Piano by Joel: the Fresh Piano Blog and Podcast

Giving away a whole lot of free piano music since 2005! I specialize in expressive piano interpretations and orchestral arrangements of songs and hymns, suitable for contemplation, meditation, relaxation, or just to keep you company as you go about your business. There's quite a few free mp3 downloads by now, so take your time and enjoy the music. I hope it meets your needs wherever you are in your spiritual walk.

Looking for music downloads? Just find the post containing the song you want, right-click the "Click Here to Listen" link, and choose "save as."

Subscribe to the Fresh Piano Podcast | Visit the Fresh Piano website | Leave Comments | Follow on Twitter

Listen on Jango

20051130

Blogging and the Stock Market

Like the stock market, the subscriber count (the number of people who receive automatic updates via iTunes, BlogLines, iPodder, My Yahoo, MSN, etc.) rises and falls. Recently, the PBJ count peaked at just over 200 subscribers (thanks, everyone !) You can see the current number of subscribers by viewing the green "feedburner" chiclet to the right. This number will vary widely, depending on how many readers receive updates on a given day. For example, on weekends, a lot of people turn off their computers, so the number of subscribers drops.

If you like Piano by Joel, you can help spread the word in a few ways:

Add a link to your site or blog. On the web, the major indicator of the relevance of a blog is the number of sites linking to it. If you'd like, feel free to use the Piano by Joel button or the Headline Animator. For a fun example of this, check out this blog's listing in BlogShares, a site where blog "shares" are "traded" like stocks. The number of incoming links contributes to that blog's value!
Vote for Piano by Joel (and/or write comments) each month on Podcast Alley. This site seems to have become the de-facto podcast rating site. Just a few people voting in a month can cause a blog to skyrocket in the rankings. For example, just three November votes raised this podcast to #821 out of more than 10,000 podcasts!
Subscribe to this blog. The number of subscribers is another important indicator of blog/podcast relevance. Check out the Feedburner Top 40 at PodNova as an example.

Thanks for checking in today! I appreciate the time each of you spend to read, listen, and participate. Time to go play the piano...

20051127

The Fresh Hymns CD Cover

Well, piano fans, there are now enough hymn tracks on this blog (see the index) for a CD. Perhaps you've already burned a few for your friends and neighbors (plus they make great stocking stuffers.) Now I ask you, what's a CD without cover art? Well, ok, it's still a CD, but I thought I'd make a cover available anyway. Here's what it looks like, and you can download it via the link below. Enjoy! And don't forget to pass out a few CDs over the holidays. If you do, just write the Piano by Joel URL on the CD, so each recipient can stop by the site for updates. Remember, you can make as many non-commercial copies as you'd like.

Click here to get the full-sized CD cover

20051124

The Tag Cloud - A Different Way to Browse

For a different approach to browsing this blog, try the tag cloud, which presents the keywords from this site in a unique way. You can check it out the Piano by Joel cloud here:

http://www.tagcloud.com/cloud/html/Piano_by_Joel/default/100

Have fun playing around with it!

20051119

Piano by Joel: The Map

When I was a kid, I thought the missionary map at church was pretty cool. Prayer cards were displayed along the sides, with yarn connecting the card to a pushpin somewhere on the map. I remember making one of my own as a kid.

Thanks to a friend of mine, I just discovered Frappr, and can experience the pushpin map anew. This site brings different groups of people together and places them on a world map. That means you can see how far your graduating class or knitting circle has spread around the world, send a shout out to everyone, post a picture, etc. I created a few maps this evening, one of which is a map of Piano by Joel listeners:

http://www.frappr.com/pianobyjoellisteners

As of now, I'm the only listener on the map (good thing I enjoy my own company!) If you'd like to view the map or even put yourself on it, be my guest! Just click on the link above. I look forward to taking this little world tour with you.

20051116

The Piano by Joel button

Ok, for all those who would like a more subtle link to PBJ (that's Piano by Joel, rather than the popular legume sandwich), Have I got the graphic for you. Here is the Piano by Joel chiclet:

Just use this as your link image when linking to PBJ. If you like something a little more noticeable than this bad boy, there's always the headline animator.

Thanks for helping to get the word out.

