Piano Meditations Podcast
Welcome to Piano Meditations Podcast by Blake Rowe. For the past six years (with occasional breaks), Wednesday nights have been devoted to creating freely improvised music for about 45 minutes. Known melodies may come to mind and may be explored, but the pieces are primarily “spontaneously composed”. The music tends to follow an arc from introspective to energetic and back again. The first few notes become a motif to be explored; sometimes a piece is more structured and and other times more free form.
Episodes
Episodes
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Episode 205, 10-19-22
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
It took me a little while to settle into a flow tonight. I found myself leaning towards repeating the thematic material of the prior piece, so I was working against myself! I finally just let it meander a bit, then it felt much better. Some quotes showed up tonight; "But Beautiful" by Bill Evans, a tune from Fiddler on the Roof, and apparently I played part of a song by Queen, but it was news to me! Enjoy.
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Episode 206, 10-26-22
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
I came so close to using the looper/computer tonight but ran into last-minute routing issues. I spent the half hour before start time dealing with it, and then having to just let it go and get into the mental space for improvising. Anyway, I kept to sonorous harmonies for the most part, but the second piece was a bit "Halloweeny". The last piece fell into the first three notes of a Chopin Nocturne (or is it a Prelude...?) for the thematic material.
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Episode 207, 11-2-22
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
OK I had to start sometime. The first piece incorporated my looper, the Boss RC505. In the coming weeks you will hear more attempts at layering sounds with instruments I have around the house as well as synths in the recording software.
It took me a little while to "get into the groove" but I know enough not to force it or judge it, and just keep going till inspiration arrives. I somehow found myself quoting "Dancing Queen". Felt the urge for ragtime. Went back to my roots playing for modern dance classes. Enjoy.
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Episode 208, 11-16-22
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
What a treat to have our son in town, and to have him join in on drums! Also, a new friend Marcus came and played guitar. I only have two mics, so I just used them as room mics, but I'm afraid it didn't do a great job of capturing all three of us. Nonetheless, the evening was terrifically fun, and many in the audience picked up handheld percussion instruments and joined in as well. Let's see where this goes!
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Episode 209, 11-22-22
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Twelve people tonight! I finally did a more substantial dive into the looping equipment. It's still a steep learning curve, but each week it gets a little more comfortable. I really appreciate everyone's willingness to stay with me on this journey!
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Episode 210, 11-30-22
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
A good crowd again tonight; the evening is evolving to include more audience participation! Some are dancing, others pick up handheld percussion and join the beat, and it's really turning into more of a party vibe. I'm fine with it, but not sure how it will be perceived by people listening to the podcast who may be wanting relaxing piano music.
This has always been an experiment, so hopefully people will stay with me on this journey!
Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
Episode 211, 12-7-22
Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
Normally I just trim the beginning and end of the evening's recording, but tonight I had a bunch of false starts and a computer restart, so I edited out anything that wasn't music. I'm aware that my levels need work, but hopefully you'll see steady progress as the weeks go by. I did a couple of my rounds tonight, and with a looper it's easy to sing all the parts! My son Julian joined me on drums again which is always terrific fun.
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Episode 213, 12-28-22
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Every week I learn something new and I have new problems! Something happened where all the files were bound together, making it very hard to split the tracks and take out dialogue. Just fast forward a bit near the beginning, sorry.
I started with a few looping/computer music pieces then went to solo piano. The piano sounds amazing after being regulated. The quietest pianissimos, a thundering bass, I'm in love all over again. A little Pink Floyd crept in tonight; see if you find it!
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
Episode 214, 1-11-23
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
I decided to shelve the looping efforts for a while until I have better chops. I can rely on my friends in the living room to stay with me on this journey of discovery, but I think it's unfair to ask this of podcast subscribers! When I listen back and even I don't want to keep listening, the answer is obvious.
Please enjoy, and I'd love to hear your feedback as a comment, or even better, a review!
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Episode 214(A), 1-18-23
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Notice the title; I had to delete episode 212 because somehow I made a final mix of just the metronome for 45 minutes. My apologies! Anyway, tonight was a bit of an early birthday party! Some new people came and afterwards, cake! Leaned toward classical sounds tonight; some spooky chord progressions, a little ragtime tag, kind of all over the place. Enjoy.
