(No, that wasn't the most provocative title that popped into my head, but it was the first. Thus, we continue without a closing bracket…
In my past life, you might say, I was a musician. Classical, then techno basically. ANYWAYYYY while my ears aren't as effective as they once were due to hyperacusis, I can still play the piano. Like this:
and this:
and even this:
Drawing inspiration from the greats like Yanni, Keith Jarrett, Philip Glass, Debussy, etc. I've released 44 solo piano Improvisations. All of this was done in one take, so there are happy accidents, and tragic serendipity, and such&such. But above all, wanted to share with you, in case you happen to like… y'know… nice (mostly-relaxing) piano music.
You can…
» Download the whole Torley - Improvisations for solo piano, Vol. I
(~140 MB)
» Download individual tracks, thanx to the Internet Archive
(look for the "192Kbps MP3" links on the right)
I'll leave ya with this thot:
"So much art inspired by love, from the ground beneath, to the stars above."
*cheers* I love it!! I've listened to it twice today. Your improvisations are really beautiful.
These are wonderful! I've been looking for music that encourages centering and meditation for use before our Quaker meetings. Is it within appropriate use of your music to put it on my server so I can play it on land in SL?
What a beautiful way to start my day
Thank you so much for releasing this to us Torley. I am downloading the whole lot as I type. Piano has always been my favourite instrument and these pieces are truly beautiful. I especially like the Philip Glass influence.
This is a truly beautiful collection Torley, thank you so much for sharing it. I'm not sure if it's "your thing" but I'd love to hear some rock 'n' roll piano improv from you; I was always fascinated by the role piano played in 50s r'n'r, even though the electric guitar got (Mostly) all the credit.
In the interests of furthering the creative spirit, I wanted to share the imagery that your music inspired in me. This was written "in the moment" as I listened, so it starts from the first track and follows with the collection:
Up where the eagles soar and the winds rise
Out there in the clear blue open skies
The sun burns a warm mothering greeting
A new day in a world all too fleeting
And down on the placid, gently foaming surf
We watch a giant seagull wheel and caw
Light strikes its wings; fisherman of Mother Earth
Living according to natural law
The wind picks up now, ruffling the sea
White Horse messengers riding up the beach
Inviting early fishermen to reach
For their nets and see what the catch will be
The whole village stirrs coming to life first thing
Out here there's no bothersome alarm ring
It's up with the sun and down by the moon
Out to work early and a nap at noon
Knocking the oars into the rowlocks now
Pulling firmly with strokes that lift the prow
A 30 yard dash, the morning rush hour
Rowboat moving under its own power
Now bobbing and gliding softly on the waves
Oars sticking outward pointing up like staves
The net stretching across open water
A toe on the line feeling it falter
Down in the crystal blue deep
Where mermaids swim and sharks sleep
Down where even sunlight dims
That's where the great kraken swims
But you'd never know looking down upon
You'd never know what truly lies beneath
Oceans can be like that special someone
Mystical at first, until loved so deep
So deep that you become truly as one
An entity never to be undone
Like star-crossed lovers walking hand in hand
Down there across the shining golden sand
"It even rains in Paradise" he said
As thundering drops came crashing around
Angel's tears from Heaven strangely shed
Even in Paradise troubles abound
That's the nature of the world
But I get to cuddle my girl
So all's not lost here in life
It's worth living to have a wife
To share this panoramic vista with
To share this crazy prismatic life with
To share our pleasures and our desire
To share our love and to inspire
This is dedicated to my RL and SL wife, Aradia Aridian. I finished the last paragraph exactly as track 14 ended, so it seemed poetic to leave it there. Once again, thank you Torley for such beautiful inspiration.
Really beautiful, Torley. And a perfect way to start my day.
PS I've also enjoyed your tutorial videos! They are entertaining AND informative AND make me giggle!
Wow, Torley, you are very talented! You should perform in world sometime. (:
@Ravie: Like the quote says, I <3 U!
@Otenth: You most certainly can, please send me a landmark to your Quaker meeting area inworld; I'd like to visit... thank-you for asking!
@Phoenix: You're so welcome! I grew up listening to/watching Philip Glass perform (on film, not in a live concert... I hope), and I always liked his trademark "ostinatos with most excellent chord progressions". One that's chief among them has to be the Truman Show music.
@Apollo: I am a big Jerry Lee Lewis fan, is that what you're thinking? If so, you'll notice one of those many improvs touches a bit on that area, but yeah, I'm really open to many styles. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful poetry with me. How sweet… your art, dedicated to your love for your wife. <3
*big smile*
@Ida: Thanx! I'm interestingly finding that my music is helping me set the tone for my work too.
@Grizzy: Ravie's encouraged me to, too... I had a crazy idea where I'd play music from the Linden Village as people visit, do a live set while they ask me questions and answer via voice + text chat, maybe... all sorta possibilities!
Thank you to each of you for taking the time to listen.
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
[...] Joyous happy days and jubilations! Torley blesses us with incredibly beautiful piano improvisations! [...]
Wow! I didn't think there'd ever be any more Torley music!
You're an incredible artist and a helluva nice guy. I tell everyone I know about you at every opportunity, lol. Anyhow, since I listen to your previous work almost exclusively (there's so much variety, it never gets old), I'm downloading this without hesitation.
On a slightly different note, because of you I've discovered second life (I'm Darklight Talamasca, though I haven't played in a while) and have been able to share it with others who've really enjoyed it. Now they're reminding me of it, so I'll probably be around.
Again, I can't express how elated I am that you're still making music and sharing it for free. Thank you! ^_^'
Oh, Torley! These are so beautiful and right up my alley! The more I get to know about you, the more I just adore you. I was a classical piano major who quit because they wouldn't let me rock out some professor longhair. You ever listen to george winston? If not, do!
