Topic: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Pianoteq)

another performance (mangling?) of a Bach chorale.  it's hard to match Busoni's arrangement so i had no choice but to go in a different direction.  hopefully it's not too outrageous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9mNyIOftaE

Re: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Pianoteq)

WoW! This sounds complicated but played brilliant, special harmonies. I can hear you are really into it, you really like doing it. Enjoyed much. I think you have something that not many have, I think you always incorporate your personality into the music when playing - an exceptional skill. And, like once before, I could follow your playing/improvising in the sheet. If I’m not wrong you used it 9 times. Number fourth was special. It was wonderful to ”be in your playing”, in the music 
I have so much admiration for your real book work and chorale improvisation. Thank you budo. Always waiting for more.

Best,

Stig

Last edited by Pianoteqenthusiast (03-11-2021 00:10)

Re: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Pianoteq)

budo, I don’t have any edit button, so I have to give a new reply again, forgot to say this:

Most of all I like how you always establish the identity of the chorales you play by letting the melody be heard in the improvisation, and then it’s those magic chords that brings it to live.

Sometimes my musician friends are so spaced out so I  don't know what they are playing when improvising a special song.

Best,

Stig

Re: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Pianoteq)

i agree with all that you say.  it's true that a lot a musicians, when improvising, tend to forget about the melody.  of course that's not true of the greats; even when the melody isn't obvious, it's heavily influencing what they're doing.  but a lot of players only care about the chord progression.  to them a Bb blues is just the progession, and it doesn't matter what the head is.  they will play Blue Monk the same way as Straight No Chaser or Freddie Freeloader (just to mention three different blues tunes in Bb).  i agree that the melody is very important and should be felt somehow, even if it's not explicitly stated all the time (or even if certain notes have to be "fixed" to fit the concept )

also, i'm glad that you enjoyed this chorale and that turning it into this wasn't too crazy to listen to