Welcome

 

Hi, my name is Ralph. Thank you for visiting this site! I started this website as a way of teaching myself a little bit about coding and website management. That is why it's a bit basic, but it serves as a place for me to link to the songs, notes for piano, and videos I have made and put up onto YouTube and elsewhere.

 

I hope you enjoy what you find on this website. 

About Myself

 

I am a Music Therapist and a saxophone and piano (DipABRSM) teacher. I live in North Tyneside, in the North East of England. I grew up playing sheet music in church and classical sheet music at home. During the Coronavirus pandemic, teaching and working as a music therapist was a little harder, so I decided to make some videos to put on YouTube. This was a way to challenge myself to keep creating material but also, since I couldn't go into my place of work as often as I wanted to, I had the free time to try out new things.

Music Teaching

 

I have taught the saxophone and piano for many years across the North East of England, in Newcastle, Heaton, North Shields, Tynemouth, Cullercoats, and Whitley Bay. I taught saxophone in several schools including Newcastle School for Boys, The King's School, and The Northern Music Centre. I currently teach in my home near Cullercoats.  

My Music

I have always enjoyed making music on the piano, improvising, and writing ditties down but during the pandemic, I decided to try to compose one song a week and then put it on YouTube, warts and all! Below are some of the improvisations I came up with:

Weekend Spa@Home

I wanted to create some longer length videos (approx 8 hrs) of relaxing piano music for people at home to enjoy in the background while resting/working/sleeping. Currently there is just one of these videos, since they take a while to produce, but I am hoping to create more in the future. 

Out Of Improv

 

 

 

 

 

Moon Scene 

 

 

 

 

                           Deep in the Forest

 

 

Resting High

 

 

Sunlight

These are songs that started life as an improvisation at the piano keys, which I then decided to flesh out into a larger work, they are still intended to be gentle background music, but they have more movement and energy than some of my other works. They also vary significantly in length, the longest being an hour, the shortest being less than 10 minutes!

Well Known Songs

Danny Boy

 

Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
You'll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me.

 The Skye Boat Song

 

Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing
Onward the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye
Loud the wind howls
Loud the waves roar
Thunderclaps rend the air
Baffled our foes
Stand by the shore
Follow they will not dare
Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing
Onward the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye

 

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
 
When the blazing sun is gone
When he nothing shines upon
Then you show your little light
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are

These songs include folk songs such as The Skye Boat Song, and Danny Boy. There are some childrens songs too such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which I recorded firstly for my own children to listen to as they sleep, but if they're good lullabys for any one elses children then that too is excellent!

 

I've made these into 3 different sizes: Short (5 -7min), Grande (30min+), Venti (4hr +) so that you can have them on loop in the background if you would like. 

 

If you wish to contact me please feel free to email me at ralph@gentlepianomusic.co.uk

Thanks again for visiting