Wednesday Jan 25, 2023
Episode 215, 1-25-23
Wednesday Jan 25, 2023
Wednesday Jan 25, 2023
Not much to share about tonight; I find it a bit funny that when I hit "clunkers" as my dad used to call them, to me they sound spectacular, and not in a good way! It somehow seems like I walked right up and did a Splaat! like it's a gag or something. Well I had a few of these tonight. All I can say is whaddyagonnado... Hey, nobody gets hurt, so it's all good. The only quote that popped up tonight was Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy", and only briefly at that. Enjoy.
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Episode 216, 2-8-23
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Went to some minor places tonight, and then fell into a crazy atonal piece, and ended with a super tuneful ballad. Trying to think in somewhat orchestral terms.
Saturday Feb 18, 2023
2-15-23
Saturday Feb 18, 2023
Saturday Feb 18, 2023
New friend and guitarist/bassist Marcus DaSilwa joined us tonight! We stuck with the "no plan-plan" and played together with no for-thought about what happens next. While it definitely kept us both listening intently to the other, we both agree that to feel better about the quality of the music, we really do need to have a plan, aka charts! When I play solo, I can explore, meander, jump at random to something new, but playing with another musician changes all that. If our musical vocabulary was more textural or atonal, new paths could emerge, but we both are more drawn to harmony and chord-based music. I did a solo and Marcus did a solo on bass at the end. Enjoy.
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
2-22-23
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
BTW, I'm not naming the episode number any more, because it already shows up in the podcast interface, and I'm always off by one number somehow.
I was planning to do some looping at the end of the evening, but after playing the piano it seemed like a big jump to a whole different musical style, so I skipped it. One of these days...
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
3-15-23
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Had a nice crowd tonight. Went to some fun places; played with time signatures, drones, tension, and simple harmonies that kept suggesting existing tunes. I had no idea I'd be doing a mashup of "Send in the Clowns" with "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", but, there you go. Enjoy.
Wednesday Mar 22, 2023
3-22-23
Wednesday Mar 22, 2023
Wednesday Mar 22, 2023
Getting better at trusting my instincts, not doubting the value of what I'm doing. The first few notes contain so much information; theme, energy, tonality, mood. Realizing the music can go anywhere doesn't mean it has to go everywhere. Staying with a few elements and seeing how deep they go seems to be helping me create more coherent pieces.
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
3-29-23
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Always fun to have new listeners! I started with a typical arc; a few notes to serve as a theme, expand and explore. Then a more energetic piece but very straightforward tonally, then a harmonic voice-leading kind of thing. I played a bluesy piece and the crowd was quite enthused! So, I did another jazzy piece, "Manhã de Carnaval". The last piece turned into "Tender Shepherd". Enjoy!
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
4-12-23
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
A bunch of new people tonight! We had to bring chairs in from the dining room! The only quote that showed up (that I'm aware of) was Take Me Out to the Ball Game...
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
4-19-23
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
We've been getting a nice crowd in recent weeks; 12 this time. I'm glad these evenings are appreciated, and I'm realizing it's a wonderful opportunity for people to forget about everything else, not look at phones for an hour, relax and enjoy a live piano. The audience helps me stay focused and intentional, and I get a podcast out of it. Win win!
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
4-26-23
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
Update: my podcast host has started playing ads; I noticed there were ads in the middle of the podcast which have now been removed.
Living room was full tonight! I'm happy people feel fulfilled enough to come so regularly. Tonight I started off with a couple freestyle pieces like I usually do, but then I alternated between a classical piece and an improvisation loosely based on the same piece. I stream these concerts with my phone to FB, and a bunch of the evening was muted out because of copyright claims! I filed a dispute, but I have to say I'm flattered; the claims were from famous concert pianists! As if I had played their recordings instead of playing the pieces myself! So, thanks FB, but no, I'm not Yuja Wang, nor am I playing her performance....
