Glass Trees was a continuous jam on my baby grand piano at home in Birmingham, Alabama. I set up my portable mic and played ~10 minutes, full improv. That is the way I practice- every time, I attempt to jam. And occasionally I record my practice. Sometimes I rehearse my best riffs, but more often I am just jamming on the keys. It's really helped my creativity, at the cost of some consistency.
How did I start this practice method? By allowing myself to make mistakes. Like a ton of them. Do not be afraid to sound bad when you improv. Your brain is gonna learn what sounds good the more mistakes you make. Give yourself time to continue this process. Months from now your improvs will improve, if you just focus those ears every practice.
My method has produced hours of recordings. Some solo piano, some jams with friends. It is overwhelming, because it is time-intensive to listen to these files, while deciding what should make the cut to Spotify. Luckily, Glass Trees made the cut! And now, I have a new, lower-pressure way of releasing music: the Rewards page on my own website! Because you are my friend, a Future Tree. I will happily share my intimate jams with you!
Glass Trees felt like the right title because of the fragility of this sound.
Photo taken with high exposure in Knoxville, TN. I was up there for undergraduate research. Whitewashed background and applied artsy filters in Photoshop.