaze. Such an upbeat, fun tune. I am always impressed by your ability to create! I couldn't help but tap my foot, and smile the whole time. Fantastic!

Ed ~ most excellent arrangement of 'Round Midnight. The fact you arranged it away from the piano adds another dimension to your talents. I really like how you tied both hands together to form the melody. As usual, very great musicianship!

Glen

Good Morning! I can't believe how fast each month goes! Here is my submission for this month's piano bar. The piece is by Michele Mclaughlin, the same composer that wrote the piece I submitted for the recital. I first heard her on Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio and just fell in love with her music.



Have a beautiful day!!!
AK

peyton - yes, well worth more than a couple of listens. I really liked the concept and was going to say that the "If his life was worth a dollar, then he was down to change" was my favourite line but since everyone else has, I won't bother ....

ben - another nice Scriabin Prelude, I thought this one was quite moody and dark. I wonder what the motivation behind the composition was.

jazztpt - great rendition of Over The Rainbow, some nice jazzy embellishments too. The thing about the red dot for me is, once conquered, it's the sweetest of victories!

augustina - pretty cool, I find it really hard to arrange things but you did it nicely here. Will look forward to the finished version

rickster - very entertaining, such a great idea for a tune.

riddler - a sophisticated composition that drew me in made all the more impressive that it was borm away from the piano ....

alleycat - you introduced me to Michelle McLaughlin in the recital and I loved your work on this piece, very beautiful. Your piano sounds very rich on the recording too, nice!

Allykatt, what a pretty piece. What's it called?

AlleyKatt ~ very excellent rendition of Michele Mclaughlin's music. It is clear you are connecting with the music and listening to what you are playing. I like her music a great deal. Thank you!

Glen