Little Explorer (Original Piano Composition)

Hi Everyone, I am pleased to let you know about my latest piano composition!

I started working on this new piece back in early February after releasing my first composition When We Where Young.

This time I wanted a piece dedicated to my two sons, Kevin and Aidan.
I was looking for a very light and gentle melody that would convey the innocence and energy of toddlers and young children.
Initially I got some inspiration from the famous melody of the Forrest Gump movie, Feather Theme

Anyway, before giving you an introduction to the different sections of the piece, here is the video:

First Section

The first section of the piece is where the main theme is introduced. I wanted the melody to be very light, gentle and straightforward. For this reason I chose a key of C major and relatively straightforward chord progressions.

Musically I tried to evoke the always on-the-go nature of young children and their desire to explore new places and try new things.

This section explores different variations of the main theme and finishes with two descending single note sequences which evokes to me the playful nature of my children in their early years.

Second Section

I wanted to explore a different musical style for my second section. It was to be slower to evoke the calmer period kids show after play time and had to involve more the left hand in the melody.

I wanted to try a simple two voices composition as a wink to one of my favorite classical composers, J.S. Bach.

In the end I think I didn't do too bad for a first attempt at this style of composition and I will probably try to explore more music like this in the future.

Third Section

The third section was to be also quite different. I wanted to try some left hand stride after watching some tutorials on the subject by Bill Hilton (https://www.youtube.com/user/billhiltonbiz)

For me this section evokes this moment during the day, generally in the afternoon, where kids start feeling a bit tired and can be more irritable.

A subtle switch to A minor makes this section a bit sadder than the first half of the piece. Variation of the main theme can still be heard in the right hand while the left hand provides some drama. Maybe a tantrum is on its way? ;-)

Final Section

In the final section of the piece the main theme returns but this time in A minor. The left hand pattern is reminiscent of the first section but less lively, dreamier.

To me this part of the piece evokes the evening time when our young ones are tired and bedtime is fast approaching.

It is a time when the day becomes calmer and parents can look forward to a couple of hours of peace before the cycle repeats itself on the next day.

How long did it take?

The composition itself didn't take too long, about 3 weeks most evenings and at weekends.
It took me another 4 weeks after work to be able to play it from start to finish (I'm not a great pianist).
So all in all, about 2 months making use of my spare time.

I hope you liked the piece and got some insight into the composition itself.

The music sheet is available for free on Musescore.

The track is also available on Soundcloud