Taikatalvi: Winter Magic

So part of not having much of a functional respiratory system and having some do-not-disturb time also means I get to spend some time on the keyboard. For your musical amusement, here's a few pieces I got to play with... at least the ones that came out looking better than my protein-and-fiber Reese's cups style brownies that were jokingly dubbed "BM Brownies"...

":Taikatalvi" apparently is Finnish for "Winter Magic" and it was one of many random pieces I dug up, so I figure, why not? The score was a bit sparse, so I had to do a little improvisation here and there.  It's the opening track for Nightwish's "Imaginaerum" album. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend it!

And then there's a holiday classic, "Trepak" from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite", although this rendition is probably better for either a tortoise or a 250 lb Battlebot! 

I also stumbled across some Metallica sheet music from their self-titled album.  The first is "Nothing Else Matters". This was a logistical nightmare with repeat signs, codas, and page turning logistics, but technically, this was relatively low-key and gave me a great chance to play a bit more with phrasing and expression. 

The second Metallica piece is "The Unforgiven".  This one was a little less of a repeat sign and coda mess than the other one.

Also, here's a little shout-out to my camera crew, although I did give him a bit of a break here and there, especially today!  Killer Parakeet certainly earned his time in the audience!

Killer Parakeet and I also wish you a happy whatever holiday you may celebrate! And yes, he's very happy that he actually gets to spend time with me.  I think he got a little flustered that I was taking more pictures with my fellow humans than with him this year, especially in the CrossFit and weightlifting meets!