Anyway, here are two things that I did, as a return present for all this lovely music:
A link to a chopin I recorded a long time ago:
http://thelovelylibertine.com/music/NocturneinEminor.mp3
And a player (hope it works here!) with a song I just recorded a few days ago:
Remix this song now
hey and ps -
you ever think of putting a creative commons license on your songs? even if you don't care what people do with them, it helps the CC community. if you ever get ambitious, i'd love to have you put them up on splicemusic.com to let people add parts to them. sometimes, you get some beautiful and interesting results.
@Torley: Yes, Jerry Lee Lewis would certainly be a fine example of what I was thinking. Having had time over the weekend to really listen to this collection, I can hear a little of that style in there in scattered places… and it only makes me want to hear you rock out all the more.
You're the only one whose music makes me feel this way. *DUGG!* (So to speak.)
Torley… You can't possibly imagine how pleased I am to listen to you playing again! I'm very, very encouraged to know you're well enough to be able to play so well again… things must really be improving!! This is such good news… I can only hope to see you fully restored… soon… sooner than perhaps anyone might have imagined — even yourself!
This is simply very, very, very good news!
Stay well!
@Gwyn: Ah! The good news has to do more with my frustration to stay away from what I'm passionate about for too long; of course I'm reminded of the greats like Beethoven and other deaf musicians. In my case, my challenges have to do with acute sound sensitivity, so unfortunately, my hearing hasn't gotten noticeably better — I've just gotten used to it but not giving up. Thanks so much for your optimism… I hope to do more piano solos soon!
@Jadey:
hi,
i´ve heard your pino music and i love it.
and what i love i want to play my myself, so is there a way you can send me the notes or midi files?
thx
@Cyrus: Alas I don't have the MIDI notes, but thanks a lot for asking, very nice of you to share how you feel.
Hi Torley,
Listened to your music for quite a while in the backround. Very nice. You have loads of talent my friend. As a fellow pianist I applaud your approach and ability to make music. If you ever want to stop by for a free piano lesson (just in case you want some different ideas) you're more than welcome.
Cheers!
@Paul: Thank-you! I'll check out your site.
I have a question. Can you e-mail me the sheet music for "The games we used to play #5"? I found the song on Flash Flash Revolution.com and I really love it a lot. If I could get the sheet music, I would be so grateful!
@Jesus E: Thanx for your email too! For everyone who doesn't know yet, I don't have sheet music — http://torley.com/the-games-we-played-on-flash-flash-revolution/ has more info on why not.
Hi Torley
I like you music Can I play some on my radio show here in Auckland New Zealand? My show is called Club Casualties and its on every saturday from 4-6pm nz time at fleetfm.co.nz or 88.3 fm when you are in auckland. We have no ads its like a pirate radio station
oh how can I download your music ?
Thanks
Ben
@Ben: You sure can, what's your website too? My music is downloadable here:
» http://www.archive.org/downloadspopup.php?identifier=Torley_Wong_-_The_Final_Selection
and for the piano stuff, go here:
» http://torley.com/piano
Thanx for asking. ^_^
Hi Torley
I really love your pianoplaying! and i hope to be as good as you some day. I was wondering if you have some tips about improvisations/composition? in solo piano music?
I've watched all your pianovids on youtube, and i love them! you would be a great pianoteacher!
Sincerely, Joakim
@Joakim: Thanks so much for watching + listening! I don't invest as much time in making music as I did years ago, but I can tell you that one of the most important things to me is to know a wide array of chord progressions, because by using them as "building blocks", you can quickly assemble a combination of variations. I also encourage deconstruction of your fave songs. E.g., if you like a song, try to play it back by ear, or find sheet music and learn all the little pieces involved.
Best of hope!
An amusing story. Someone sent me the link here recently and I was enjoying the initial song on the list when someone I cherish very, very, dearly logged on for the first time in a long time. I immediately leapt off my building platform and sailed through the skies toward my beloved with your music playing the entire trip down through the clouds. It was, magical in it's own way. What would have been a simple reunion any other day turned into something akin to a pivotal point in a movie somehow. Lends credit to the power of your music, you are very talented and I look forward to more of your work eagerly.
@Lucia: Gorgeous, touching. Thanks for sharing this with me. Some of my most amazing moments in Second Life have been set to a sweeping soundtrack, and I've remembered those times in the months, year to come. I'm glad this happened to you.
Thanks torley
I wish that you start to compose more like you did before 
I love love love the piano compositions on youtube! (" Movement 1, 2, 3…")
@Joakim: Thanks a lot! At my current home, I don't have a grand piano and no full studio setup as I did previously, but I've more piano music that I recorded which should be up — great timing — in the next few days! Watch for it soon.
If I could ask you a couple of questions, how do yu do that ummm…. sliding thing where you have a hand on the right side of the piano then "slide" it down to the left side of the piano without hurting yourself? And am I bugging you with all these comments I made all over the website? Sry if I did.
Oh and another thing, can i download that video on your own composition of Rydeen on mp3? I love it soooo much!!!! <3
@Andy: Glissando? Oh, that depends: part of it is practice through experience, angling your hand so as to minimize friction. Sliding my hand a lot STILL hurts and grows calluses, tho. :\ BUT, nice thing is if you have a non-weighted or semi-weighted (organ-style) keyboard controller or synth, then the keys are a lot lighter and you won't incur pain. And you're not bugging me, thanks for letting me know!
Re: "Rydeen", sorry, I don't have a well-recorded MP3 of it, but you can "rip" the YouTube video and convert the audio track to an MP3 if you so desire.
So wonderful your improvisations! Thank you so much for publishing.