My First Attempt to Make A Musical Arrangement

If there is one thing I wish I had more time to do, it is playing the piano.  I love music, and I used to play the piano for hours.  I play it by ear, and I also took formal lessons for 13 years, up to the time I graduated from college.  While I enjoy playing classical music, I also enjoy playing contemporary songs — love songs to be specific, knowing that I am a hopeless romantic at heart.  My best classical piece?  Claire de Lune by Debussy.

Many will surely agree that music,  like writing, is perfect self-expression.  True enough, the songs I would play would reflect how I’d feel at a particular moment.

My dream has always been to play at the CCP or Carnegie Hall.  My dream is to play Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin, or finally be able to completely play my last Beethoven Sonata.  Most importantly, I would like to work with an orchestra.

While these have not (yet) happened, I have been content to play the piano at home whenever I can.  Unfortunately, this is just once or twice a year, because of my hectic schedule.  I have become rusty.

Just recently, my brother, who is back to self-studying the piano, bought himself a Prodikeys keyboard, which integrates both a computer keyboard and a music keyboard.

Tonight, I tried it out.  My brother was able to get a software, which would enable him to mix and arrange different instruments.

Since it has always been a desire of mine to play the piano with other instruments, I decided to make a quick recording.  Never mind if I am rusty.  I added some synthesized music in the background.  Since the music keyboard does not have the complete number of keys, I chose an easy song.

The end result is my own version of the OPM song, Tell Me, made popular by Joey Albert.  And I’d like to share it here.  I recorded the acoustic piano first, then separately recorded the synthesized track, before putting the two tracks together.

I am pleased with the result, even if at the back of my mind, the arrangement reminds me of the scoring for a stereotypical local romantic flick. I also wish that the piano sounded more natural. Still, not bad for a first time music arranger.  Puwede na siyang pang-minus one.