Regarding the recording methods used in the Tranquility Nocturnes for Piano CDs 1 & 2 The Tranquility Nocturnes albums were recorded using an electric piano—or, more precisely, a synthesizer interfaced with the digital recording realm. The synthesis utilizes sounds, or ‘samples’, that are directly derived from an actual piano, which is why it sounds like an actual piano. Each piano piece is basically a compilation of recorded improvisations, spliced together and edited in the digital recording realm to become a single composition. Occasionally, parts have been overdubbed—played later, over the top of the already established improvisation, or at times even ‘pencilled in’ in the digital realm—because these new parts were inspired when listening back to the recording of the original improvisation. So, some of what is heard on these piano albums is pure improvisation, captured as it was played, or ‘performed’, without embellishment, in the moment that it came into being; and then there are certain passages that have been embellished later, or edited, with the essence of the improvisation still remaining as the foundation beneath the newly inspired harmony or melody, or perhaps slightly altered arpeggio. This is a similar technique I use to record my symphonic works. The piano is my second instrument—my main instrument being the guitar. In fact I taught myself piano from what I already knew on the guitar—scales, chords, harmonies, etc. I use the digital piano for improvisation because I can record in the digital realm as I am improvising—I can capture the improvisation as it is happening. It may come as a surprise that I cannot read music—at least, not beyond the level of an absolute beginner—even though I have composed symphonic works. As I do not use the staff for writing down the notes of my compositions, and as I cannot read the staff, I do not re-perform the parts that have come naturally in the process of improvisation. Instead I keep them, more or less as they were captured in the original recording. These recorded performances later become composition when I expand upon them with further improvisation, or at times slightly alter them, and arrange the different improvised parts together as a whole in the digital realm. As I am more the composer than I am the pianist, it is more practical for me to record this way, rather than trying to learn the parts by ear and rehearsing them to be performed again. So, I have combined improvised performances with digital recording techniques, just as I have done with my symphonic works. Apart from to answer the questions of those who wish to know how I produced the recordings, there is another reason why I have set out to explain: and that is because the commercial release, some years ago, of the first Tranquility Nocturnes piano CD I produced has the publisher praising the composition and the performance. (The second piano album has not been commercially released, and has no mention of me being the performer.) At the time I didn’t think much about it—actually, I remember having a little chuckle about what I thought to be exaggerated praises in the ‘sales pitch’ of the album. After all, I did ‘perform’ it—most of it—and it is common practice in modern studios to edit recordings and to compile a finished track from multiple copy-pasted takes and overdubs. I also realize that for the commercial release of a piano album, it has to be indicated who the composer is, and who the pianist is who rendered the compositions—which of course wasn’t anyone other than myself. However, some years later I felt the need to clarify. But I realized that you can’t write what I have written here on an album cover, and you can’t expect the distributor/publisher to do so. Explaining the technique is too complicated and lengthy and would be considered unnecessary. It would also mean the company having to redo the artwork for an out of contract CD. So, that is why I am writing this here, on my official website. In short, I do not wish to have it pretended that I sat down to a piano in a recording studio and played each of my compositions flawlessly. Praise for the composition, I can accept; praise for those parts played without any editing—even praise for the editing—I can accept; but not praise for an entire performance. Thank you for reading, Jonathan Kent