Mention the name George Winston and most people immediately think of New Age piano. He pretty much cornered the sound most of us equate with "New Age." Ask people what they like about this music and most will say, "It relaxes me," or "It helps me unwind." Both perfectly fine reasons for liking music. For some reason, relaxation and peaceful seem to be words many would rather not associate with music. These people want music to be exciting and vibrant and there is nothing at all wrong with this. But the world is big enough to contain many genres. New Age, Jazz, and Classical are all categories thought up by marketing executives to make the selling process easier. Unfortunately, it also lumps music that otherwise might have been heard by many, into a category where only a few have the opportunity to listen to it. New Age piano music has much to offer not only the listener, but the performer as well. Going way past stress-reduction, playing the piano in this style enables one to feel a deep sense of well being. When one is able to improvise and be in the moment, it becomes a very rare, and beautiful experience. |
