Quote from the songwriter Ivan: “An attempt at a piano piece, with additional instrumentals to make it sound Enya-like. For a self-taught pianist who still cannot read notes, I think it’s a passable composition. At first I tried playing to a fixed tempo (i.e. BPS) but decided it worked better if I just hang loose and played it with *ahem* feelings. I deliberately sped up the tempo at the middle part and slowed down again at the last part. It’s not perfect but as the farmer said to Babe the Pig, “That’ll Do”. : )”
More details can be found on his blog post here.
Also, if you’re interested in knowing more about the creative process behind the song, read this interesting post on how Ivan actually crafted the entire track, all using GarageBand. Very interesting! (Ivan is certainly a whiz at recording on the computer.)
I think this piece a remarkable work, considering Ivan sees himself as a “self-taught pianist who still cannot read notes.” How he manages to come up with such quality keyboard work is beyond me. The strings arrangement that comes in mid-way through the song adds a very nice touch too.
Overall, I think the words I would use to describe this piece would be “meditative”, “tranquil” and “inspirational”.
Link to piece: Podcast: Happiness Is (2007)
Alamak, you’re much too kind and forgiving lah, Jeremy! Thanks for your kind words.
Podcast: Happiness Is (2007)
[First blogged at Rambling Librarian]
LISTEN HERE >>> Happiness Is (2007)
(Playing time: 3min 16secs)
[Archive.org details]
An attempt at a piano piece, with additional instrumentals to make it sound Enya-like. For a self-taught pianist who st…
[...] can be read (here), and the song can be heard (here). I’ve also covered this song on the Songcraft blog [...]