When I crowdfunded my debut album Coping Mechanism, a throughly wonderful chap called Thom gave me quite a large amount of pennies and asked me to record a cover of Let Down from Radiohead's amazing album OK Computer. Here it is. Anna B. Swift​ did some lovely art for the piece: you can find more of her work at www.annabswift.weebly.com.

A little more about the song: this album was THE album when I was growing up. I'll never forget the first time I heard Paranoid Android, and then the first time I listened to the whole thing the whole way through. It's so complete, so perfect. I love this song, its musical quirks, the subtle rhythms, the way the words and the music work against each other but fit perfectly. I must admit that when I first sat down at the piano to work out how to cover it, I felt completely daunted. How could I convey its complexity? How could I be true to the words? The more I tried to play it all, the more overburdened it sounded, the more wrong it felt. As I worked, it slowly became simpler and simpler, more and more stripped back. Eventually it settled, as if of its own accord, like this.

Original composed by Radiohead (Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Jonny Greenwood, Philip Selway, and Thom Yorke).

Piano version arranged and played by Garreth Broke: www.garrethbrokepiano.com

Art by Anna Salzmann: www.annabswift.weebly.com

Let Down (Radiohead cover for piano solo)

A impromptu improvisation on one of my favourite Christmas carols, recorded live and released to raise money for the UK homelessness charity Crisis. 

Support Crisis UK by buying it here:
https://garrethbroke.bandcamp.com/track/coventry-carol

Watch me play it live (in a hideous red jumper): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiYsO2-u6yc

Coventry Carol

Improvisation On Coventry Carol

Sheet music available here: https://garrethbroke.bandcamp.com/merch/march-ep-sheet-music-booklet

Music from the March EP, released on 1631 Recordings 29-3-17. Available here: https://1631recordings.bandcamp.com/album/march

Art by Anna Salzmann: https://www.annasalzmann.com
Music by Garreth Broke: https://www.garrethbrokepiano.com

March EP

Hope

Sheet music available here: https://garrethbroke.bandcamp.com/merch/march-ep-sheet-music-booklet

Music from the March EP, released on 1631 Recordings 29-3-17. Available here: https://1631recordings.bandcamp.com/album/march
Video here: https://youtu.be/v_J9xsbqaoY

Art by Anna Salzmann: https://www.annasalzmann.com
Music by Garreth Broke: https://www.garrethbrokepiano.com

Hinterland

Wakening

The June EP is the final EP in a series of four, all released on 1631 Recordings. More info: https://www.garrethbrokepiano.com/june

"lovely... genuinely uplifting ... shows us yet again how easily Broke can shift moods & motifs while it ends the series on a note of warmth, hope, and camaraderie" - Stationary Travels

June EP

Take Flight

The Last

One of the joys of finishing my EP series is that I now don't feel guilty when I explore something new that doesn't fit neatly into the series. That happened this Sunday. Sunday is an improv day for me, quiet and contemplative. I was messing around on the new version of PianoTeq and thinking about something Phil Smith of Jazz-Dis-Junction sent me about diminished chords, and the following improv came out. Music theory nerds will recognise the opening chord instantly; if you're not a nerd but for some reason you want to be, google "diminished 7th chords".

I'm gonna share these Sunday improvs, as and when they occur and are good enough.

Phil's Jazz-Dis-Junction is here: https://soundcloud.com/jazz-dis-junction
Phil and me collaborated on this track: https://soundcloud.com/garrethbroke/making-something-from-nothing

Somewhat Diminished (Sunday Improv 10.9.2017)

Composer https://soundcloud.com/michael_price (him of BBC's Sherlock fame) released an album of improvisations made over the course of a month earlier this year on https://soundcloud.com/1631recordings. It's called Diary and it's wonderful. This improvisation is based on the opening track, 'To Begin'.

To Begin Again (Improv on 'To Begin' by Michael Price)

From the Bertold Brecht poem, 'Vom Schwimmen in Seen und Flüssen'

Of Swimming in Lakes and Rivers

A cover of Simeon Walker's sublime track Drift, which was written for Piano Day 2017. 
Sim has got a new album out soon, and if the single Hush is anything to go by, it's going to be stunning. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/simeonwalkermusic/hush

Sim is a labelmate of mine, his EP Preface is available via 1631 Recordings: https://1631recordings.bandcamp.com/album/preface

Drift - Simeon Walker cover

Thank you to everyone who helped me make Coping Mechanism. I've been saving my pennies and have finally completed the project with this video.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60oDw1OOAp8

Coping Mechanism 

Coping Mechanism (live)

One of three tracks composed spontaneously on the 25th February 2018 for the Piano Journal. 

Download it for free here: https://garrethbroke.bandcamp.com/album/tracks-spontaneously-composed-for-the-piano-journal

More info: https://www.thepianojournal.com/

The Piano Journal - February 2018

Der Sonderling

One of three tracks composed spontaneously on the 25th February 2018 for the Piano Journal.

Download for free here: https://garrethbroke.bandcamp.com/album/tracks-spontaneously-composed-for-the-piano-journal

More info: https://www.thepianojournal.com/

Der Abschied (for Grandma)

Der Niemand

The Dance EP - 29/3/2019

Audio available from @1631 Recordings
Sheet music available from @editions-musica-ferrum
Art by Anna Salzmann - https://annasalzmann.com

Garreth Broke - Dance EP - 03 - Ripples

Garreth Broke - Dance EP - 02 - Something Uplifting

"Garreth has an irresistable power to create unique moments in music" - Sonoroscape"
Lovely... genuinely uplifting..." - Stationary Travels

Garreth Brooke

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