Heartbeats (a piano piece from A piano in the Woods)

This was a piece I wrote last winter when I was all caught up in that livestream I keep yammering on about. It goes with this tiny verse I never expand on. And I used the A section to back the poem Solstice in the audio chapbook.

How many heartbeats do I have left?
It feels so absurd,
it beats like a bird,
Fluttering in my chest.
How many beats do I have left?

Alright kids, here we go.

Your piano teacher Ain’t here!

YouTube won’t let me embed or jet pack won’t. I’m not sure. I tried several ways. So direct.

Here’s the audio only:

I spent a portion of the time I have this week going over this piece and learning it so I can (maybe?) reliably play it in one take.

I underestimated this process and am in awe of professional musicians who do this all the time. I had to learn it, the piece I wrote, and it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I could hear that coach from the movie miracle with the whistle saying again! But it got down and I continue work on it to keep the repertoire fresh.

There a pdf of some music :

A few words about playing this piece.

1)The a section is a tempo rubato/with feeling section. Turn off the damn metronome and feel it. Keep the basic rhythmic flow but also allow it to slow and speed up as you interpret it. I haven’t figured out how to edit this type of element in MuseScore. Maybe I could do it in another program.

2) this is a long improvisation section. I wrote out a ton of examples which I more or less play in the recording. Don’t get too stuck on the page! I often modify the ends of the phrases a bit. I didn’t write that all down. The last two sections were a practiced improvisation. So do what you want here. Play around with it. Take what you like from the suggestions I wrote out.For as long as you feel like. In practice this would probably mean having some plan in your head but get used to adjusting if it doesn’t go the way you like.

3) the goal of the B section is to keep the rhythm and chord pattern (am, g,f,dm, e maj) in the left hand and keep it steady while the right hand does whatever. It might take practice. That’s why there are a few easy variations in what I wrote, so you can build it.

4) dynamics are whatever you want. Pedal the same thing. I like to muddy it a lot and use the pedal excessively. (I can hear my piano teacher yelling at me, but she ain’t here is she?) But you might want to take it off entirely. Or use it more sparingly.

5) go back to the beginning when you have smoldered long enough. That transition should be sudden. Resolve to an A major chord.

6) have fun. There is no other reason to play. You are brilliant. Let is shine!