Piano Stream No. 5

This is my "Piano Stream No. 5", composed in August last year. In 2013, 'Stream' was the name I had found would best describe pieces of mine composed in a style that ‎seems to me to recreate the unique experience of watching a stream in nature. It is a type ‎of fluid music, a type of music where the texture is always changing and is never the ‎same, that does not have an identifiable rhythmic pulse, that is in constant, ever changing ‎flux. A 'stream' is a rather happy, relaxed, spontaneous, and flowing piece. It is often in ‎variational form. A stream is more about creating a certain impression, rather than ‎introducing and/or developing specific themes. This fifth piano stream of mine is also my twentieth composition in the 'stream' form. With my previous stream (String Quartet Stream No. 3, Op. 288) composed all the way back on December 26, 2016, this stream marks my return to the form after a break of more than 8.5 years.

Hi luderart, 

I am approaching your music as a performer. If I were sitting at the piano and you handed me this, these are the questions and suggestions I would have:

1) The first thing that stands out to me is the metronome marking. You indicate the quarter note receives the beat at 140 beats per minute. Yet, your starting time signature is 6/8. You need to indicate what the dotted quarter note receives.

2) The writing is pianistic; I can play this and it fits in my hands well. However, adding fingerings, articulations, and music shapes would prove your technical intentions. 

Example A demonstrates a finger alternation technique. Chopin's Grand Waltz Brillante, Op. 18, is a good example of this technique. 

Example B tells me to use the same finger on the repeated notes.

3) Measure 14 is slightly confusing because of the way it's presented to me. The time signature is now 9/8 and I have a dotted quarter note on beat 6, not 7. You also have a staccato marking on the dotted quarter note. Did you want it to be short?

Example A depicts the music as you've written it, but with a display in accordance with the meter of 9/8. 

Example B depicts the note on beat 6 as short. 

I hope my approach finds some consideration with you,
Patrick

On 3/7/2026 at 10:38 PM, WowBroThatWasReallyEdgy said:

Hi luderart, 

I am approaching your music as a performer. If I were sitting at the piano and you handed me this, these are the questions and suggestions I would have:

1) The first thing that stands out to me is the metronome marking. You indicate the quarter note receives the beat at 140 beats per minute. Yet, your starting time signature is 6/8. You need to indicate what the dotted quarter note receives.

2) The writing is pianistic; I can play this and it fits in my hands well. However, adding fingerings, articulations, and music shapes would prove your technical intentions. 

Example A demonstrates a finger alternation technique. Chopin's Grand Waltz Brillante, Op. 18, is a good example of this technique. 

Example B tells me to use the same finger on the repeated notes.

 

3) Measure 14 is slightly confusing because of the way it's presented to me. The time signature is now 9/8 and I have a dotted quarter note on beat 6, not 7. You also have a staccato marking on the dotted quarter note. Did you want it to be short?

Example A depicts the music as you've written it, but with a display in accordance with the meter of 9/8. 

Example B depicts the note on beat 6 as short. 

 

I hope my approach finds some consideration with you,
Patrick

 

Thank you for your review and valuable feedback. It is great to receive feedback from a performer's perspective. Regarding the metronome marking, I have had that criticism by another pianist concerning another piano piece. I will make sure to be more careful in the future. I will also keep all your other feedback in mind in future pieces.

I enjoyed it and just listened and followed the score.  I also wrote a stream impression piece called The Brook.  It uses arpeggios which I think works nice for something like flowing water.