Melsen's Piano Log

I played this thinking of my partner's uncle who had just passed away.

This particular piano was an old, very moldy baby grand, in a room off the lobby of the Thornewood Inn in Great Barrington, MA. I couldn't play long, because my sinuses got very irritated, but I was intrigued with the sonorities of the out-of-tune strings.

I was out on Whidbey Island, off the coast of Washington State, for my Grandad's memorial service. I live in the Boston area, and I have rarely gotten out to this place in my lifetime. My brother and I flew out there together with our mom, and we spent a couple days on the island. The woods were so incredibly lush and green! We had the memorial service at the Senior Center where Grandad had spent a lot of time. As people were starting to trickle in, someone expressed their disappointment that my mom hadn't brought her violin to play. Very shortly thereafter, someone suggested that I try my hand at the upright piano that was sitting in the front of the room. This is the first music I played. Sometimes my partner asks me if what I'm playing is "right now." Almost always, if it is improvised, then the answer is yes, and this music was no exception.