Jean's Piano

About

These sounds originate from a recording of my grandmother playing piano. She loved to play, & was often tinkering away, playing by ear & singing - at home in Whitianga, NZ. I'd always intended to create something from the recording.

Here's how I went about it. A phrase of the original recording is selected, it becomes a 'sample', a couple of bars that will loop forwards and backwards. Now the sample can be played via a midi keyboard. Playing the sample is like playing any instrument – different pitches, notes are layered, new chords and combinations form. Plus you control the 'envelope', meaning, how fast a sound starts (attack) and finishes (decay). You form a new piece with a new sound. The resulting sound can also be processed, by adding reverb, echo, filtering, and oscillation. It's instinct you're going on. You record what is played.

Remembering your grandmother's joy at playing piano, you have fun also.