I can still remember the sound of my father playing piano 30 years ago. There was a waltz that he loved to play, and as a child those notes felt like birds, fluttering around the room. This Is Not Me, a gorgeous ambient ballad from Jamie Chambers, unlocks that same majestic power of the humble upright piano, and weaves an impossible sadness into the space between the notes.

The resonance of the wood, the incidental noises of the damper pedal, and the simple sound of body parts moving through space, all join beneath long slow notes of an atmospheric drone, creating a soundscape that lifts up this circular melody and helps it fly. Later, a string section join in; the layers build like bricks into a castle, a tall proud structure that echoes with memory, paying homage to what could have been at the same time that we let go.

This Is Not Me, a beautifully cinematic piece from North Ireland’s Jamie Chambers, explores the entirety of the human experience, where we find perfection in the endings, just as we do the beginnings.

Jamie Chambers wrote this piano piece written after the death of a close friend. She is a professional composer and music producer originally from Derry, North Ireland.