Click Here to Listen to A Mighty Fortress is Our God, the most recent track.
View Entire Index of Songs and Scores
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Contact Joel
Link to Piano by Joel

Totally Extreme Feedback

Whether you are a regular listener, or are just dropping by, I'd like to ask you to do something for me. I am always trying to improve my offerings, and the following excercise would really help me out:

1. Think of the last track you listened to. How does it rate on a scale of 1 to 10?
2. What would I need to change in order to make it a 10?

I'd appreciate it if you would e-mail me (see my profile for contact info) or leave a comment on this or another post (if you are using a blog reader, you can visit my website to leave comments on individual posts.) Just hearing from a few people would provide me with some valuable feedback.

Thanks!

20051112

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

Today's arrangement is the hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, by Martin Luther. The lyrics are powerful:

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing

our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevaling

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe

his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate

on earth is not his equal.

Read more lyrics

Thanks again for your comments. I hope that Piano by Joel motivates, inspires, and teaches listeners/readers to express themselves musically. If this blog/podcast has helped you, or if there is some musical resource lacking on the internet that Piano by Joel could possibly fill, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

Easier listening with the new built-in player

While some listeners like to download tracks and play them in their media player of choice, others would rather listen online. The new player at the bottom of this page lets you do exactly that! You'll notice that the player includes a retractable playlist and title display, as well as control buttons.

This fine player was created by Jeroen Wijering, who has been kind enough to make it available free of charge to non-commercial sites under the Creative Commons license. For more info about Creative Commons, check out the banner at the bottom of the Piano by Joel home page.

View Entire Index of Songs and Scores
Vote and/or Leave Comments
Contact Joel
Link to Piano by Joel

20051109

The Headline Animator

If anyone is interested in linking to Piano by Joel (and I know you are), might I suggest the headline animator:

Pretty cool, right? Here's the HTML to add it to your site:

A big thank you to everyone who has linked to Piano by Joel already. I appreciate you helping to spread the word.

Finally, if you have a blog and/or podcast, you can get your own headline animator at feedburner.com.

View Entire Index of Songs and Scores
Vote and/or Leave Comments
Contact Joel
Link to Piano by Joel

20051103

Blest Be the Tie that Binds

One of our church traditions, especially when one of our church family is moving on to parts unknown, is to join hands in a circle and sing Blest Be the Tie that Binds. This song, commonly sung to an old melody by Hans Nageli (1773-1836) speaks of the bond shared by those who have placed their faith in Christ:

Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

(John Fawcett, 1740-1817)

These lyics remind me of Christ's prayer in John 17:

Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

My goal in today's piece, a duet for piano and flute, was to suggest the "fellowship of kindred minds" by the intertwining of the two instruments. As usual, it's a work in progress, a communication of a musical idea that hasn't completely reached fruition. Piano by Joel, after all, is a place for musical ideas, not completed, polished works. But I still think you might enjoy it. I may post a piano-only version of this song in the near future as well.

Click here to listen.

View Entire Index of Songs and Scores
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Contact Joel
Link to Piano by Joel

20051101

Copyright Info for The Old Rugged Cross

My research shows that The Old Rugged Cross is copyrighted. The rights are owned by WORD Music, LLC, which does not grant permission to post their music on the web in any form. Check out the Music Services site for more information.

Don't worry, though. This just means that you'll need to wait for the CD. :)

Since Piano by Joel aims to remain above board, I will work on another piece.

View Entire Index of Songs and Scores
Vote and/or Leave Comments
Contact Joel
Link to Piano by Joel

JOEL ROSENBERGER: Hymn Journeys: Contemporary Piano Interpretations

JOEL ROSENBERGER: Fresh Hymns: Contemporary Piano Interpretations

JOEL ROSENBERGER: Snow and Ivory: Piano Portraits for Christmas

JOEL ROSENBERGER: I See the Light (from Tangled)

Joel Recommends:

: Name: Joel Rosenberger; Location: IL

Joel Rosenberger is a pianist, composer, and arranger specializing in fresh, instrumental arrangements of Christian hymns. Joel believes in the abundance of music and creativity, and offers quite a bit of music on his Fresh Piano podcast, which has been "airing" since 2005. He has released two CDs, and has published several sheets. His piano recordings have been heard on the BBN network, and his arrangements have been performed by other music groups, including a performance on the Millenium Stage at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. When he's not recording piano, orchestral, and atmospheric arrangements of hymns, he can be found spending time with his wife and four children, painting at his easel, playing the cello, or in the garage building boats.

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