G&apos;day, everyone! Welcome to show number eighty-three. I’m writing this week&apos;s show from a slightly different location:under the shade of a Eucalypt tree at the Stargazer Lawn in Barangaroo. It is the day of the dress rehearsal for the Belong Choir&apos;s performance at the Sydney Festival Vigil. The atmosphere is buzzing with activity as chairs are set up and the area is taped off. It’s been a busy weekend, but a privilege to be part of such a special event.YouTube Review: Three Elton John Songs for Beginners Coincidentally, just as I decided to look into learning some Billy Joel and Elton John music, a video popped up from the London School of Contemporary Piano featuring Tom Donald. Tom breaks down &quot;Your Song,&quot; &quot;Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,&quot; and &quot;Sacrifice&quot; as a way to teach chords. He moves from simple root position chords to more complex progressions and arpeggiation. It’s a great resource if you want to understand the structure behind these iconic tracks.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPm05-5KBz0'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPm05-5KBz0</a>Essay: Who&apos;s listening? Inspired by a video from David Bennett, I’ve been thinking about Artificial Intelligence in music. While AI might inevitably take over &quot;unimportant&quot; music—like the hold music I used to license for my scuba shop—I believe there will always be a place for &quot;important&quot; music where listeners crave a human connection. We want to know the stories behind the songs, whether it’s Taylor Swift’s romances or Mozart’s final days.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrcUJI197Vs'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrcUJI197Vs</a>Review: Billy Joel and Elton John sheet music I recently purchased two sheet music collections from Amazon to expand my repertoire. Unfortunately, upon arrival, I discovered they were print-on-demand books manufactured by Amazon with absolutely no publisher details or copyright acknowledgements. I don&apos;t believe people should profit from the work of others without proper compensation, so I’m sending them back. A warning to be careful when buying music online!Progress Practice has been a bit spotty this week due to holiday tasks like writing school programs and tidying the house.&quot;Sea Song&quot; is coming along bit-by-bit. regarding &quot;A Wild Chase,&quot; I’ve made an executive decision to ignore the &quot;As fast as you can&quot; instruction. I’m going to play it at a speed where the notes actually sound musical rather than just noise. Work also continues on &quot;Trumpet Tune&quot; and memorising the chord progressions for the &quot;Moonlight&quot; Sonata.If you&apos;d like to get in touch, you can contact me at david@pianofinally.show.The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms">Send me a text message.</a>You can contact me: <ul> <li>via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option</li> <li>the show website, <a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'>www.pianofinally.show</a> </li> <li>Instagram and Threads @pianofinally</li> <li>and on <a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'>YouTube</a> </li> <li>all the podcast directories - <a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'>list</a> </li> <li>here&apos;s the <a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'>RSS feed</a> </li> </ul> Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.

<description>&lt;p&gt;G&amp;apos;day, everyone! Welcome to show number eighty-three. I’m writing this week&amp;apos;s show from a slightly different location:under the shade of a Eucalypt tree at the Stargazer Lawn in Barangaroo. It is the day of the dress rehearsal for the Belong Choir&amp;apos;s performance at the Sydney Festival Vigil. The atmosphere is buzzing with activity as chairs are set up and the area is taped off. It’s been a busy weekend, but a privilege to be part of such a special event.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;YouTube Review: Three Elton John Songs for Beginners&lt;/b&gt; Coincidentally, just as I decided to look into learning some Billy Joel and Elton John music, a video popped up from the London School of Contemporary Piano featuring Tom Donald. Tom breaks down &amp;quot;Your Song,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Sacrifice&amp;quot; as a way to teach chords. He moves from simple root position chords to more complex progressions and arpeggiation. It’s a great resource if you want to understand the structure behind these iconic tracks.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPm05-5KBz0'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPm05-5KBz0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Essay: Who&amp;apos;s listening?&lt;/b&gt; Inspired by a video from David Bennett, I’ve been thinking about Artificial Intelligence in music. While AI might inevitably take over &amp;quot;unimportant&amp;quot; music—like the hold music I used to license for my scuba shop—I believe there will always be a place for &amp;quot;important&amp;quot; music where listeners crave a human connection. We want to know the stories behind the songs, whether it’s Taylor Swift’s romances or Mozart’s final days.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrcUJI197Vs'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrcUJI197Vs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Review: Billy Joel and Elton John sheet music&lt;/b&gt; I recently purchased two sheet music collections from Amazon to expand my repertoire. Unfortunately, upon arrival, I discovered they were print-on-demand books manufactured by Amazon with absolutely no publisher details or copyright acknowledgements. I don&amp;apos;t believe people should profit from the work of others without proper compensation, so I’m sending them back. A warning to be careful when buying music online!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Progress&lt;/b&gt; Practice has been a bit spotty this week due to holiday tasks like writing school programs and tidying the house.&amp;quot;Sea Song&amp;quot; is coming along bit-by-bit. regarding &amp;quot;A Wild Chase,&amp;quot; I’ve made an executive decision to ignore the &amp;quot;As fast as you can&amp;quot; instruction. I’m going to play it at a speed where the notes actually sound musical rather than just noise. Work also continues on &amp;quot;Trumpet Tune&amp;quot; and memorising the chord progressions for the &amp;quot;Moonlight&amp;quot; Sonata.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;apos;d like to get in touch, you can contact me at david@pianofinally.show.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms"&gt;Send me a text message.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can contact me:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;the show website, &lt;a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'&gt;www.pianofinally.show&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Instagram and Threads @pianofinally&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;and on &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;all the podcast directories - &lt;a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'&gt;list&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;here&amp;apos;s the &lt;a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'&gt;RSS feed&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. &lt;br/&gt;All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

