Nature Music: New Age Piano Improvisation
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By :
Duane Shinn
Submitted
2008-11-21 05:02:46 |
Over the past few decades, millions of non-musicians have discovered that piano is not all about symphony concert halls and complex compositions by classical music luminaries. On the contrary, although it still requires a great deal of hard, focused work to become an accomplished pianist, there are contemporary methods for playing piano without a lot of formal instruction.
Specifically, "New Age" piano improvisation is a way to create your own sounds and compositions without relying heavily upon formal technique and music theory. As few New Age pianists ever gain any significant notoriety for their work, New Age piano is perfect for people whose lives are too busy to accommodate piano lessons.
Some musicians that have made an impact in this field include George Winston, Dean Evenson, Will Ackerman, Ray Lynch, Suzanne Ciani, Jim Brickman, Enya, B-Tribe, GregZ, Deep Forest, Jean Michel Jarre, Enigma, Kitaro, Yanni, Oscar Lopez, and a few others. But for every famous new age musician, there are thousands of pianists that play in this style just for their own enjoyment and relaxation.
But first, what exactly is New Age music? You've probably heard the phrase bandied about in reference to specific artists, but few know what it actually means. In general terms, New Age music is organic, natural; its main purpose is to soothe the spirit and fill the soul with calm. In many cases, New Age music tries to emulate the feelings or sounds of nature.
For example, a swift, smooth, and repetitive melody may be used to emulate a flowing river, or bright, unconventional melodies and harmonies can imitate the singing of birds. With sounds that are difficult to emulate, such as wind, clouds, or sunlight, many New Age musicians simply try to re-create the feeling of those natural phenomena.
A good knowlege of chords can go a long way toward aiding a potential new age piano player with some powerful ammunition. Simply by breaking up those chords in various type segments such as 8th notes, 16th notes, 32nd notes and so on can go a long way toward creating a unified impression. And when done with taste and feeling a pianist can similate the sounds of nature using the various registers of the piano keyboard.
Then by adding passing tones and neighboring tones and occasional embellishments one can emulate the sounds of everything from wind to rain to hail to peaceful brooks and whistling trees in an effort to obtain a peaceful impression.
Meanwhile, New Age music may draw on a great variety of influences. The term is often used interchangeably with "World Music," a genre that incorporates elements of music from outside of the Western tradition. |
Author Resource:-
A free email newsletter on exciting piano chords and chord progressions is available free at "Exciting Piano Chords & Chord Progressions!"
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