I recently interviewed my fellow solo piano artist Greg Maroney.

I’ve known Greg for about 14 years now and have enjoyed playing music with him over the years. 

After the interview I’ll include a playlist to listen to his large catalog.

Enjoy!

Tell me about your background.

Hey Philip, thanks so much for interviewing me, I appreciate it!

I have had a long and involved relationship with music.  My family on my father’s side was musically inclined, my father played the cello and my grandmother was a concert pianist and teacher.  My Grandmother was my first introduction to the musical world as well as the piano.  I can remember visiting their house in Modesto. California for Thanksgiving and listening to her beautiful playing.  During our visits, she would sit down with me and teach little bits and pieces of music.  I started taking structured piano lessons soon after that, and continued to study jazz, popular and classical music until graduating from high school.  I also played in the school orchestra and a few high school bands, which gave me my first introduction to jazz improvisation, chord structure and harmony as well as how to play with other musicians.

After graduating from high school, I was a “free range” sort of guy, and could not lug a piano around in my backpack, so I studied and played guitar, voice, Middle Eastern music and the music of India.  I even made a living playing for a troupe of belly dancers for a while.  But true concentration on the piano came after I met my wife 32 years ago.  She has encouraged me to play piano with all my heart, and let the musical inspiration run free.

Who were your earliest musical influences?

Well, since I played classical music in the beginning of my studies, Bach, Beethoven and Mozart played a prominent role.  Later, as I studied jazz, Coltrane, Oscar Peterson and others helped inspire me.  Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and various other talented singers from India also influenced my music, and continue to this day.  Classical Music from the east differs from western music as it does not modulate from chord to chord.  Rather it relies on complicated rhythms and beautiful melodic lines within the same key with a drone instrument holding the song together.  To them, hitting a perfect 5th is more elegant than moving within the I IV V chord structure.  As far as the New Age style of playing goes, of course the earlier pianists such as Wayne Gratz, David Lanz, Jim Chappell and others on the Narada and Windham Hill labels all had an influence.

What inspires you musically?

Nature, beauty, and peaceful living are my main inspirations now.  I strive to instill a deep-seated peace and love into my compositions, to touch the inner truth of our existence that words alone cannot do.

Your most favorite song in your catalog?

I have to say that it’s always the most recent piece I have composed that is my favorite, but they are all my little children, so none can be more than the other.  But….if I had to pick, it would have to be “My Everything”, “Breathe”, and “Prayer for the Planet”.  I also have been composing for piano and cello, and have a couple favorite pieces, “Alleluia” and “If Only We Had Met”.

Biggest Joy in your career/life?

Well, other than meeting and marrying my wife Linda, and beautifying our house/property, I would say there were a few pivotal moments in my musical career.  The most influential was when I was agonizing whether to continue working on music or not.  Linda’s father said “Why not?”  It was such a simple statement, but held a deeper meaning to me.  If it really was what I wanted to do, or had to do, then that was the path to set out on!

Biggest struggle in your career/life        

I think my biggest struggle now is how to organize and commit my time to practicing and learning new material.  I have a rather large catalog of solo piano works, and in order to prevent boredom or repetition, both with myself as well as my listening audience, I need to look at new ideas and ways of writing music.

In the last two years I began to branch out from the solo piano genre. Currently I have been composing for piano and cello, as well as voice and choir.  I am broadening my musical skills and trying new things.  It’s very inspirational.

There is a need to keep driving in a forward direction, but sometimes that is wandering into the unknown.  Questions arise: will people like the new material?  How will it be received on the streaming platforms?  Will it be rejected?  These questions and more delve into uncertainty.

How do you want to be remembered?

Musically, I think that is pretty easy.  I want people to continue to find comfort in the work I have done, and to feel a deep emotional connection with each song they listen to.

Thanks for having me on here, Philip!

Thanks Greg! And now here’s a playlist of everything Greg Maroney…