I was seven years old the first time I sat at a piano. It was a grand piano inherited from a grandfather that I never met. I felt incredibly small, sitting there. But when I shifted all of my weight and pressed down on the heavy keys, I remember feeling a sense of surprise and awe at the sound that came out. It was melancholy and deep, and suddenly I didn't feel small at all -- I felt powerful, part of something mysterious and profound. I gave up playing the piano when I was in middle school, convinced it took too much of my time and cynical that I could never truly master the beastly instrument. But I still find myself mesmerized by artists that manipulate keys and chords, weaving them into the foundation of a song. For tonight's Sunday Night Chill, I scoured the Internet for a handful of tracks that combined piano and ambient electronica. It wasn't easy. So I settled for these songs featured below -- the common thread being that they all feature piano in one way or another. Image credit: Piano by Maltagirl
