Music


The following links lead to music I've recorded, in reverse chronological order. These recordings originate from one of two pianos: my 1903 Bechstein parlor grand or my Casio PX-S3000 digital piano. My digital piano can record MIDI, so I use a DAW to customize and assign a piano sound afterwards. However, I don't edit the MIDI data at all. It's all exactly as-played. For the Bechstein, I simply use my iPhone's voice memos app. Any editing is done in Audacity or Ableton, though most of my recordings are posted raw.

I've always loved music, but never played an instrument myself--and as a result, was unable to appreciate it as deeply as possible. Recognizing this deficit in my skills in 2021, I decided to purchase a digital piano. After a month of familiarizing myself with sheet music and the keyboard, I pursued a classical education, but found myself unwilling to engage in the rote practice that was expected to memorize pieces. After taking a break from the piano, a good friend of mine introduced me to the possibility of improvisational playing. In my improv, I attempt to integrate elements of different time periods and genres, especially baroque, impressionism, math rock, and jazz.

Playing music has had a significant positive impact on my life, and is something I would recommend to almost anyone. There are certain transcendental experiences that can be achieved while playing an instrument-- something akin to meditation. Beyond being intellectually interesting, these are also immensely satisfying, and well worth the hours of practice and frustration that enable them. Music also offers great opportunities for collaboration and community, and is something nearly every human can share with one another. It's often stated that there are connections between math and music, but I take issue with that sentiment. Math is the perfect abstract language, and so it naturally models everything. Music can therefore be described in terms of math, but far more interesting are the connections between music and philosophy.

Recordings