Pondering Waves – Miniature Pieces

About “Pondering Waves”

Pondering Waves is a miniature piano piece that takes the listener on a reflective journey inspired by the motion of waves. The gentle arpeggios capture the rising and falling of waves. Through the thoughtful use of harmonies and subtle shifts in dynamics, the piece creates an atmosphere, inviting the listener to relax and ponder.

The piece begins with an arpeggio spanning the left hand to the right hand, in 16th notes. This motif, in its arpeggio and visual form, depicts a wave from its depth to the its height. This motif is carried throughout the entire piece, except in bars 9-10 and 15-16, which are transitional bars to help build tension through the use of changing the harmony and rhythm.

Harmonically, this inspiring piano piece begins on an Ab Maj 7, the 4th chord of Eb major. It then resolves to the tonic chord, Eb in the second bar and continues this for the next 2 bars. To change up expectation, the piece introduces a Db Maj add 13 chord which is a borrowed chord from the parallel minor scale, Eb minor. It stays in this modality from bars 5-10. This tonal shift happens again in bars 14-16. The piece ends on what appears to be a Gmin/D chord but this is just an extension above Eb Major because the pedal extends the Eb chord through the two bars.