Worship Interludes - Piano Instrumentals for Prayer, Meditation, Soaking Worship, Relaxation, Study, and Rest

“Calm the Soul” – Solo Piano Instrumental Music for Prayer, Meditation, Worship, Reflection, Relaxation

Today is Saturday, January 16th. I don’t often record on Saturday mornings but I woke up with some tension in my spirit and felt this was one of the best ways to soothe my soul. I’ve had this tension in my soul all week. I’ve always had what the Bible refers to as a “gift of discernment” – but sometimes, I discern that something is up, but I don’t know what it is. All I can do during these times is pray. I can only describe it as a sense of unrest.

Many times, as I pray and labor through these seasons, God will place people on my heart. I also find that I am constantly at war with presumptuous thoughts … wondering “is it this, or is it that”. Times like these call for trust.

There are so many reasons my soul could be at unrest. This pandemic we’ve been living through for nearly a year is wreaking havoc on people. The political unrest in our country is at levels I’ve never experienced in my lifetime. There are very troubling things happening in our country at what seems to be an alarming pace. I believe that so many things that happen in our world and lives are physical manifestations of things that are happening in the spiritual realm.

Even if you are not a spiritual person, you can most certainly identify with times where you felt a sense of unrest in your soul. We all have this awareness inside of us. Some are more sensitive than others.

Peaceful, soothing instrumental music is such a powerful way to bring a sense of calm to your troubled soul. Instrumental music transcends cultural, religious, and language barriers. When I begin to record, I pray and ask God of Peace to anoint the sound to bring healing and deliverance from anxiety, stress, and worry. It’s my hope that as you listen, your soul senses a peaceful, soothing calmness.

I am forever grateful that you are part of this journey with me. Thank you for listening to my music and sharing it with your family and friends. May you be touched deeply.

Grace and peace,

Fred McKinnon, Pianist/Composer

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“Trust” – Solo Piano Improvisation for Prayer, Meditation, Reflection, Relaxation

As the sun set on the final days of 2020, we entered 2021 with much hope and anticipation. It hasn’t taken long to realize that 2021 is already full of its own opportunities to stress, worry, and be anxious.

Personally, I would be hopeless if I did not have something … someONE … who I trust.Whom I believe in.Whom I know holds this messed up world in His hands.

I hope that you will take some time and release all of your worry and care and cast them on the One who holds the world in His hands.

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“White as Snow” – Solo Piano Instrumental Improvisation by Fred McKinnon

Dear Friends,

MERRY CHRISTMAS. This morning’s improvisation is a soft, free-flowing piece in the key of Dm. I was imagining a peaceful, gentle snow falling. We rarely get to experience snowfall here in south Georgia but I’ve always loved seeing snow. As we approach our Christmas holiday, I’m reminded of the season and the reason that we celebrate. Christmas means so many things to me, but at the top of the list is a reminder of the incredible miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ.

I do fully realize that not everyone who listens to my music and these interludes is part of my Christian faith. If that is you, I hope that you are still able to fully embrace and receive the beauty, peace, and tranquility that I wanted to have expressed in this short instrumental interlude.

For those who celebrate Christmas as the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ – I am reminded that this baby, fully God and fully man, shed his blood for our sins. And in doing so, it makes us “white as snow”.

Merry Christmas, dear friends. May the peace of God be with you.

With love,Fred McKinnon, Pianist/Composer

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“Shelter” – Solo Piano Instrumental Music for Prayer, Meditation, Relaxation, Mindfulness

Psalm 91 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I pray and recite it often as it’s a beautiful reminder of God’s protection for us. Our family recently had a terrifying experience that could have been really terrible. As it turned out, things worked out OK but I was reminded of how God is a Shelter for us – a protection like no other.

That was my posture this morning as I improvised this interlude. It’s open, airy, slow, and intentional.

I hope that you will take time to listen, slow down, breathe, and take it in.

Thank you for listening!

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“Mindful Moments, Opus 4” – Short Piano Instrumental Improvisations by Fred McKinnon

Today’s interlude is part of my “Mindful Moments” series, which are shorter instrumental interludes that are designed for quick, impromptu moments of meditation, prayer, mindfulness, and relaxation. We are all so busy and life is moving so fast. It’s easy to assume that if you missed your longer session of quiet time that you should just skip it for the day. These shorter interludes can give you a quick escape even in the midst of the busiest of days.

This interlude utilizes one of my favorite musical progressions which is the minor6, the major5, and then the minor2. It has a haunting feel to it and I enjoy adding the minor9 to most of those chords which gives it a darker sound.

Thank you so much for listening to my music. I hope and pray that it brings you joy and peace.

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“Hopeful” – Solo Piano Instrumental Music for Prayer, Meditation, Soaking Worship, Mindfulness, Relaxation, and Reflection

Today’s interlude is called “Hopeful”. I’m recording this one week after a very tough, contested election in the United States. It feels as if our country has never been more divided. Yet, as I calm myself and go into a personal place of prayer and reflection, I arise HOPEFUL.

Life on this earth is exhausting. It’s filled with every sort of stress and anxiety and we must make a choice on how we will handle these negative barriers in our life. We get to choose – choose positivity, choose words of life, choose affirmations, choose to rest, choose to have hope, choose to believe.

