Track Spotlight: "Race" — The Forward Drive of Piano Reveries

Some pieces ask you to sit still. “Race” asks you to keep up. It’s track sixteen on Piano Reveries, Michael Clinesmith’s 22-track solo piano album, and it does exactly what its one-word title promises: it moves, and it takes you with it. This spotlight on the Race piano track covers where it sits on the record, what to listen for, and where to hear it, buy it, or learn to play it yourself.

The basics first. “Race” is track 16 of 22. It runs 3:24. On the music page’s tracklist it carries the plain Piano tag, with no genre label to lean on. Whatever energy this piece has, it gets from the notes alone.

A one-word title that tells the truth

Piano Reveries is full of honest titles. Some name a feeling, like “The Joy in Life” or “Joyous.” Others name a musical idea, like “Bb Melody,” “Melody in C,” or “Bouncing Left Hand.” “Race” names a motion. It’s a verb and a noun at once, a contest and a pace, and either way it points forward.

That directness is one of the album’s quiet strengths. You never have to decode these pieces. If a track is called “Race,” you can expect momentum, and you get it. There’s no twist and no ironic slow ballad hiding behind the title. The piece is built to go somewhere, and it spends its three and a half minutes getting there.

Where “Race” sits on Piano Reveries

Track order matters on this record, and “Race” lands at a turning point.

The stretch before it moves around a lot. Track twelve is “Lovely Night,” the album’s jazz piece. Then comes the pop bounce of “Dance in D,” then “Bb Melody,” the album’s only chillwave track. Every piece in that run wears a different genre tag, so the album keeps changing clothes.

Then the record settles into something plainer. “Step and Dance” at track fifteen starts a run of five straight tracks tagged simply as piano: “Step and Dance,” “Race,” “Bouncing Left Hand,” “Melody in C,” and “Joyous.” “Race” is the second of the five, and it’s where that run really picks up speed. “Step and Dance” is 4:53 of footwork. “Race” trims that down to 3:24 and leans into the pace. Right after it, “Bouncing Left Hand” keeps the playful energy going in just 2:10.

After those five, the album turns toward its bigger closing statements. The two Thematic pieces, “Working Through It” and the 8:42 “The Sun Will Rise Again,” are the longest stretch of film-score writing on the record, before the 49-second “Happy Anniversary” closes it out. “Race” is part of the album’s last big burst of pure motion before it slows down for the finish.

What to listen for in “Race”

The best way to meet a piece is to hear it. Head to the music page, find track sixteen, and tap play for the 30-second preview. Here’s what to pay attention to.

The pace. At 3:24, “Race” is right in the middle of the album’s range. It’s longer than the quick sketches like “Two Beat” at 1:37, and far shorter than the seven-minute pieces like “Minor Major.” That’s a good length for a piece about motion. It has enough time to build real momentum without running out of breath.

The drive. A track called “Race” lives or dies on whether it keeps moving, and on solo piano there’s no drummer to set the pace. The pianist has to carry the rhythm and the tune with the same two hands. Listen for how the piece keeps pushing forward. Momentum on a single instrument is harder to build than it sounds.

The setting. Look at the image at the top of this page, the track visual used for “Race” on the site. A runner in a white and red singlet, bib pinned to his chest, pushes down a leaf-covered trail through an autumn forest. Other runners follow behind him, the course is roped off, and the trees glow gold and orange. Off to the side, among the trees, stands a black grand piano with an empty bench, as if someone rolled it out to score the race live. It’s a playful picture, and it gets the track right: effort, forward motion, and music keeping pace.

Why a piece like “Race” belongs on a piano album

People tend to picture solo piano albums as quiet background music, soft and slow and made for rainy afternoons. Piano Reveries has those moments. The hush of “Jade’s Lullaby,” the sincerity of “For Grandma,” and the calm of the opening track “After the Storm” are some of the most tender music on the record.

But the album refuses to be only one thing. It’s tagged across classical, piano, flamenco, funk/soul, neo-classical, jazz, pop, chillwave, and thematic film-score writing, and it saves room for pieces that simply move. “Race” is the purest example. It proves the piano can run as well as it can rest.

That range comes from the composer. Michael writes music for games as well as for solo piano, and game music needs both gentle themes and pieces that push a scene forward. The album also has real concert credentials. In 2025, the Vassar City Band performed Piano Reveries live as a full ensemble, bringing these piano-led compositions to a whole band. You can read more about Michael’s path on the about page.

Where to listen to, buy, and play “Race”

Where you go depends on what you want to do with the track.

Hear it and own it. Start on the music page. You can preview all 22 tracks there, buy “Race” on its own for $3, or get the whole Piano Reveries album for $9.99. Buying direct is the most meaningful way to support an independent composer. The full album also lets you hear “Race” in context, in the middle of that five-track piano run.

Stream it. Piano Reveries isn’t on Spotify or Apple Music yet, since distribution is still in progress. To hear the moment it goes live, sign up for the newsletter on the music page. Meanwhile, the studio shares new music for free on the Endtime Entrepreneurs YouTube channel.

Play it yourself. Michael’s sheet music is published on Sheet Music Plus and Sheet Music Direct. Search his name to see what’s in the catalog right now. If you like a piece that keeps your hands busy, this is the kind of music to look for.

Support what comes next. On Patreon, members get exclusive tracks, exclusive sheet music, and behind-the-scenes looks at new work. It’s the most direct way to help the next album happen.

Hire the composer. If your film, game, trailer, or project needs music with momentum, Michael takes custom composition work through SoundBetter. You can also reach the studio through the contact page.

More from the studio

Piano Reveries shares a home with Rebellion, the indie RPG from Endtime Entrepreneurs. You can play Rebellion on Steam, and its original score is available separately as the Rebellion Soundtrack DLC. If you enjoy the forward drive of “Race,” the game’s music is a natural next stop. Keep an eye out for Airy the Dragon, the studio’s mascot, who connects both halves of the Endtime Entrepreneurs world.

Lace up and press play

“Race” is 3:24 of motion from a record that knows when to rest and when to run. It’s honest about what it is, it doesn’t waste a second, and it makes the case that solo piano can have real momentum.

Preview it on the music page, put it on when you need a push to finish something, and see how far it carries you. If there’s a track you’d love to see spotlighted next, let us know. We read every message.