Simon & Garfunkel‘s “The Sound of Silence” has resonated with generations ever since its release in 1965. Numerous artists, including the metal band Disturbed, have covered it. However, this version by pianist Gamazda puts a new spin on it.
Gamazda reimagines the folk classic for a new era by blending its emotional depth with out-of-the-box creativity. Her arrangement begins with the left hand playing the somber opening. However, she plays the glockenspiel, a pitched percussion instrument, to perform the melody. She gets crafty by propping the glockenspiel on the piano and putting thimbles on each of her right-hand fingers, allowing her to get the sharp attack needed to make the bars ring.
The added instrument is more than just show. The sound of the glockenspiel is bright, cutting through the piano’s timbre. It also evokes a sense of innocence, perfectly matching the core of the song’s meaning.
Paul Simon wrote “The Sound of Silence” while living with his parents. He would play the guitar to be alone and dream, often practicing in the bathroom because of its slight reverb from the tiles. He would also play in the dark, which led to the opening line “Hello darkness, my old friend/ I’ve come to talk with you again.”
“The key to ‘The Sound of Silence’ is the simplicity of the melody and the words, which are youthful alienation,” he told NPR. “It’s a young lyric, but not bad for a 21-year-old. It’s not a sophisticated thought, but a thought that I gathered from some college reading material or something. It wasn’t something that I was experiencing at some deep, profound level – nobody’s listening to me, nobody’s listening to anyone – it was a post-adolescent angst, but it had some level of truth to it and it resonated with millions of people. Largely because it had a simple and singable melody.”
Eventually, Gamazda sheds the thimbles and fills out the arrangement entirely on the piano. Her left hand drops to the lower octave, bringing gravitas to the song’s simple yet bold chord progression. She adds some of her own flair to the mix with blues licks added between the typical melody. Even though her cover is instrumental, her phrasing and approach to the melody make you hear the lyrics in your head as she plays.
Her use of dynamics also propels the song forward. Simon & Garfunkel’s original builds from just guitar and vocals to include drums, bass, and electric guitar. Gamazda has to adapt by adding weight to each note and driving the rhythm. She also utilizes slight rubato to add dramatic tension.
Check out Gamazda’s version above and follow along with the sheet music for “The Sound of Silence”:
