Here are my original A Minute’s Peace compositions from Day #57 to Day #70. A compilation of these pieces will be available to stream or download soon.
Jean-Claude Sandhamn This was inspired by a recent trip to, and dip in, the Baltic sea in Sweden. It was cold but beautiful.
Teleport The feeling of being happy and content somewhere, and then in the blink of an eye you’re somewhere else entirely, wondering how on Earth you got there.
Popcorn This is me trying to sound like Thomas Newman (Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty…) with lots of pretty sixths. I’m also trying to play fewer notes than usual, but I’m a note addict, I suppose.
Still Time Dedicated to a wonderful, strong, compassionate, funny, caring woman who passed away shortly before this was written. An amazing aunt to me, but also a loving mother, grandmother, sister, wife and friend. You’ll be forever in our hearts, Sheila.
Here Comes The Rain In between heatwaves 5 and 6 of the UK’s hottest summer on record, it was chucking it down outside, so I thought I’d try and capture the majesty of a good downpour.
Passeggiata Capturing a leisurely evening stroll in between showers. I appear to be proving Brits are obsessed with the weather.
The Sun Breaking Through The Clouds Sometimes you need the rain to appreciate the sun. And here it is, back again, breaking through the clouds… I really love the little specks and sparkles of light represented by the higher notes at the end.
The End Of Summer This is me trying to do jazz (well, a G7#5#9 chord) before giving up and doing my usual shtick. I like it, though – it has an autumnal melancholy.
Carried Away A famous songwriter of musical theatre saunters over to the Steinway in his Mediterranean drawing room, sits down and starts to pen yet another gentle romantic ballad of agonising unrequited love, but within minutes the humidity and 7-star Metaxa have diverted him from the usual well-trodden path.
Hymn Hymns have great chord progressions, so I had a go writing one, or the music at least. I couldn’t resist putting a pipe organ and choir at the end. Oh, and some timpani. I mean, it doesn’t always have to be piano, does it?
Sussing It Out How many suspended chords can I put into one piece? That was the challenge I set myself with this one. Turns out I managed quite a few. For the non-musicians, suspended chords create tension by being deliberately ambiguous as to their modality: are they major or minor? Happy or sad? They leave you hanging in the air. Secretly, though, they’re yearning to be resolved into nice, stable major or minor chords. Think of the ‘A’ to the ‘men’ in a sung ‘Amen’. I felt in a musically vindictive mood, so I avoided giving them what they wanted for a while – then I gave in.
Delicato There’s nowt wrong with simplicity sometimes. Keep your suspended chords and complex progressions for another day.
A Worthy Candidate Arpeggios and unusual chord progressions. I’m listening to this now, and I’ve no idea what notes I’m playing for most of it, which is usually a good sign.
Dreampiece After a jet-lagged twelve-hour sleep, I woke up with this piece of music in my head, pretty much fully-formed. So I got up, stumbled to the piano, and, with stiff fingers and bleary eyes, managed to figure out the melody and chords. There’s something magical about remembering and recording music that was invented in a dream, like smuggling in something from another dimension. Just ask Paul McCartney.