Remembering Petticoat Lane from Jurassic Park (John Williams) - solo piano Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2026-09-25 | Remembering Petticoat Lane from Jurassic Park (John Williams) - solo piano
Weve Only Just Begun (the Carpenters) by Roger Nichols - S.O.F.T. cover Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2017-03-25 | Play in HD for best audio! Original lyrics by Paul Williams. This is commonly played at weddings.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5setting: Bluethner Concert Recording (custom)
She (by Charles Aznavour) - S.O.F.T. cover Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2017-03-23 | Play in HD for best audio! Another beautiful song that is underplayed nowadays.
More (Theme from Mondo Cane) by Riz Ortolani, Nino Oliviero - S.O.F.T. cover Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2017-03-21 | Play in HD for best audio! This is the theme from an old movie 'Mondo Cane' in 1962. It is very romantic, but sadly it is not often played nowadays. This is my 'lounge piano' take on it.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930piano software: PIanoteq 5setting: Bluethner Concert Recording custom
Go Gently Into The Night Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-12-29 | Play in HD for best audio! The final few days of 2016 are shaping up to be an emotional train wreck of sorts for many. Here is wishing the year will go gently, into the night.
Prelude to 2017 Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-12-27 | Play in HD for best audio! 2016 was still fairly meh for most... until the past few days when many famous and beloved personalities suddenly left us one by one! I hope 2017 brings better news. Here is just something I improvised at the keyboard, to inspire us to look forward to the new year.
Spring Blossom Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-12-15 | Play in HD for best audio! This is for a friend whose daughter turns seven today. Even so I couldn't help the melancholy...
Serenity no.1 (Music for Meditation and Focus) Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-10-23 | Play in HD for best audio! This is the project that I'd been preparing for. Although inspired by the school of alpha-wave music and binaural beats, this music is more generic and just meant to be played as soothing background music for meditation, yoga, studying, homework, or as general BGM. This is just the first nine minutes of the track, listen to the full track on my Soundcloud channel: soundcloud.com/kian-scott-connolly
Rainy Tango Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-10-16 | Play in HD for best audio! Something that came to my mind while it was raining cats and dogs.
Softer Curves Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-10-14 | Play in HD for best audio! I've adjusted the velocity curve for my software keyboard again, so now it is less 'edgy' and hopefully softer on the ears, in preparation for another project :)=====MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5setting: Bluethner, custom
Prelude Chorale and Fugue Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-10-06 | Play in HD for best audio! Disclaimer: I didn't write a fugue! I can't even play one... but this was improvised in the spirit of a fugue, because at the point in time the emotional progression to a fugue felt 'right'. This is another play on dystonality -- not strictly atonal, but not tonal either.
Distant Star Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-08-13 | play in HD for best audio! Another improvisation that came out of nowhere
The Hungarian Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-06-22 | Play in Hd for best audio! I kinda got inspired after attending two very good concerts. Did you catch the quotation in the middle?
A Hundred Miles Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-05-22 | Play in HD for best audio! It's not really my 'cover' of this popular folk song, but rather an improvisation that quotes the melody. WARNING: I changed some of the harmonies/chords of the original song while improvising, so... erm, you're warned.
Piovoso (Kyle Landry) - Very Sad Piano, Modern Dance Music Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-04-29 | Play in HD for best audio! This composition by Kyle Landry has lots of potential; 'piovoso' simply means rainy, and Kyle's original video definitely conjures up a rainy day. But the emotional tension can be so much more! I see a modern dance with two dancers twirling around each other, pulling and tugging in time with the phrases; while one weeps, the other consoles. Or, it could be the soundtrack for an ice-skating artistic routine! What do you think?The score can be bought from Kyle Landry's website at: http://kylelandry.com/product/piovoso-sheet-music== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 Stagepreset: Bluethner AB Concert Recording (customised)Photo credit: myself
Hanami Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-04-10 | Play in HD for best audio! March and April are the times when sakura (cherry blossom) trees bloom, and in Japan entire parks are covered with the pink and white blooms. 'Hanami' is the Japanese tradition of 'viewing the blossoms', and having picnics below the blooms with family, friends and colleagues. This piece is inspired by the sakura, and the swirling notes depict the flurry of flying petals when a breeze catches the blossoms. Enjoy!
