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This is me performing Mozart's Fantasy in D Minor on piano.

At about 2:05 to 2:20 I improvised a new cadenza to, embarassingly, cover up for the one that I can never play properly. I like it.

This has been one of my favorite Mozart pieces since I set my eye on it at 16. Ever since then it's been on a regular rotation of pieces I practice for myself. Over the years I've taken a lot of liberties: I shift the tempo around a lot, I've come up with my own dynamics that I think things should be at.

It also exhibits a lot of my performance flaws. Lack of coherent and consistent rhythm. Little mistakes here and there. But I've developed the ending section to have a little more finality than the sheet music calls for, and I think it's better for it.

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Instrumentation: Accordion, Flutes, Bassoon

This is definitely a work in progress. A few weeks back I recorded the accordion part, which I like just by itself. But I decided to flesh it out a bit more.

My favorite part of this is a peak that occurs a little of the way through. There's still a lot of editing to do, and re-recording of the bassoon and flutes. Lots of mixing to do.

But I haven't posted anything in a little while, so I wanted to get something new up here.

The title is Debiliteracy, which I came up with in the shower, like a flux capacitor. It's a play on "Debilitating Literacy," while also evoking 'decible'.

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Composed/Performed: 2-25-06 - 2-26-06

It seems like I have a penchant for naming things around themes of dreaming and sleep. Last weekend I got a new kitty. The last few days of the week, into this weekend, she's been very vocal and intent on keeping me from any actual sleep. So the title for this comes from that: I've been in a sleepless haze, but there are moments-- particularly when coffee is involved-- that I arise to the challenges of the day.

Instrumentation: A gaggle of bass clarinets. Bells. Violin, and an amplified cousin. A cello section, and their plucked compatriots. Studio effects and trickery.

I actually spent a good deal of time editing this. There's still some refining to be done; I'm not entirely happy with the violin's entrances, and the cellos need more presence.

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Duration: ~ 5:30
Played: 2-12-2006

I was practicing Liszt etudes last night. Not the final versions of the Transcendental Etudes, but the earlier, unrefined set. From this set I'm able to somewhat competently play what later became the stunning Mazeppa and and pastoral Paysage (I love the way the harmonies move in that).

Eventually I turn through my book and reach the final version of Etude No. 11 in Db, Harmonies du Suir (Evening Harmonies). This is absolutely one of my most favorite pieces of piano music, ever since the first time I laid eyes on it. The harmonic movement is astounding.

That said, I can only mangle that piece. There's no way that I can currently make it through the whole thing.

So, rather than record a poor performance, I just used its key and first chord as a jumping off point.
There are some definite ideas for what will be added to this. French horn, cellos, perhaps some light synth manipulations.

In addition, here's another pianist playing the Liszt etude: Right-click Here and Save As

Recorded: 11-05-2005
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Genre: Elements of Impressionism, Romantic-period, Modern

This is entirely a piano piece. It is rather lengthy (nearly 18 minutes). The title I gave it, before even starting, was 5-13-1980 (my birthdate, as well as my brother's).

It is, obviously, long-winded. But there's a lot going on, and it has a sort of internal logic. I don't blame anyone for giving up somewhere in the middle.
I recorded this at a much slower speed than it's played back at. If I didn't do that, it'd be 25 minutes.

Composed: 11-08-2005
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This is a three-part composition. Essentially, I was talking with a friend about the way the instrument you're playing effects how you play it, particularly when improvising. In so doing, it might be interesting to take what you've played for one instrument, and move it over to another. This axium permeating even between different varieties of the same instrument.

Composed: 5-2-2002
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In 2002 I was just starting to get more serious about my little sketches of music. I have several pieces from this period that are mostly electronic and synth-oriented. This one consists of some really interesting noises and a vibraphone. Listening to it today, I'm actually rather proud of its structure. But I can't help but notice how different it is from what I'm doing now, four or five years later. I wonder if I've grown or regressed?

The title for this is Waiting for Coffee. Which, if I recall, I gave it because it was early-morning, and I was waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, so I went back to my room, messed around on the keyboard, and came out with this. I'm still not fabulous at naming things.

This is me performing Franz Liszt's late-period piece, Nuages Gris, which translates roughly to "Grey Clouds."

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I really love the mood of this piece. I play it with a bit less delicateness than I've heard it played with before. I also took some liberties in a couple of spots.

Recorded on my Studiologic SL-990 keyboard using a Bosendorfer 290 grand piano sample, with a concert hall reverb. Recording was done in real-time.

In-progress.
Recorded: 1-24-2006 10:00-11:00pm

Recorded this tonight. After recording it, I immediately thought of the title (and visual) of Dali's Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate One Second Before Waking Up.

? Dalí illustrates another Freud’s discoveries. He said: “…a typical dream with a long theme, the consequence of a sudden accident that causes the awakening.”

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Composed: 1-8-2006

This is my most recent piece. It consists of a foundation of double-bass parts. Filling that in is an electric piano run through granular synthesis, and several multitracked tenor saxophone parts.

The tenor saxophone trails are whipped around into an additive reverse reverb that creates new harmonies from their existing chords.

In progress.

3 minutes.

The track:
Fleeting Harmonies