Music Favorites Part 5: Ambient Edition

Hello readers! Sorry for not posting consistently over the last few weeks; I was working as a pianist at a music summer camp for middle and high schoolers, but now I’m home and ready to get back into my own music-making! This week on the blog, I want to share some of my favorite pieces of ambient music with you.

Ambient Music

Ambient music is a genre of modern electronic music that is very subtle, made to create a mood. Here’s the technical definition of ambient:

a style of gentle, largely electronic instrumental music with no persistent beat, used to create or enhance a mood or atmosphere.

I love listening to ambient music when I write blog posts or if I need inspiration for my compositions. And because there are lots of wonderful ambient pieces out there, here are some of my favorites:

Interstellar Journey by Mrm Team

It’s so easy to turn this on and be reminded to breathe, letting the sounds take your imagination on a journey (or giving it space to concentrate if necessary). This truly ambient mix combines soft sounds in all ranges over a subtle drone, each working together to create a harmonic effect while slowly and constantly changing.

Umbra by Mackenzie Rowles

Like Interstellar Journey (except darker in tone and with less movement), Umbra spins a different atmosphere of relaxation by minimizing melodic motifs and emphasizing the drone. It’s perfect to meditate to because this work truly allows the mind to focus inward.

Immanuel by Tony Anderson

Disclaimer: Immanuel isn’t strictly 100% ambient. If you listen, you can definitely hear a melody that has a consistent beat. However, the background is created from ambiguous electronic sounds, and the overall mood is one of peace and calm.

The melody is a combination of Carol of the Bells and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, which is why the title of this work is so fitting (also I love Christmas music, so that might be why I enjoy this one so much!).

Cosmos by Hazy

A subtle beat kicks in underneath some sparkling treble sounds, and the simple chord progression inspires creativity and relaxation at the same time. Like Immanuel, Cosmos has a beat and some melodic movement. But the types of electronic sounds used, the soft dynamics, and the overall flow of the piece lend itself to a beautiful ambient work.

Ambiance in My Own Compositions

All of this ambient music inspired me to make a few changes to the work “Sunrise” from my composition Three Images Book 1:

While this piece is not strictly ambient (especially because the piano part is the same as the original version with a melody, a continuous rhythm, etc.), the strings in the background are definitely inspired by ambient ideas.

I’ve also been experimenting with some strictly ambient works, like in this piece called A Million Skies.

What music provides you with a mental escape?