Ballade (Joe Hisaishi 久石 譲) from the movie Brother Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-03-25 | Play in HD for best audio! This is from a compilation of various short pieces and medleys by popular Japanese composer Joe HIsaishi, who is known outside Japan mainly for writing music for the animation films of Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli. But, Hisaishi has written a lot of music for other films as well. "Brother" is a 2000 live-action film by Takeshi Kitano, about the conflict between the Japanese yakuza and the American mafia.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 StagePreset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (customised)
The Arrival Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-03-25 | Play in HD for best audio! I suppose the title of this piece could allude to the 'arrival' of someone at a desired goal, after a period of trials and tribulation. But, in fact, this improvisation marks the "arrival", so to speak, of the best configuration for my audio setup yet. I've dusted off my Sennheiser HD600 headphones and changed the crumpling pads, and now I've gotten an amplifier -- albeit a cheaper one from Fiio -- so the final piece of the puzzle is set in place! My playing relies a lot on audio and tactile feedback, so the better the audio setup, the (hopefully) better my playing. Did you notice any difference?== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 Stagepreset: Bluthner Concert Recording BA (customised)amplifier: Fiio ALPEN2 E17Kheadphones: Sennheiser HD600
Loves Sorrow Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-03-18 | Play in HD for best audio! This piece was inspired by a picture circulating on Facebook, but of course my improvisation was done on the fly and not very deep. Nonetheless, I was quite moved by the photo of a short prose written in Chinese. In English, it reads (with the timing of the corresponding musical narrative): [click on "Show More"]0:00 The year she turned 16, he was 16. They met.0:47 The year she turned 18, he was 18. They fell in love.1:14 The year she turned 24, he was 24. They parted.2:24 The year she turned 30, he was 24. She waited.3:00 The year she turned 42, he was 24. She sometimes caught a glimpse of him, in the still of night.3:40 The year she turned 57, he was 24. She knew he would never return.4:10 The year she turned 69, he was 24. They were reunited.It took me a long while and my friend had to explain it to me, but I finally realised that this was not a vampire story, but really about a love that was tragically lost at 24 when the boy died. You can guess what the rest means.
Sennheiser Sampler Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-03-16 | Play in HD for best audio! I finally dug out my old neglected pair of Sennheiser HD 600 headphones and replaced the disintegrated ear pads. The result was a stunning audio feedback from my laptop, even without an amplifier!EDIT: Comparing this video with another, even as recent as my Valentine's Day post, I can already hear a greater dynamic range, enabled by being able to pick out much softer sounds when I press the keys softly. I will be getting an amplifier for the headphones soon, hopefully that would improve the quality even more!
Book Of The Dead Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-03-15 | Play in HD for best audio! My rather cliched take on avant-garde music, with a play on clashing notes.
By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-02-15 | Play in HD for best audio! From China, we travel to Russia. This Valentine's Day improvisation was more or less inspired by Rachmaninoff's songs and early romances. A bit bittersweet, a bit of romantic tragedy, like the Shakespearean play the title of this piece was taken from. Be that you are alone or with your loved one(s) this day, let love set our differences aside; for by any other name, a rose would smell as sweet.
灵猴献瑞 Auspices For All Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-02-10 | Wishing everyone a happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai 恭喜发财，合家平安!Play in HD for best audio! I wanted to play something Chinese-themed for Chinese New Year, but it's hard to improvise something that hasn't already been written in the Chinese musical context. As a musician based on Western classical music, I have a limited knowledge of non-Western harmonies to draw upon.It's really messy too, but I guess everything about CNY is messy, and the more rowdy the better. Somewhere towards the end you can tell I've lost the musical line, but I was somewhat saved by the software suddenly crashing due to the MIDI input being too intense for my laptop to handle. So on the audio file it appears as a sudden pause, after which I managed to pick up the melody again to conclude.
Lavender Fields Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-01-26 | Play in HD for best audio! Returning to my easy-listening mode of improvisation.
