Contemplative piano music (by living composers!)
There are days when our souls and fingers crave the vibrancy of dramatic, crashing chords and thundering scales. And then there are days when the chaos and stress of life bombards us with so much sound that the only thing that soothes is a contemplative piano solo—a piece that unfold at the speed of our heartbeats; a piece that bring us back to the center of ourselves.
Ambient piano, crossover classical, neoclassical piano—whatever the label, there are many pianist-composers recording this style of music. Some of it is quite spare and simple. Other pieces offer more complexity and compositional structure. The composers I’ve chosen to showcase here offer a variety of styles and playing levels. Several excel at ambient piano music that is accessible to late-intermediate players, and others offer more advanced pieces that veer into classical concert repertoire. All write pieces with achingly beautiful melodies and lush harmonies. And—best of all—all offer sheet music for their recorded music, allowing pianists everywhere the chance to create the magic of this music on our own pianos.
I’ve interviewed quite a few composer-pianists over the past few years who write and record contemplative piano music. All of them create lovely pieces, but the 5 featured in this post possess that “extra something” that distinguishes their music from the rest. I encourage you to explore these artists’ recordings. Dip into some of their scores. You’re likely to find new favorite pieces that will become warmth and solace on dark days.
Garreth Brooke
About: Composer Garreth Brooke and artist Anna Salzmann--in their joint projects—give voice and visuals to the joys and heartbreak of being human.The spare lines of both art forms cut through the noise of overwrought emotions and cheap platitudes, and speak directly the heart, reminding people through the beauty of music and art that others have been there too. It reminds us that we're not alone. Brooke possesses a gift for lilting melodic lines and he grounds his musical ideas in solid compositional form. It’s music that invites the listener (and the pianist) to use his notes to enter their own inner worlds.
To listen: YouTube, all major streaming platforms
To purchase: Garreth Brooke
No Dead Guys interview: Healing: an interview with composer Garreth Brooke
Joel Lundberg
About: Imagine advanced classical piano music composed by a Swedish guitarist and bass player and I guarantee lush melodies, and exquisitely-crafted piano solos won’t spring to mind. Composer (and multi-talented wiz-kid) Joel Lundberg, in his departure from pop and alternative music, has composed and recorded not one but two albums of concert-level piano music that, although complicated, never strays from being contemplative in nature. Aided by his gifted pianist, Kalle Stenbäcken, these hauntingly-evocative pieces invite a sense of narrative drama and invites the listener into worlds full of vitality and color.
To listen: YouTube, all major streaming platforms
To purchase: Joel Lundberg Music
No Dead Guys interview: Music from a room: an interview with composer Joel Lundberg
Elliott Jack Sansom
About: If you are a fan of peaceful piano music, you’re most likely already familiar with the heartfelt, meltingly-beautiful music of Elliott Jack Sansom. A finalist in the 2016 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the year contest, he discovered a new, quietly-expressive way of creating music during the pandemic. His 2021 single“Kaleidoscope” reached number one on Spotify’s Peaceful Piano playlist. An album and an EP followed. All offer whimsy, lyricism, freedom, and his signature blending of classical and jazz sounds. This is ambient piano music with a heart of a lyricist and the mind of a jazz artist.
To listen: YouTube, all major streaming platforms
To purchase: Elliot Jack Sansom
No Dead Guys interview: As the Wind Changes: an interview with pianist and composer Elliott Jack Sansom
Simeon Walker
About: This music masterfully conceals complexity beneath surface simplicity. Walker, in his own words, has tended to use the tongue-in-cheek description of “Sad Piano Music” to describe his compositions—something which often seems to give people a pretty good idea of what it is before they hear it. He looks to create “space for reflection and to not fill the space with notes simply for the sake of it.” This space becomes a doorway for listeners (and pianists) to explore their own relationship with the world and with themselves.
To listen: YouTube, all major streaming platforms
To purchase: Simeon Walker
No Dead Guys interview: Sad piano music: an interview with composer and pianist Simeon Walker
Bruce Wolosoff
About: No Dead Guys was created to showcase music with a tune and a beat, composers with a sense of humor, and performers with a passion to “unstuff” classical music and make it accessible to everyone. Wolosoff, who claims that he’s lived long enough to not be ashamed to open his heart and unleash “a beautiful, simply stated tune” embodies all three of these ideals. He writes sophisticated advanced concert pieces that draw from both classical and jazz traditions, each one satisfying to both head and heart. These are concert level pieces that offer unforgettable melodies and journeys into a world where silences breathe, classical morphs into jazz, and paintings are there to be heard as well as seen.
To listen: all major streaming platforms
To purchase: Subito Music
No Dead Guys interview: Memento: an interview with composer and pianist Bruce Wolosoff
Photo by Markus Spiske, courtesy of UpSplash