The Piano

The underlying chords are warm— enough to remind me of streetlights warding off the darkness of night, but the harmony woven into these basic chords tells a complex story. The notes twirl upward like snowflakes blowing in the wind, the notes going down in brief respite before launching upward towards the sky.

The constant rhythm of the backing chords mixes so well with the conflictingly sorrowful but playful harmony. It evokes a sense of yearning as the tension builds. There is a sense of bittersweet nostalgia, especially for one’s childhood memories. All of these thoughts come from the right hand’s soothingly gentle but firm stance accompanied by the supportive but empathetic left hand. From these two hands weaves the thread by which the music flows.

From within the depths of quiet winter nights, the music suddenly shifts. There is now a bounce of staccato in the left hand with an uplift to the higher register from the right hand. The urgency grows exponentially, reaching a breaking point.

Swinging back and forth, like a pendulum with no center, the hands shakes the keys. Just as it becomes unbearable, the tension disappears and fades away, like a wisp of vapor from a cold breath.

The artist solemnly lands the harmony and cushions the final vibrations, letting the echoes reverberate as he looks at his keys, contemplative and lost in his wonderland.