Bach JS: Prelude No.1 in C major BWV 846 from book 1, Well-tempered Clavier Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-01-25 | My own take on this Prelude. Not the most "authentic" or strict playing, but then i am not striving for a concert or exam-worthy performance. Instead, I try to bring out emotions inherent in the notes and harmony.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (custom)
Sound Of Falling Tears Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-01-21 | Play in HD for best audio! Be warned, this is not in my usual style of "easy listening" -- it's easily my most provocative improvisation/composition to date. Let me know what you think, and what you think of when you listen to it! Post your thoughts in the comments section.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (custom)
Prelude to Hypodorian Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-01-20 | Play in HD for best audio! This is a short improvisation ending in the hypodorian mode. The hypodorian mode is a type of scale in music theory which you get when you play all the 8 white keys from A to A.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (customised)
New Year Doodles 新年新谣 Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-01-01 | Play in HD for best audio! This was literally a musical doodle, no message in the music, like when you give an empty sketchpad to an artist who has a bit of time on his hands. The central section is in the style of "xinyao", a Singaporean Chinese folk-pop ballad style that was popular in the 80s and 90s.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CP-930Software piano: Pianoteq 5preset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (custom)
Happy New Year 2016 Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2016-01-01 | Play in HD for best audio! I wanted to try something grand and slightly pompous for New Year's Day, so this happened. What are you New Year's resolutions for 2016? One of mine is to play more piano.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5preset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (modified)photo: Montblanc store display
New Years Eve Serenade Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-12-30 | Play in HD for best audio! As we round up this year, here's a short play on notes to serenade your recapitulation of the year. Here's looking forward to another great year ahead!
Fantasie Carol Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-12-25 | Play in HD for best audio! Another Christmas-inspired improvisation. This time I've based the piece around the motif from "Ukrainian Bell Carol" but played around with a few notes.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (modified)
Star Wars (Main Theme) by John Williams arr. Dan Coates Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-12-20 | Play in HD for best audio! As Star Wars Episode VII opened on 18 Dec across the world, Star Wars fever has hit home too! Being a fan, this cover is a must! In an easy(er) arrangement for solo piano, Dan Coates manages to evoke the grandeur of the main theme. May the Force be with you!== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 Stagepreset: Bluthner Concert Recording BA (modified)
By the Tree Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-12-17 | Play in HD for best audio! Just a short mood piece for you to enjoy while sitting beside the Christmas tree. Merry Christmas!
Parole - Freedom Is Mine from Les Miserables Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-12-12 | Play in HD for best audio! After Jean Valjean is finally released from prison on parole, he decides to find out what the world has in store for him. A short soliloquy.
Love Came Down from Microjazz Christmas by Christopher Norton Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-12-04 | Play in HD for best audio! This is an adaption of the Christmas song "Love Came Down At Christmas" sung by Jars Of Clay, based on a poem by Christina Rossetti published in 1885.P/S. This video was re-uploaded as I didn't like the presets of the initial version, so I re-recorded it with a different preset. There is less reverb now.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording AB (custom, medium hall)
Coming Home Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-11-29 | Play in HD for best audio! As we celebrate Thanksgiving and subsequently Xmas, and even in non-Western cultures that don't celebrate these holidays but are nonetheless affected by the festive spirit, many people are on their way home to spend time with their family and friends. Even if they are unable to return home, many overseas workers are with their loved ones in spirit. Let me wish everyone Happy Holidays!== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording AB (custom)
1. Overture / Work Song from Les Misérables Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-11-15 | Play in HD for best audio! The lyrics will scroll in the video. This is still a bit rushed, but the #ParisAttacks 2 nights ago has spurred me into action, so here's the first installment of my one-piano arrangement of Les Misérables. France was an early adopter of human rights, democracy and liberty -- as far back as the Revolutions in the 18th and 19th centuries. Of course, there are many other acts of terrorisms around the world which are equally deplorable. But this is Les Misérables, so I guess it's timely.Apologies for the sometimes harsh treatment! But this is a rough and heated exchange between Inspector Javert (J) and Jean Valjean (V), so I have just let my imagination run wild. In "Work Song", we are introduced to the two older male protagonists: a convict Jean Valjean who was jailed unfairly for petty crime, committed out of desperation, and police Inspector Javert, whose morals are that of the law and only the law.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.4.2 Stagepresets: Bluethner Concert Recording AB (modified)
Writings On The Wall (Sam Smith) - piano cover Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-11-09 | Play in HD for best audio! This song was written by Sam Smith for the James Bond movie, 'Spectre', which has just opened. There are many piano covers on Youtube already, and most of them use the same device -- the repeated-note motif that is obvious on Smith's own song track. I have used the same motif and added some of the orchestral melodies as inner voices.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.4.2 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording AB (large hall, customised)arrangement: my own