Wednesday May 03, 2023
5-3-23
Wednesday May 03, 2023
Wednesday May 03, 2023
I did a couple freestyle pieces as usual, but then I played a classical piece and followed it with an improvisation based on thematic elements of the piece. The pieces were Brahms Intermezzo in A Major, Mendelssohn Song Without Words in F# minor, and a Debussy Prelude, Girl With the Flaxen Hair. On the last improvisation, I took the descending thirds and reversed it. In the middle of the piece, I realized ascending thirds was actually the beginning of "I Loves You, Porgy", so I followed that thread for a bit.
Wednesday May 10, 2023
5-10-23
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Went to some more bombastic places tonight, but also some introspective places, too. Started to do a percussive, atonal piece but it turned into an old-style blues. Did a sweet little melodic thing that morphed into a schizophrenic ragtime. Go figure.
Wednesday May 17, 2023
5-17-23
Wednesday May 17, 2023
Wednesday May 17, 2023
Dear listeners, I've been holding out on you; for the past several weeks I've been closing the evening with an improvisation with the studio equipment, using looping and synths to create different soundscapes or rhythm grooves. Tonight's piano music is shorter because I finally spent more time looping. I hope to incorporate this sound very soon in the podcast. It's not exactly "piano meditations" but "improvisations with studio equipment" just doesn't have the same ring to it...
Wednesday May 24, 2023
5-24-23
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Small crowd and one new guest tonight. Felt like playing around with chords and arpeggios. I think "Dancing Queen" showed up, but other than that, not much else to say! Enjoy.
Wednesday May 31, 2023
5-31-23
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Small crowd tonight. I was just in a quiet, reflective mood, so I played accordingly. Sometimes it's nice to settle into an unhurried approach, and just listen more deeply to the tones and emerging melodies. Enjoy.
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
6-7-23
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
It's funny; I was all set to do more looping and synth playing tonight, but I just kept playing solo piano. I got a little carried away in the moment and a few times I stumbled over myself, but to tell the truth I almost like it, because it's not so "careful". A couple quotes were glanced at at the the end; Dan Fogelberg's Longer Than and Lloyd Webber's All My Tribulations from Superstar. Enjoy.
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
6-21-23
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
OK! This is a bit of a benchmark episode. I still played solo piano for much of the evening, but I switched to the computer/looping setup and was able to keep the music going without running into tech problems, and today I succeeded in creating a simple mixdown of the different sounds and combining it with the piano recording. I cut out the gradual layering of the percussion instruments, as it takes too long to wait for a melodic element. Enjoy.
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
9-6-23
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
We are back at it! This begins year seven. I hadn't practiced with the looping since the last episode in June or July, so I stuck with the old Steinway. One friend asked for a piece with the equipment, so I obliged, but didn't record it here.
The music tonight was in several different harmonic realms; sometimes new-age, sometimes pop-rock. The pop-rock one had a bunch of quotes that I couldn't even list; You Can't Hurry Love, Dancing Queen, and others... enjoy!
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
9-13-23
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Some new guests tonight; always fun to welcome them! Played some gentle explorations but also some pretty atonal energetic stuff. Not much in the way of quotes, but "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (melody by Chopin) made it in there for a moment.
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
9-20-23
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
One piece began in a very atonal, "contemporary piano" kind of way, but then I caught a groove and really dug into some unfamiliar sonorities. Maybe not good for listening while making dinner, but who am I to say?
Staying with piano only for the time being for the podcast; but for the guests who come in person I stop recording after 45 minutes and do an ambient/looping thing at the end. Building confidence!
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
9-27-23
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Always exciting to have new guests! I stayed in the very tonal realm tonight, and was also feeling pretty mellow; we had our first fire for the fall! Some pieces began very muted but got pretty energetic. Some quotes emerged; "Trials and Tribulations" from Jesus Christ, Superstar, "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Pachelbel's Canon in D, even Dancing Queen, which seems to show up rather frequently...
Enjoy.
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
10-4-23
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Really big crowd tonight! Some new people, and the piano is in a more central spot after we painted and I reconfigured the studio. Consequently the music was a little more all over the place! I kept almost playing a melody of a song I know but couldn't quite bring to consciousness. Maybe you can tell me! Enjoy.
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
10-11-23
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Our numbers have grown! WE had about twenty people tonight. I was buried in audio cabling issues until right before we began, but I was able to change gears and get into the music. I did a looping piece at the end which went very well; once I figure out how to record everything along with the piano I'l start including it in the podcast.
