A couple new listeners tonight! The weather was stormy, we got a fire going, settled in after a delicious dinner, and then the music! That's what I call a nice night.

Except for one quasi-pop piece which never felt like it got started, the music tonight seemed to have a nice flow and an organic development. 

It's getting harder to really challenge myself to explore new territory. I've got a nice sound going that's tonal, relatively mellow, and highlights the resonance of the piano. When I go for more high-energy technique I can feel my limitations, and then I pull back so as not to totally crash. Maybe that's just the right spot; I'd be taking that approach if I was racing a car!

Bonus episode! This is audio from a concert at our local library, recorded with the phone. Audio quality is not so good, but it captures the afternoon. I deleted the applause after most pieces, in keeping with the usual sound of the podcast, but at the end the music was still going when the crowd jumped in, so... how could I resist? ;)

Had a small audience tonight after two weeks solo! It does make a difference knowing people are hearing the sound of the Steinway live. It makes me listen more intently to the sound of the notes ringing in the room. 

Just me in the living room again tonight, but I know I have online listeners and it still feels like there's an audience! Felt a little subdued tonight; just kept leaning towards melodies curling around each other. One piece was intentionally "bad" or at least intentionally off-key. I felt I needed to shake myself out of a gauzy tonality! Enjoy.

This was the first time I played for an entirely virtual audience! The debates are on (and I'm about to tune in) so I wasn't surprised. Interestingly, I definitely had a bit harder time getting past my go-to default sounds, but I think there were some good moments in there. Enjoy.

Had some fun tonight with folk-type melodies. We all have these archetypical tunes in our heads, so how to play with them without being stereotypical of the archetypes? You decide if it worked!

Sometimes you have to break something to break through to something. I was feeling like I was plagiarizing myself, so I took the playing to a kind of crazy place, and then, true enough, came to a place that felt authentic, where I could just let the music evolve as it needed to. 

Kept hearing a little buzz tonight; stopped and started a few times but ultimately had to just embrace it and keep going! Maybe I played a little louder tonight to compensate. Had some fun with bluesy and Broadway sounds.