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If you’re like me, playing music while you work, study, or do creative work helps you focus. If you’re even more like me, you get distracted by lyrics. You get drawn into the song and before you know it, you’ve lost focus. Instrumental music is perfect for providing background noise without distracting lyrics.
But maybe you’re not into classical music. Don’t worry, Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven aren’t your only options. Read the list below for five contemporary piano composers.
5 Contemporary Piano Composers
1. Tido Kang
Tido Kang is a composer from Korea who creates music for studying, sleep, concentration, and meditation. His music is calming as it’s intended to help you relax and focus, but some of his songs are more upbeat. Many of his songs feature ambient rain sounds. His notes are clear and delicate, and a joy to listen to. He has several albums available to listen to on Spotify, and he also posts hours-long videos of his songs on Youtube. Many of his songs, such as Waterdrop, Light in the Sky, and Forever are also available for download on Amazon.
2. Yiruma
Yiruma is another composer from Korea. He moved to England to study music when he was only eleven, first at the Purcell School of Music and later at the King’s College London, where he graduated with a major in composition. Since then, he has released 7 studio albums and composed music for musicals, film, and theatre. He has accounts on Youtube and Spotify. I love his music because it has so much emotion, and it’s good to listen to when I don’t just want soothing background noise. His music can also be found on Amazon, where you can download full albums.
3. Robin Spielberg
Robin Spielberg is an American pianist and composer originally from New Jersey. She graduated from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Over the course of her career, she has released 18 albums. Her music is interesting, dramatic, and dynamic, and is excellent to listen to while writing a tense scene. I especially like her songs Cherry Blossom and Another Time, Another Place. Her music is available to stream on Youtube and Spotify, and her sheet music is available for purchase on her official site.
4. Aqualina
Aqualina is a Korean American composer, violinist, and producer based in Los Angeles, California. Her music is soft and soothing, with an almost melancholy vibe. Unlike the others on this list, she incorporates other instruments into her music. This includes guitar, some light drumming beats, and ambient noises such as rain, clapping, pages turning, and cards shuffling. Her music is intended as soothing background noise and can be found on Youtube and Spotify. Some of her songs, such as Midnight Jam Sesh, Where the Palm Trees Sway, and Morning Commute can be purchased on Amazon.
5. Greg Maroney
Greg Maroney is an American composer from Pennsylvania. His piano music is gentle and serene, but some of his songs have a dark and mysterious vibe. I adore his songs where Sherry Finzer accompanies him on the flute. She has beautiful, haunting flute notes that go wonderfully with the piano. His music is available on Spotify and Youtube, and he has sheet music available for many of his songs on his website. Many of his songs are also available for purchase on Amazon.
I hope that you found this list helpful and that you have new great music to listen to while you write or do other creative work. Personally, I listened to Tido Kang while writing my short story Poltergeist.
Do you have a favourite instrumental artist? Tell me about them in the comments!
