Ballads

I am not what one would call a physically gifted pianist. I never have been. I've always been better in my head than in my fingers. That's kind of why I became a composer.

But one thing I have always had a penchant for ballads -- both playing and listening. It may stem from the fact that my childhood piano is a piano from 1920 with worn out hammers and dull strings rendering it non-responsive to up-tempo bop playing and perfect for ballads. That may be the cause, or that may just be a happy coincidence. My lack of technical prowess is such that I can still (or only?) express myself how I want to express myself through lower tempo'd music.

Calling a ballad at a jam session doesn't win many friends, and showing off your ability to play rubato doesn't exactly win the women. But it most certainly makes me happy.

And in the end, isn't that what music is about? Joy through self-expression?

So turn the metronome down, close your eyes, and just...play. Slowly. Surely. And beautifully. But most of all, slowly.