Categorisation of musicians and composers is something I’m not keen on. It’s one thing if someone decides they want to specialise in just one particular area of music, but normally musicians and composers enjoy performing and writing a variety of types of music. I enjoy listening, performing and writing a variety of musical styles. This explains why my Soundcloud portfolio contains a diverse range of ensembles and styles – and believe me, it would be even more diverse if I uploaded some of my other bits and pieces (which maybe I will some day).

This piece is the first of a collection of short piano pieces I’ve been working on for some time. They are pianistic, melodic and predominantly tonal. They have come about in a variety of ways; often when improvising at the piano, passing time, or stumbled across when working on other projects. Several of them are based on ideas or sketches I’ve been doodling about with for some time, that I’ve thought it’s about time were given the light of day. They are the Thoughtscape collection, of which this is the first piece.

A little bit about Thoughtscape I.

I’ve developed a bit of an obsession for the major second as an interval. In fact, for the use of several of them in one go. I’m also developing a slight obsession with blending notes and chords together, hence the heavy use of pedal in the piece (can’t remember how much I used it in the excerpts, but I’ve used it a lot in the past).

I’m also a fan of the pentatonic scale. In the works I’m concentrating on at the moment I’ve been concentrating more on specific scales. A large proportion of Thoughtscape I is performed purely on the black keys – although this wasn’t an intentional decision! The middle section (second excerpt) moves between two keys a semitone apart- another concept I’m keen on at the moment.

Thoughtscape I was premiered at the wedding of Mr and Mrs Dover in late August 2011, and is approximately 3’30” in length.


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