Little Piano Piece

(computer-played version)

Piano solo

. . . by Rod Anderson 2005

Program Notes

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If you've already read the program notes immediately below, or want to skip them for now, you can click here to go immediately to:

the computer-played MP3 and MIDI files, or
the live-performance MP3 files

Table of Contents (TOC) of these Program Notes

The Basics
Structure notes
Computer-played MP3 and MIDI files
Live-performance MP3 files
Score package

The Basics

Introduction

This short piano solo takes just over 4 minutes. The timing of the computer-played MIDI and mp3 files is 4:17 min. Of course, a live performance will vary depending on the performer's interpretation.

The piece is somewhat atonal -- particularly with respect to the harmonies. The piece begins and ends in C Minor but there are many places where Eb Minor would appear to be the principal tonality -- and many other places where it is ambiguous.

Instrumentation

Piano

Duration

Just over 4 minutes.

Composition date

July 2005

First performance

September 17, 2005 at a concert at our home ("SwallowHill") in Cobourg, ON, Canada:
Piano: Maren Cook (of Cobourg)
Helping out on some piano bass: Rod Anderson**

**While the piece was written for one player, it happens that Maren, while she plays beautifully (as you can hear here and elsewhere -- e.g., Little Flute and Piano Suite) had an injury to her hands a while ago and some of the bass notes in this piece were hurtful to her left hand -- hence my amateurish help on some of the notes.

Computer performer (when human one is absent)

Like all the MIDI files here, it is in General MIDI form. The General MIDI patch (on the 0-127 numbering system) is:

Part General MIDI patch

name #

Piano Acoustic Grand Piano 0

How it sounds will depend on your own playback software.

	Part	General MIDI patch
		name	#
	Piano	Acoustic Grand Piano	0

On my own synth I used the following patch:

Part Sound Module Patch

name #

Piano Roland RD500 Gr Piano A1 0

This is what you hear on the mp3 files.

	Part	Sound Module	Patch
			name	#
	Piano	Roland RD500	Gr Piano A1	0

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Structure notes

measures	# of m's	section	comment
1- 15	15	Intro	A slow, meditative introduction in C Minor.
16- 19	4	A1	The first theme fragment (beginning in C Minor but ending in Eb Minor)
20- 23	4	A2	A modification of A1. This time it begins and ends in C Minor (though, as in the earlier section, there are atonal harmonies along the way).
24- 27	4	Bridge	Parts of the Bridge are from the Intro, but m.25 introduces a transitional measure that will reappear several times.
28- 31	4	A1b	More or less A1, except that some chords have been broken into two pieces, giving a more rhythmic drive to this section.
32- 35	4	A2b	Same rhythmic technique, but applied to A2. The whole initial A section closes in C Minor.
36- 37	2	Bridge	Repeating the transitional motif from m.25.
38- 41	4	B1	A slow, more thoughtful contrast to the jumpy A section. It seems to begin in D Minor (though the left hand would not agree) but the end is inconclusive.
42- 45	4	B2	A slight variation on B1.
46- 51	6	Bridge	New transitional material.
52- 55	4	B1 repeat	A repeat of B1 except for a faster bass and occasional added ornamentation in the treble.
56- 59	4	B2 repeat	Similar techniques applied to varying B2.
60- 63	4	Bridge	New transitional material.
64- 78	15	Intro	A repeat of the meditative Intro from the beginning.
79- 82	4	A1	Same as A1.
83- 88	6	A2c	A modification and extension of A2.
89- 94	6	Bridge	A rhythmic transition. Measures 90 &91 remember (though in quicker time) a theme from B1.
95- 98	4	A1b	Same as the earlier A1b.
99-109	11	A2d	An extension of A2 (including one measure of the Bridge in m.87) and ending with a return to the opening chords of the Intro.

