We’ve been playlisting PianoFromNorth – Scandinavian tunes, composed and played by Danish pianist Michael Pedersen.

But who is Michael? We caught up with him to find out more about his life and music.

Tell us a little bit about your yourself?

I’ve been playing piano and keyboards since my childhood.   I remember when I was 7 years old watching a keyboard player playing live.  Standing right beside him, watching how he played the keys, made a great impression on me and started my passion for music.

Now I am 56 years old, and I’ve played for a living all my life, at both small and large events, witnessing the power of music to bring joy, comfort, and foster a sense of community among people.

Another great pleasure during all this years has been to compose music. Looking back, it has always been a very important part of me as a musician.

Which artists did you listen to while growing up?

I listened (and played) a very wide range of music/artists, from pop to classical.  Artists with a catchy melodic line, like Abba and Elton John, along with classical piano composers, like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin etc.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard you before?

Snowflakes is an album of melodic and instrumental Nordic sounding piano tunes.

I record on a Kawai RX-3 Grand Piano to create an natural and organic experience.  Right from the beginning, my sound engineer, Karl Pedersen and I wanted to make an album where listeners could “feel” the instrument and that it actually was played by a “real” human 🙂

There is no sequencing or digital instruments. The recordings are carefully added different rooms/reverbs to support the character of each piece. It also has been very important to give listeners a diverse experience, from melodic catchy melodies to more flowing meditative soundscapes, in different moods, keys and time signatures.

What music have you recorded and released to date?

This is my first album.   A few years ago, I had the idea to work with some of my music compositions , some brand new and some I made many years ago.
I wanted to “break” the pieces apart and then assemble the “fragments” again, giving them a new “clothing” – new harmonies and rhythm – which were inspired by Scandinavian/Nordic music and nature, with less major/minor and for some pieces also kind of minimalistic/meditative sound, though with the immediate idea in mind.

What are your plans for the future?

Getting played on the radio, and performing small concerts, taking listeners in to this sound of Nordic acoustic piano pieces, giving time to relax and enjoy.

Where can we find out more about you?

My official website is at www.pianofromnorth.com and I also have a YouTube channel.