I mashed two pieces together for this one.
The fast staccato piece I used to play while studying chemical engineering in college.
I would go to the basement of a campus building when all the classes were finished, that had a piano and play alone in the quiet.
I dream about making music. It was a great outlet.
The rest of the melodies I had originally made into their own piece, using the same structure as John Williams used in the Harry Potter theme called Hedwig’s Theme.
I called it various names over the years such as Para Mariana (like Fur Elise but in Spanish for my Mexican wife – maybe I still name one that).
But when I put them together I imagined a story, and the staccato theme became the focus.
This song without words tells the story of a young boy struggling to play a piece of music on his keyboard.
When suddenly he hears a hauntingly beautiful melody and finds his Grandma at the large piano. He sits next to her as she begins to teach him different melodies and he repeats them back.
Time passes as the music plays. He grows and keeps learning life lessons. She passes on. One day he returns to that piece from his childhood. After an attempt, he nails it and then realizes he can even play his Grandmother’s theme.
It’s actually written to go with a video shoot of this story. Perhaps one day we’ll film it.
(Excerpt: A Boy’s Stuttering Piano becomes his Grandmother’s Hauntingly Lovely Theme)