Piano, finally

Welcome to show 107 of Piano, finally. This week's show title, Hands Together, has a double meaning: it refers to playing the piano properly and people collaborating to make music. I managed to get the show done before leaving for the St Vincent de Paul van on Sunday evening, following some weather-related plan changes. I successfully completed every scheduled practice this week, largely because putting the Montage in a really easy-to-sit-at place has made a difference. The repair place still hasn't called back about the keyboard.

What's been playing: I caught up with a few YouTube...

Welcome to show 106 of Piano, finally. Have you ever thought about all the things that go into making a musical performance that aren't the music itself? This week, we explore the behind-the-scenes work that makes music happen, from setting up choir risers to baking a cake for a piano recital.

What's been playing School is back for the final term of the year, and so piano and voice lessons have both started back up. For Devi's piano recital on 28 November, I've selected The Trumpet Tune and Wild Chase, with a possible addition of Leonard Cohen's...

G'day, everyone! Welcome to show 105 of Piano, finally, a podcast by an old bloke who is discovering music because he got around to learning the piano, finally.

This week, we're diving into the world of adaptations. It's easy to just go along with the flow of mass-produced stuff, but often the most satisfying path is throwing out those standard offerings and going your own way. We'll look at how we adapt music, and how we adapt our setups to get our practices just the way we want them.

What's Been Playing: I've spent...

G'day, everyone. Welcome to show number one hundred and four of Piano, finally. Let's see if I can get everything right this week!

Welcome, I share some thoughts on renewing my Sydney Symphony Orchestra subscription and provide an update on the choir's progress for our December concert. We've got the repertoire sorted, and thankfully Sweet Disposition is reserved for the Perth festival, so I get a pass on that bass part! Also, a quick reminder that early-bird tickets for the 30th Blue Mountains Music Festival are available until mid-November: https://www.bmff.org.au/

G'day, everyone. Welcome to show number one hundred and three of Piano, finally. I'm on holidays! Term 3 is over, and I'm planning to use the break to get the secondary music spot better organised for some short practice sessions. My new Yamaha Montage M8x keyboard has arrived, though it has a slightly broken knob that I'm getting sorted. I also picked up a hard case for it, which is quite a bit heavier than the case for the MODX M6!

Just a quick reminder that early bird tickets for the 30th Blue Mountains Music Festival are...

G'day, everyone. Welcome to show number one hundred and two of "Piano, finally", a podcast by an old bloke who is discovering music because he got around to learning the piano. It’s been a relatively quiet week musically, consisting mostly of a voice lesson, choir rehearsal, and some evening practice. However, this week’s show is shorter than usual. With fun events happening after work every day next week and finalising all the marking for the term, there wasn't enough time to write the planned essay on what goes on behind the scenes when putting something big together. The...

Welcome to show number one hundred and one! Thanks to everyone who stuck around, and a special thanks to Bill Hilton for mentioning the milestone in his newsletter. Over the next hundred episodes, I'm introducing two new sections: what I've been looking at and listening to for general musical education, and an in-depth look at something I've learned during the week. I'll still occasionally review equipment like the Yamaha Montage M8X when it arrives to pair with my MODX M6. 

What's been playing Over the last few weeks, I’ve added new tracks for the...

G'day, everyone. Welcome to show number one hundred of "Piano, finally"! It has taken a while to get here, but things have been pretty busy. 

Musically, the biggest event was the Belong choir concert. We performed two sold-out shows at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville with a ten-piece band. Despite some early logistical hiccups with the stage setup, it was a spectacular experience. 

Reflecting on the past hundred episodes, starting the piano wasn't quite a spur-of-the-moment decision. I began with a backup plan, but it has become a pretty important part of what I do. I...

Welcome to show number ninety-nine! In this week's show, I'll review an amazing production at the Sydney Theatre Company, take a musical trip back to the 1960s courtesy of the Blue Mountains Musical Society, and try to prioritise things. First, I must apologise for the unexpected break in the shows. It has been four weeks since episode 98; things just got in the way with visitors, exams, and reports.

Progress Update My piano lessons are going well. We have gone back to some of the older pieces to get them up to a performance level, like...

Welcome to show number ninety-eight. In this week's show, I'll review Matthew Cawood's latest video, talk about the myth of multi-tasking and let you know how last night's performance went. During my voice lessons on Monday, we found that I can now get to the D# above middle C reasonably consistently, and the E above that occasionally. This week's piano lesson was longer, and we spent a good bit of time on A Mingus Among Us. Thursday night was the choir rehearsal, but the highlight of the week was the performance on Saturday at the International Convention Centre.

G'day, everyone! Welcome to show number ninety-seven. In this week's show, I discuss getting back to learning scales, the changing way society approaches learning music, and last week's pretty special Sydney Symphony Orchestra concert.

Progress Update I had my piano and voice lessons on Monday. Finding time to practice the piano has been a bit of a challenge lately, so progress is slow, but the singing is coming along nicely! I can now reach some notes that were previously out of my range. Our choir is more than halfway through the repertoire, and we are...

