Sometimes something that I record isn’t enough to constitute a bona fide composition, but it’s still noteworthy in that it’s pretty, and the thematic material might be very useful in another, more well constructed, improvisation. This is one of those kind of recordings. Rather than try to find a name for these kind of themes, I’ve chosen to simply number them. Don’t let the lack of a real title fool you. This is still worth listening to! Enjoy!

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This piece provides a good illustration of how far my music has progressed in the last fifteen years or so. The piece itself is only so-so as far as I’m concerned, but it uses a theme that I used in another very early recording of myself that I made in the mid-90s. I called that piece “It Is Good.” Perhaps I’ve come a ways in my ability to make up titles for pieces as well. Anyway, compare the two and I think you’ll see, like I do, considerable progress. I hope that fifteen years from now, I can look at the pieces I record now and see a similar amount of progress.

The old version is first, followed by the new version.

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This is my favorite time of year. I endure the winter just because I know this season will follow it. I can once again feel the warmth of the springtime sun on my pallid skin. Oh, it’s not yet truly warm, but in comparison to the biting cold, it is as welcome as any wonder can be. As the cool April rains burst open the sleeping buds of tree and flower, I revel in the invasion of my gray and bleak world by the deep greens and soft pastels of the return of life. And so it is in our own lives. The winter seasons come, and then they finally end, and the rains that follow cleanse our soul and bring us back to life.

I’d like to give this song to my dear friend, Julie Ward. Your winter is over.

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This is really two pieces juxtaposed, a little lark on the piano during a bit of quiet time one Sunday morning. The first is like a flowing water, and the second is a gentle waltz.

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I’m pleased to announce the release of my second CD, “Finding Me Again.”  It’s very mellow, perfect to play for background ambience, times of meditation or relaxation, or just to bring a sense of peace to the close of a chaotic day.

Please read the full release article. From there you can order the CD.

Finding Me Again

Available now in my music store.

“Finding Me Again” is my second CD, a collection of ten original compositions. They include compositions on solo piano, and also synthesizer keyboards. It’s very mellow, perfect to play for background ambience, times of meditation or relaxation, or just to bring a sense of peace to the close of a chaotic day.

It’s entitled “Finding Me Again” because the music is a journal. It’s a journal of introspection and reflection. I began recording this music in November of 2009, starting with “November Frost.” For me, the Thanksgiving holiday marks the starting point of my annual self-review. It’s an intense process where I look at myself over the just ending year and decide what I’m going to do with me. Some of the things, the practices, the habits, the quirks and foibles that I’ve picked up over the year need to become permanent. Others need to be discarded. It’s exhilarating and discouraging, happy and sad, rewarding and disappointing, all rolled up into the season of joy that is the month of December.

This CD marks a milestone for me. It is the first recording that I made simply because I wanted to. It represents my own recognition that making music is one of my reasons, and as such is one of my fulfillments. It gives me joy to play; it astonishes me and leaves me breathless. To be able to not only play, but record that playing for all the world for all time is a fulfillment that I could never have imagined. There are people in my life, my past and my present, who have understood this, and have been mystified at why I did not. This recording is theirs. They found me long ago. Somewhere along the way, I found myself. And now, I’m Finding Me Again.

The cover photograph is my own, taken on a beautiful late August afternoon in 2009. It was late afternoon, and the storms were rolling through as they often do over the prairie. Diann was making dinner, and I thought I’d just shoot out into the countryside for a minute to see if I could catch a cloud photograph. As I got out there the last of the clouds were just clearing out, moving rapidly off to the east. The brilliant sun was shining on the line of retreating clouds, and as I was driving I saw this brilliant rainbow cross the last squall. I quickly turned around and found a place to park where I could photograph the scene. It was spellbinding. As the squall retreated, it moved in relation to myself and the sun. As rainbows only occur at a specific angle, I had to move to regain the proper position. As I did, the rainbow would reappear. It must have lasted for a half an hour or more. I was late for dinner. You can order a beautiful print of this photograph from my photography store.

The photograph seems to me to be perfect for this album. Storms come and storms go. In some ways, 2009 was a stormy year. But storms also bring intense beauty, and that is how I’ll remember 2009. The rainbow disappears behind the cornfield. In fact, it was many miles away. And I am the lucky pot of gold at its end.

Song List

The music on Anticipating Spring includes:

1. November Frost
2. Musings of a Heart Reflected
3. Waltz of the Summer Rain
4. Under the Moonlight
5. Finding Me Again
6. Baroque Musing
7. Walk With Myself
8. Behind the Looking Glass
9. Tapestry of a Single Day
10. Silent Waterfall

Please note that all the music on this CD is available free on this site,to listen or download.  The CD is available if you don’t have an MP3 player, want to play the music in your car, or otherwise have use for physical recorded media.

You can purchase “Finding Me Again” by heading on over to my store.

Thank You

• Those of you who found me before I found myself. Perhaps you know who you are. I do.
• Diann, for once again putting up with such a quirksome husband. I love you. I really do.
• My sons, for giving me the hope it takes for me to keep on looking.

Disclaimer

If you’re a sound engineer, you’ll immediately recognize that, though this music was recorded by an accomplished pianist, it was not recorded by an accomplished sound technician, or processed by an accomplished sound engineer. It was all done by me, by myself. It’s not bad, but I’ve got a long way to go and a lot to learn about how to record acoustic piano, and how to turn those recordings into a great CD.

Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I wonder which side of it I’m on. Is the real me standing there seeing himself, or is the real me looking back from behind the looking glass?

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As I thought back through my day, this is the music that the day became.  It was busy, thoughtful, reflective, calm, chaotic, and several other themes, all thrown together in one waking day. And it was a typical day. No wonder I’m tired after it’s all said and done!

The passage from 4:00 to 6:00 is very good, in my opinion.

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I love the Bach Two Part Inventions. Even though I’m not really skilled enough to play them, let alone make one up, I like to sometimes pretend that I can do that. I pick a mode and sail away. This is one such instance. It’s dark and moody. I don’t know why it came out like that. I don’t feel that way particularly. But here it is, yet another peek inside the soul called “Tim Stone.”

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I had about ten minutes to sneak in a recording tonight, and this is what I got. Unfortunately, the recording equipment wasn’t set up quite right, and the result has a nasty hum in the background. This renders the recording basically useless, but it’s a decent piece, so I thought I’d put it up here anyway.

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Update: I’ve reprocessed this piece, and I think I’ve mostly gotten the hum and noise out of it, so this one makes the cut! Have a listen to the second version to compare.

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