Boring piano improvisation

 Piano improvisation is how I explore emotions and atmosphere. Inspired by the world of Studio Ghibli, I wanted to play a simple improvisation that - at times - could resemble the atmosphere of their films. I love Studio Ghibli's movies.  Well, I don't watch them anymore, but when my kids were little, I watched almost all of them. Studio Ghibli's films are true escapist works of art that you want to dive into. The atmosphere reminds me of my own early childhood, when anything seemed possible in my fantasy world.

  Lovely wool socks that Lini has knitted for me. In the beginning, she only had yarn balls of different colors. She had to decide to start knitting. That's how it must have gone. Lini used to work at the National Opera. We may be related. We both enjoy drinking sparkling wine together. We can do it without company, even though we haven´t tried it yet. This music, as well as the writing, was improvised.

This was improvised and recorded a few years ago, and I've only just uploaded it now because, you know, it's almost Christmas. Finnish christmas carols: Varpunen jouluaamuna - Sparrow on Christmas morning (Otto Kotilainen) Joulun kellot - Christmas bells (Armas Maasalo) and Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht from Franz Gruber.

Satie´s Gymnopédie no 3 inspired this improvisation.

Black Friday Special: 50% off Hope. Feeling miserable one day, I sat down at the piano and started playing something as usual, but accidentally ended up with the Finlandia theme by Jean Sibelius. Finlandia is a song about the dawn of a small and cute nation, and also about hope and the joy of being Finnish. Unfortunately, I couldn't play Finlandia that way, my improvisation took a darker turn. So, I recommend watching a cat video instead. Next time I'll play better or worse, but not exactly like this.

As we look around at the state of the world, the prospect of humanity’s future doesn’t always seem bright. But perhaps, there’s hope in our smallest, most essential friends: bees. In this piano improvisation, I’ve imagined what it would sound like if bees ruled the world. And of course, every new kingdom needs its national anthem! This improvisation, titled Bees’ Anthem, draws inspiration from both the serene, minimalist style of Arvo Pärt and the quiet strength of bees. I limited myself to playing exclusively in the key of B-flat major, without modulation and without a time signature. This self-imposed constraint became a personal challenge, pushing me to explore new ways of creating interest and movement within these boundaries. I also decided to use the soft pedal throughout the piece, which gave it a muted, dreamlike quality—a sound that bees, after all their hard work, surely deserve. The result is a slow, contemplative improvisation that, I hope, captures the essence of both mini...

I've put together this playlist of piano improvisations as a fun way to challenge myself. I've set myself a few little constraints, like using a specific key or time signature, or trying out some new techniques like using only two fingers.

Leonard B. Meyer was an influential musicologist known for his exploration of how we experience music emotionally. Meyer’s work, Emotion and Meaning in Music, tackles complex questions about why certain compositions resonate deeply with listeners, while others fall flat. His theories provide a lens through which we can better understand how elements like musical tension, release, and expectation play crucial roles in shaping our emotional responses to music. According to Meyer, the effectiveness of a musical piece hinges on the balance between surprise and predictability. Music that meets every expectation might be pleasant, but it often fails to leave a lasting impact. Conversely, music that defies expectations entirely risks feeling chaotic or unsatisfying. Meyer argues that the ideal lies somewhere in between: a composition that subtly challenges listeners, keeping them on their toes without overwhelming them, ultimately provides a more profound and memorable experience. As a music...