Short Improv

Well I was feeling a little discouraged with my piano playing, so I rented a trumpet, never have played a note on one in my life.  And now I feel much better about my piano playing!

On a more serious note, I think my practice regiment of repertoire building and progression practice was leading me feel encumbered by having to play the harmony along with the melody.  But that's wrong, the point isn't to try to bifurcate your psyche into your left hand half, controlling working on the harmony and rhythm, while your right hand half works the melody, the point is that the playing of both are parts of a piano piece, and in a piano piece those two things should be intimately related.  And, if anything, that is the goal of improvs with a trumpet playing the melody two, it's just that in that case the presence of two minds requires communication as to what notes are going to be played in the future.

In this vein of thought, I have decided that I have to get away (at least some of the time) from repertoire building and working on progressions, and spend some time just playing the piano, letting the harmony and the rhythmic playing coexists in a mutually beneficial manner with lead playing.  Anyway, that's the goal.  And then I can use this experience in what is the ultimate goal, at least my current long term piano goal, which is to be able to play jazz standards in a creative, and unique, way.

Well, here's a short rendition of nothing in particular:
 Short improv by Malcolm81
or the link: http://soundcloud.com/malcolm81/short-improv

Also, some of my hand coordination difficulties are caused by my "I'll get there when I get there" melodic sense--and yes I was like that when I played guitar too.  Maybe it's from playing music where the rhythm music might drone out the melody if it's played right on the beat, I don't know, but I rarely jump beats, and I'm not so rarely a little behind them, and I'm not entirely unhappy about that, though I guess maybe it is something I can work on to extend my comfort zone.

Anyhow, take it easy,
Malcolm