I did a bunch of straight-ahead improvs, then did one that was pretty experimental. It morphed into progressive jazz/Gershwin kind of thing. Enjoy!
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
10-18-23
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
After the first piece I really felt like stretching a bit, so I did! I'm not sure if the pieces "worked" as well, but it is a good idea to just let the music be what it wants to be. I then did some looping but of course forgot to record it, so tonight's episode is a little short. Enjoy.
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
11-1-23
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
WE had almost twenty people here tonight! Some new folks too. I stayed squarely in the tonal realm tonight, and did a few genre-specific type pieces. One started off like an old hymn, then became a pompous overblown operatic cliché! I still didn't record it, but I did have a successful looping improv that was meditative, and didn't include any equipment failures. Progress!
Friday Nov 10, 2023
11-8-23
Friday Nov 10, 2023
Friday Nov 10, 2023
I've had a bit of trouble with the audio signal on this episode; hopefully this will be the last time I'm replacing the episode in the podcast. It was a quiet night with just my wife in the audience; she got the covid. I stayed in a primarily mellow mood, with a few unusual (for me) harmonic explorations. One quote got in there but I don't know what is was, I just know it's something I've heard before! Maybe you can tell me? Enjoy.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
11-15-23
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Small but dedicated troupe tonight. Glad for the presence of people actively listening; it keeps me actively listening as well. In recent weeks I've been attempting to go into harmonies I'm not sure I know what I'll hear, and I have to remain adaptable to split-second implications of the harmonies. It's fun! The results are some surprises and a few thunks. Enjoy!
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
12-6-23
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
A bunch of new folks tonight! I must say, the numbers are growing. We still have enough chairs, but it's making me wonder if we will get to standing room only! Anyway, had fun tonight, doing a little more jazz progressions and quirky rhythms. Enjoy.
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
12-13-23
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Small group, but one new person tonight. I kept leaning into a bel canto, faux operatic sound tonight. I think the theme to All Things Considered worked its way in there. I was enjoying hearing harmonies that flipped between major and minor. Enjoy.
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
12-20-23
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
Once again, big crowd! Still asking them not to applaud after each piece so the podcast can be just music. The first four notes reminded me instantly of Danny Boy, so I played with it thematically, and Stephen Foster's Shenandoah got in there for a minute. Tried a ragtime ditty and a waltz, a jazz ballad style and an impressionistic, sort of atonal thing. Hope you enjoy.
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
12-27-23
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
Our whole family and romantic partners took a sound bath at a local studio. It was very relaxing. Tonight I wanted to try to use the piano as a sound vibration vehicle; much of the music was quite mellow, but of course a couple pieces had a natural build so I went for it. Enjoy.
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
1-10-24
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Well, I finally figured out how to record into the mixer while looping in the recording software on the computer. Here are two evenings put together, followed by solo piano as usual. If I were to try and make these into "finished" pieces, I would do some editing and better mixes, but at least you'll have an idea of where this is headed.
In the solo piano section tonight, I fell into Gracias a la Vida by Violetta Parra. Not completely, but enough I should mention it. Enjoy.
Friday Jan 19, 2024
1-17-24
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Friday Jan 19, 2024
This episode only includes two rather long pieces. The second one began sounding like a Baroque melody I remembered, so I explored it without really knowing the whole tune. Afterwards I tracked it down, learning it was a Sarabande by Handel which was used in the movie Barry Lyndon. Go figure!
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
Piano Meditations 1-31-24
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
We are having people over every other week for the time being, in case you've noticed the episodes are less frequent. Tonight I played three live looping pieces, but only the last one recorded well, so I'm including it here. The rest is solo piano. Enjoy!
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
2-28-24
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
I know I've been less frequent with new episodes, and now the next won't be until March 27th. I'm actually leaning towards ending the podcast, and focus on recordings for albums on the streamers. Podcasts are inherently free, and it costs me over $300 a year for hosting. I don't have much hope for true income from Spotify, iTunes and the rest, but something is better than nothing. If you have enjoyed this podcast, please consider a donation, and/or look me up and stream one of my albums. In the meanwhile, here is some new music for you.