I hope that as you listen today, you’ll be encouraged and find that secret place of peace, calm, and rest.

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“Depths of Love” – Piano Instrumental for Prayer, Meditation, Soaking Worship, Reflection, Mindfulness

DEEP EXHALE. I just finished recording this piano interlude. I do these improvisations every Tuesday morning as part of my Worship Interludes Podcast, which I created to be a soundtrack for personal devotion, prayer, meditation, etc.

As with any musician/artist who is honest, there are way more times we create something that just feels “ok” than those magical moments. This morning was magical. It was one of those interludes where I immediately felt that Presence … and felt the emotion and energy throughout the improvisation which lasted a little over nine minutes.

It was one of those satisfying moments where I said to myself,

“That. Was. Strong.”

I hope that you enjoy listening and that it ushers you into a place where you experience the depths of God’s love for you, and His peace, stillness, and rest. Grace and peace, Fred McKinnon, Pianist/Composer

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“From the Heart” – Piano Instrumental Music by Fred McKinnon

Recorded on Tuesday morning, October 20, 2020

My consistency with recording has taken a serious hit these past few months. I could blame it on this crazy COVID19 pandemic, work, busyness, or just a lack of motivation. There is an endless list of reasons why we do not take action on the things that are so important to us.

Recording these interludes is life-giving for me. It forces me to slow down, breathe, become more aware of myself, and my spirit. It puts me in a posture and environment where I more easily can sense and hear what the Spirit is saying to me … gently, softly, and patiently.

As I recorded this morning I had no preconceived ideas of what the interlude would feel like. I didn’t have a theme or a Scripture or any inspiration. All I had was the realization that I needed to honor my commitment to record on Tuesday morning. As always, the music began to flow from my fingers and I felt how much tension I was carrying as it began to lift away.

You see, more than anything in the world, I want these short instrumental interludes to become a resource for the listener to have a respite from the cares of this world. I want them to bring you into a place of stillness, awareness, worship, devotion, and peace. All of these are benefits that I, the performer, desperately need and enjoy myself.

So this morning, this music comes from my heart. It’s just a simple improvisation that you can listen to at your own leisure. Play it as background music during your quiet time and devotion. Worship God and sing a new melody and song over these melodies. Be still, close your eyes and just let the music wash over you, rinsing away the worry, anxiety, and stress that has piled onto your shoulders.

May this gift from my heart bring peace, joy, grace, and life to your soul.

Grace and peace,Fred McKinnon, Pianist/Composer

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“Morning Rain” – Solo Piano Improvisation Background Instrumental Music for Prayer, Meditation, Mindfulness, Soaking Worship, Study, and Relaxation

Today’s piano instrumental interlude is called “Morning Rain”. It’s been raining off and on for days here in the Golden Isles on the coast of Georgia. It’s hurricane season and although we have been blessed to not have any storms here we’ve gotten lots of rain from other storms below us. I woke this morning at 5:00 AM and went to my Tuesday workout. We exercised outside under a patio while it rained all around us.

A gentle rain like we are experiencing now can be so refreshing. It waters the earth and can be quite relaxing just to sit back, listen, and watch. A gentle, morning rain is steady, quiet, and refreshing.

As I recorded today’s interlude I wanted to be very intentional about slowing down my pace. I often listen to my interludes and realize that I tend to begin with a slow, deliberate pace but speed up more and more. That’s just like life – we try our best to start slow and pace ourselves; yet, before we know it we are running full speed and find ourselves exhausted.

Mindfulness is a popular term in our culture today. “Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.” (Mayo Clinic) When I think about this morning rain, it’s easy for me to sit back and just be mindful.

The purpose of these instrumental interludes is to provide a space for you to practice mindfulness. For Christians such as myself, we may call that “prayer” or “quiet time” or “devotion”. Some may simply call it meditation. Others will call it mindfulness.

Whatever it is for you, my prayer is that this music will be comforting to you. It’s my hope that it brings you peace and draws you closer to God, and to a place where you can listen to the inner voice inside of you. I hope that it brings life, health, hope, and peace to your soul.

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“Remember” – Piano Instrumental Music for Prayer, Meditation, Worship, Relaxation

Dear friends,

It’s been three weeks since I last recorded one of these instrumental interludes. It wasn’t my intention to take the month off. One thing led to another, and the discipline escaped me. The truth is, I think I just needed a break. I’ve never sat down to record one of these instrumental interludes and regretted it afterwards. It’s always a soothing, peaceful experience for my soul. Yet, I allow the cares of this world to shift my focus onto the myriad of tasks that creep into my life. A leadership book that I love to read refers to this as the “tyranny of the urgent”.

Two years ago, September was the month where I saw my life take a dramatic turn. After serving on church staff for over twenty years, that season of my life came to a screeching, painful halt. So the past few weeks have been about remembrance for me. Remembering all of the things accomplished during that season and remembering how faithful God has been in my life.

Throughout the Bible, we see times where we are called to remember. Think of the annual Passover feast. Think of Holy Communion. Think of monuments and markers that were left for centuries in foreign lands so that generations later, people would ask and remember.

During today’s episode, I hope you will take some time to close your eyes, listen, and remember.

Thank you for your partnership and for listening to my music.

Grace and peace,

Fred McKinnon, Pianist/Composer

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