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Computer-played MP3 and MIDI files
(Click on icons below to play MIDI and/or download MP3 files)

Year	Title ... Instrumentation ...... Excerpts	Min: Sec	Complete MP3 files (better sound)** file size	MP3 file extracts (better sound)** file size	Complete MIDI file (not as good sound but quick)**
	The complete piece (computer-played):
2005	Little Piano Piece ... a short piano solo	4:17	2.5 MB
	How the MIDI file sounds depends, of course, on your playback mechanism. On my computer, MIDI files are played by the QuickTime PlugIn and the piano is OK but a little thin and pingy. In comparison, in the mp3 file (recorded from my sound-module patch) the piano sounds mellower. Of course, if you have a synthesizer, you can download the MIDI file and set the piano to your own preferred patch -- but that's more work than downloading the complete mp3 file.

	Short excerpts (computer-played):
	...... Intro & Sections A1 & A2	0:45		0.4 MB
	A slow, meditative introduction in C Minor. Then (A1) the first theme fragment (beginning in C Minor but ending in Eb Minor). Finally (A2) a modification of A1 -- this time beginning and ending in C Minor (though, as in the earlier section, there are atonal harmonies along the way). The piano in this mp3 file is much mellower than the usual plug-in's playback of the MIDI file.
	...... Sections B1 & B2	0:28		0.3 MB
	B1 is a slow, more thoughtful contrast to the jumpy A section. It seems to begin in D Minor (though the left hand would not agree) but the end in inconclusive. B2 is then a slight variation on B1. The piano in this mp3 file is much mellower than the usual plug-in's playback of the MIDI file.
	...... Section A2d to end	0:23		0.2 MB
	An extension of A2 (including one measure of an earlier Bridge) and ending with a return to the opening chords of the Intro. The piano in this mp3 file is much mellower than the usual plug-in's playback of the MIDI file.

** If you have a high-speed connection, forget about the MIDI files and just use the MP3 files (better). If you have a dial-up connection, consider the faster (but not as good) MIDI file only if the MP3 files seem to be taking too long to play or download.

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Live-performance MP3 files
(Click on icons below to play and/or download MP3 files)

Year Title
... Instrumentation
...... Excerpts Min:
Sec Complete
MP3 files
(better sound)
file size MP3 file
extracts
(better sound)
file size

The complete piece (live performance Sep 17/05):

2005 Little Piano Piece
... a short piano solo 4:17 2.5 MB

Short excerpts (computer-played):

...... Intro & Sections A1 & A2 0:45 0.4 MB

A slow, meditative introduction in C Minor. Then (A1) the first theme fragment (beginning in C Minor but ending in Eb Minor). Finally (A2) a modification of A1 -- this time beginning and ending in C Minor (though, as in the earlier section, there are atonal harmonies along the way).

...... Sections B1 & B2 0:28 0.3 MB

B1 is a slow, more thoughtful contrast to the jumpy A section. It seems to begin in D Minor (though the left hand would not agree) but the end in inconclusive. B2 is then a slight variation on B1.
...... Section A2d to end 0:22 0.2 MB

An extension of A2 (including one measure of an earlier Bridge) and ending with a return to the opening chords of the Intro.

Score Package
(Click on icons below to download pdf and rtf files)

Year Title
... Instrumentation Description No. of
score pages Score
(pdf file)
file size No. of
text pages Text
(rtf file)
file size

2005 Little Piano Piece
... short piano solo Piano score 8 0.3 MB 3 8 KB

(you will need the free Stuffit Expander for decompressing the rtf.sitx files)
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http://www.rodmer.com/RodMusic/ProgramNotes/LPPNotes.html -- Revised Sep 27, 2005
Copyright © 2005 Rod Anderson
rod@rodmer.com

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Year	Title ... Instrumentation	Description	No. of score pages	Score (pdf file) file size	No. of text pages	Text (rtf file) file size
2005	Little Piano Piece ... short piano solo	Piano score	8	0.3 MB	3	8 KB