Welcome to show number ninety-six! In this week's show, I'll discuss money and music, and let you know about an amazing free resource I've found on YouTube. You may have noticed that the last show came out a day early, and the week before that, there wasn't an episode at all. That was because I was called out to help with the St Vincent de Paul van. Sometimes, other things just have to take priority!

In it for the money I was listening to the Music Show on the weekend, where a quote by Stephen...

Welcome to episode 95! I'm David Reidy, an old bloke getting around to learning the piano, finally. In this week's show, I review a new book about scales and arpeggios, discuss piano racing, and suggest one of my favourite YouTube creators who is back from a break.

Listener Feedback & Progress I received an email from Chris, an adult piano learner, with some great suggestions for my learning and the podcast. It is genuinely gratifying to hear from listeners, as it's usually just me in the room when recording. In terms of my own progress, choir rehearsals...

Welcome to show number 94 of Piano, finally! I'm David Reidy, an old bloke getting around to learning the piano. This week, it's school holidays, so we're busy tidying up the house to make a proper music room. I'm also putting in some extra choir practice to learn the bass part for A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman for an upcoming charity event in May. 

Megalong Music Festival, Day Two I'm finishing my review of the Megalong Music Festival, set in the beautiful Blue Mountains. Day two showcased an incredible "Folk and Fancy" program featuring t...

G'day, everyone. Welcome to Piano, finally, a podcast by an old bloke who is getting around to learning the piano, finally.

Review: Megalong Music Festival, Day One

In this week's show, I start reviewing the Megalong Music Festival. The concerts take place in the Megalong Valley Community Centre, a concrete block, metal-roofed building which is used by the local scouts, the pony club and for other community events. It was definitely not built as a concert venue, but the hall is small, seating a bit over a hundred people, so the lack of concert hall...

G'day, everyone. Welcome to show number ninety-two of Piano, finally, a podcast by an old bloke who is getting around to learning the piano, finally. In this week's show, I review the Sydney Theatre Company's latest musical, muse about cover versions, and review a really handy pocket device for practising note recognition and copying.

Theatre Review: My Brilliant Career On Saturday, I went to see the Sydney Theatre Company's production of My Brilliant Career. If you want the short recommendation for this show, get a ticket if you can; it is a great...

Welcome to show number ninety-one of Piano, finally, a podcast by an old bloke who is getting around to learning the piano, finally. In this week's show, I'm going to think a bit about how we all should support our local music scene, review a collection of music by Stephen Sondheim, and share some progress recordings.

Progress Update: The voice lessons are working! Two of the choir pieces are All By Myself and Alone, and I was able to handle the middle Cs in the bass part reasonably well. I'm also working on a new...

Welcome to show number 90! This week, we are taking a look at the 29th edition of the Blue Mountains Music Festival.If this is your first time listening, I hope you find the show interesting and consider subscribing. If you're a regular listener, thank you for your ongoing support.

In This Episode:

G'day everyone! I'm David Reidy, and welcome to show number 89 of Piano, finally. This week, I'm exploring the reliability of practising with others, reviewing a YouTube progress video, and diving into some fascinating AI vocal software.

Recording Under the Storm

This episode comes to you amidst some local connectivity challenges. A large electrical storm recently knocked out both my landline and 5G internet, which might delay the posting of this show until I can reach a stable connection.

Community and Music Lessons

Despite a busy week adjudicating...

G'day everyone! I'm David Reidy, and welcome to show number 88 of Piano, finally. In this episode, I'm branching out into some new musical territory while navigating the usual challenges of finding practice time.

Singing Lessons and Choir Progress

I've officially started singing lessons with Sussanne to help with my new choir. We're working on Tracey Chapman’s "Fast Car," which fits comfortably in my range. Our upcoming concert features 24 songs performed "off book," so I’ve been using my commute to learn lyrics via an Apple Music play...

Welcome to show eighty-seven! It’s a busy week catching up with an ex-student launching a music career and managing a packed choir schedule. 

YouTube: Bardcore I explore "Bardcore" this week! Hildegard von Blingin' orchestrates modern songs with medieval instruments, while The Miracle Aligner translates hits into ancient languages like Latin and Attic Greek. https://www.youtube.com/@Hildegardvonblingin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7jOobdrdGohttps://www.youtube.com/@the_miracle_aligner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtt78SW-mgg

Essay: All By Myself I c...

G'day everyone. Welcome to show number eighty-six. If you're a regular listener, thanks for your support, and if you're new here, I hope you enjoy the show.

This week, things have taken a vocal turn. Following my enjoyment of the Belong choir, I've signed up for another community choir—one that didn't require an audition! I've found myself in the bass section, managing up to middle C for now. It's proving to be great fun and an unexpected detour on my musical journey.

YouTube - Stefan Wyatt - How to play ornaments on the pi...