Hey hey everybody. This is Alex. And I would like to welcome you to the first blog I have ever written for one of my compositions. I hope this will be the first of many, and that you will enjoy whatever thoughts I put down. Before I start talking about my new piece, “The Pianist’s Wind Chimes” I’m going to be upfront and say that I am out of my element when writing these blogs.
Writing has never been my strong point. That might be why I am a musician instead of a writer. Despite that, I think it’s time for me to start writing again; even if it’s going to suck every once in a while. So, please refrain from mocking me in the comments. Actually I’m just kidding. Say anything you want about my writing (or music). My only wish is for whatever feedback to be in good faith. With that said, let’s get on with the show!
Skill Level
The Pianist’s Wind Chimes is an interesting piece from my point of view. I wrote it with intermediate players in mind. Students of this skill level have probably had experience with time signatures such as 6/8 and 9/8, but not 5/8. This feel can be difficult for somebody who has not encountered 5/8 before. Shoot, even at the collegiate level, I’ve seen students have some trouble comprehending this time signature.
It would have been easy for this piece to get too difficult. Keeping that in mind, the left hand stays simple. The pattern of two eighth notes and three eighth notes persists throughout all of The Pianist’s Wind Chimes. This pattern is established at the very beginning and is the intro. It keeps on going when the melody jumps in. In the middle of the piece there is a short break from the eighth notes which breaks the repetitiveness of the left hand briefly. This adds just enough variety into an intermediate piece to make it interesting.
Influences
My inspiration for The pianist’s Wind Chimes came mainly from Philip Glass. The Philip Glass Etudes are kind of short, but I’ve been listening to them recently. They are somewhat profound even though they are brief and not that advanced. Of course a piece does not have to be long or hard in order to be profound. The Minimalist style is a great way for beginner and intermediate piano students to sound excellent at piano recitals.
I usually don’t think about the title of a piece first. The title came to me as I was working on it. Funnily enough, the title might be the worst part of this piece. I only used the name The Pianist’s Wind Chimes because I thought it was a cool name (ha ha ha!).
In the middle of The Pianist’s Wind Chimes, there is a reference to Beethoven’s Fur Elise. The famous first two measures of Fur Elise were part of my inspiration. The notes are sort of different. I didn’t want to copy Fur Elise completely. But I did want to make the reference obvious enough. I do wander how many people will recognize the reference. I hope most of them will.
I love listening to minimalism. If you’re not aware of minimalism, then you should listen to three of the best composers of that genre: John Adams, Philip Glass, and Terry Riley. If you have a wide range of musical tastes, then I highly recommend listening to those three composers. You should especially listen to John Adam’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine. That will give you a great example of what minimalism sounds like.
Here’s a link for Short Ride in a Fast Machine: https://youtu.be/5LoUm_r7It8
Where’s the Roadmap for this thing?
The Pianist’s Wind Chimes has a palindrome form. It starts off with the intro; the A section follows for the rest of the first page; the B section is a side-winding melody; followed by the “Elise” break; back to the B section; the A section; ending with an outro. Palindromes work well in minimalism. The natural flow of The Pianist’s Wind Chimes seem to naturally lead to a palindrome form.
Conclusion
The Pianist’s Wind Chimes works best as a recital piece. Intermediate students will be able to pick this up. Since I’m a pianist as well as a teacher, I love to create educational pieces and share them with my students. The most important part of The Pianist’s Wind Chimes is that it focuses on the 5/8 time signature. So, even if you don’t need any music to perform at a student recital, this can still easily be used as an educational piece.
If you buy this piece, I hope you enjoy it. My goal, when composing music, is to be enjoyable to play and to listen to. If my music accomplishes both for you, then I will consider The Pianist’s Wind Chimes to be a success. Thank you.
Alex Lewis
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