Memories: One Afternoon Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-11-01 | Play in HD for best audio! This was made to test out the upgraded Pianoteq 5.4.2, and also because I wanted to re-do the customisations from the basics. Inspired by Yann Tiersen and Nils Frahm, I have added some of my own harmonic turns.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.4.2 StagePreset: Bluethner Concert Recording AB (modified)
Chopinina Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-10-23 | Play in HD for best audio! The 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition has just ended, and I was lucky enough to chance upon the live-streaming website Medici.tv which streamed the entire 3 days of grand finals 'live'. This little ditty was improvised in the style of Chopin, but of course Chopin would never write anything so gaudy and contrived; it's just my little play on the salon style using only one motif.One Youtube viewer has asked me what I did to my setup to make it sound like this. So, I've decided to take a few screencaps to demonstrate the presets I have tweaked in PIanoteq 5.3, using the Bluethner plug-in. If you'd like to know my presets, please watch the video carefully :) The rest of the hardware are Yamaha and Mac, like so:MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930USB interface: Yamaha UX16 MIDI interface (I got this off the internet, it's specific for the Clavinova, so if you use other brands you'd have to get your brand's own interface) -- it's nothing fancy, just a computer chip with one end to the MIDI port on the Clavinova, and the other to the USB port on my MacBook. All the tweaking is done in PIanoteq.Preset: Bluethner Concert Recording AB
Before The Storm Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-10-16 | Play in HD for best audio! I like minor-key angsty fantasy-styled themes, so here's more :)== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.3 StagePreset: Bluethner Concert Recording AB (modified)
Nyman: The Heart Asks Pleasure First from The Piano Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-10-03 | Play in HD for best audio! This video was 2 years in the making, because the official soundtrack score is difficult to learn; I have followed the printed score as closely as possible. The left hand goes round in repetitions, but the notes are not the same each time, and are seemingly arranged at random.In this performance, the beginning theme is played cautiously to emulate what Ada (the female protagonist of the movie) would have played during the 'beach scene', when her piano was left stranded on the beach next to the sea. As Nyman pointed out, she was not a professional pianist, and she just played a tune that she carried on her fingers. But after that, I have given the melody a smoother flow, and the irregular left hand simulates the rolling and eddying of the waves on the beach. It also reflects the internal turmoil going on in Ada's heart. The emotions come to a head in the final iteration of the theme in quintuplets at the end, in a kind of Scottish dance rhythm.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.3 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (modified)
This Life Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-09-30 | Play in HD for best audio! Another of my improvisations at the keyboard, this one is more reflective and introverted, so I've found a photo from my archive that kinda fits the mood.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.3 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (modified)
Swinging By Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-09-30 | Play in HD for best audio! I just tweaked my Pianoteq 5 presets again, and I gave the piano the largest hall available (50 meters) with a more pointed tone to direct the melody. I've also made the reverb slightly louder but shorter, so there is even more "bite" to the notes. This inspired a short play on rhythm, but it's difficult to keep everything going at the same time without following a score!== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.3 Stagepreset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (modified)Photo credit: taken by myself at the Night Festival Singapore, 2014.
Les Miz piano - Prologue Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-09-11 | Play in HD for best audio! Today is Singapore's General Elections, so what better time to start this huge project? I plan to play all of Les Miserables' music for solo piano, arranged by myself based on the piano reduction by Peter Washtell. It will probably take a very long time to get all of it done!== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.3preset: Bluethner Concert Recording AB (modified)
The Legend Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-08-28 | Play in HD for best audio! This is another short one that I improvised at the keyboard. The harmony and melody are quite typical of fantasy-genre music, but well... it just happened :)== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.3preset: Bluethner Concert Recording AB (modified)
It came upon the midnight clear from Microjazz Christmas (Christopher Norton) Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-07-30 | Play in HD for best audio! Continuing my collection of Microjazz Christmas music, this is based on the popular carol of the same name.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.3preset: Bluethner Concert Recording BA (modified)
Rowtendos Theme (Kyle Landry) Sound Of Falling Tears (S.O.F.T.) 2015-07-25 | Play in HD for best audio! This is a short piece written by Kyle for one of his Twitch fans. It is subtitled "Very Sad Piano", and I have taken the opportunity to make it even more 'emo' than Kyle played it. The rolled chords are taken unconventionally, I think it might become my trademark.== tech stuff ==MIDI keyboard: Yamaha Clavinova CLP-930software piano: Pianoteq 5.3preset: Bluethner Concert Recording AB (modified)
