Thanksgiving Intermezzo

I've created a little miniature piece for the Thanksgiving holiday. Practiced this again and again and still not perfect, but I hope you like it anyways. I was going to record it last week but the church organist was practicing then and so the recording would have been a mess.

Here's the video:

http://youtu.be/cweOx_9b-y0

 

A sweet little piece ! It has a kind of grateful and referential spirit that is very fitting for the occasion. You seem to have a natural flair for catchy melodies.
Nice work. Next time you should try opening the lid and let the sound get out. You always sound a bit too modest IMO.

 

Hi Monica, Andrew and Chris,

Thanks your feedback. Monica, that's great it sounds like an Intermezzo, and I think I will use that made-up word from now on! I think you meant Intermezzo-y, with "y" at the end of words meaning whatever the adjective is is being manifested... but of course that wouldn't sound right, "zoy" :lol:

I used a music stand for the camera angle. Had to move the piano because it was right up against the wall and I wouldn't have been able to get space to put the stand.

Andrew, I must confess I do like to try that compositional strategy of

conventional | unconventional | conventional

I don't think I really explored the unconventional section (that starts with a D chord), but wanted to make this short and sweet. I hope I don't get too too stuck to writing pieces that are too short.

Chris, thanks for the review. I've heard some great music and it's a very interesting science, what makes a catchy melody. Not sure it's an exact science, more theory, really.

I actually had the lid all the way up. But the mic placement, that was unconventional. I put the DR-07 directly under the piano, on the chapel floor. It's not as intimate, I think, but an interesting sound angle nonetheless. Would be interested to know how you recorded your Peter Grimes fantasy. I didn't see the mic on the video :?:

In regards to it sounding too modest, I played this about 20 times before I got this take, so I suppose after so many takes, it just feels hammered out, not much freedom in phrasing :| Perhaps I should really do what you do and record in sections, of course this piece is so short it doesn't seem to need to be recorded like that.

 

Oh, my mistake.

This generally does not seem to be the sweet spot. Best to put the mics where the sound can reach it directly.

Nope, you can't see it. It was about 2 metres to the right of the grand, facing the open lid, just above the rim. Had I had a standard I would have put it a feet higher.

I primarily meant the modest sound volume, which I thought was because of a closed lid. But, you could generally try and play a bit more assertively, perhaps by staying not so close to the keys.