Have you heard Paul McCartney’s Christmas album?

Have you heard Paul McCartney’s Christmas album?

Neither have I. (sniff…)

That’s because, as Sir Paul has explained in an interview, only his family will ever hear the album, which he made exclusively for them. And good for him, to keep some semblance of privacy and family life.

But even better than hearing his album, we can take away the most important aspect of this: as musicians, we each have something very special we can share with our friends and family. This can be as simple as sitting down at our piano a few times per week and filling our home with music. Or, as many of my piano students have done over the past few years, we can record some music for our friends and family to enjoy.

The key it to look at it as a document of where we are musically at the time we record it, and not to try to be “better” than we really are. Whether it’s holiday music, folk songs, religious pieces, jazz standards, or classic pop, we can polish a few favorite pieces, record them, and let our friends and family members enjoy the result.

Yes, you’ll be glad you did this, and your family will cherish it for years to come.

I’ve made a few recordings for my family, and at one point I sat down and wrote out the arrangements of Christmas songs which I’ve developed over the years. The resulting ebook is called A Keyboard Christmas Collection and if you’d like to play fresh and professional-sounding piano arrangements of 20 classic Christmas songs, you can find it here:

A Keyboard Christmas Collection

The main thing is to celebrate what you yourself have to offer as a musician, whatever level you’re currently at, and to document it in a way that your family and friends can enjoy whenever they wish.

Good luck, and have fun along the way!

Ron

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