G'day, everyone! Welcome to show number eighty-three. I’m writing this week's show from a slightly different location:under the shade of a Eucalypt tree at the Stargazer Lawn in Barangaroo. It is the day of the dress rehearsal for the Belong Choir's performance at the Sydney Festival Vigil. The atmosphere is buzzing with activity as chairs are set up and the area is taped off. It’s been a busy weekend, but a privilege to be part of such a special event. YouTube Review: Three Elton John Songs ...

Episode 83 - Who’s Listening

G&apos;day, everyone! Welcome to show number eighty-two. I’ve just returned from a week in Queensland visiting family, though it meant very little piano practice happened. It’s been great working in the Belong Choir with Nardi Simpson, a Yuwaalaraay storyteller and composer, who makes the rehearsals inclusive and fun.Podcast Recommendation: No one saw it coming I’m a big fan of history podcasts, and this week I recommend Marc Fennell’s &quot;No one saw it coming.&quot; Specifically, the episode &quot;The ballet that caused a riot and changed music,&quot; which dives into Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Marc and Andrew Ford explore the music, the riots (real or exaggerated), and how Disney’s Fantasia eventually cemented Stravinsky’s fame.<a href='https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/no-one-saw-it-coming/the-rite-of-spring/105872884%3Futm_content%3Dlink%26utm_medium%3Dcontent_shared'>https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/no-one-saw-it-coming/the-rite-of-spring/105872884?utm_content=link&amp;utm_medium=content_shared</a><a href='https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/no-one-saw-it-coming'>https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/no-one-saw-it-coming</a>Essay: The &quot;T&quot; Word There is a word I try to avoid: Talent. While often meant as a compliment, attributing success to &quot;talent&quot; discounts the hundreds of hours of effort and commitment a musician puts in. Whether it’s a child prodigy or Rachmaninov, what we see is the result of hard work, not just a genetic lottery. Let’s replace the &quot;T&quot; word with “Effort&quot;.Review: Grand Solos for Christmas, Book 3 I decided it’s time to add some seasonal music to my repertoire—and starting in January gives me plenty of time! I picked up Melody Bober’s Grand Solos for Christmas, Book 3. Rated for &quot;Late Elementary,&quot; these arrangements are approachable (keys of F, C, G, D) but musical enough to sound great at a family gathering.<a href='https://www.alfred.com/authors/melody-bober/'>https://www.alfred.com/authors/melody-bober/</a><a href='https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1470617307%3Fref%3Dppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title'>https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1470617307?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title</a>Progress Since I was away, I didn&apos;t practice. Instead of rusty playing, I’m sharing professional performances of the pieces I’m currently learning:<ul><li>&quot;A Wild Chase&quot; performed by Roderick MacFarlane <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2XtjcjQyqA'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2XtjcjQyqA</a></li><li>&quot;Trumpet Tune&quot; performed by Piano with Beth <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpqGF7J8aLc'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpqGF7J8aLc</a></li><li>&quot;Sea Song&quot; performed by Alan Chan <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DykqLkbUAGM'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DykqLkbUAGM</a></li><li>&quot;Moonlight Sonata&quot; performed by Danie</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms">Send me a text message.</a>You can contact me: <ul> <li>via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option</li> <li>the show website, <a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'>www.pianofinally.show</a> </li> <li>Instagram and Threads @pianofinally</li> <li>and on <a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'>YouTube</a> </li> <li>all the podcast directories - <a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'>list</a> </li> <li>here&apos;s the <a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'>RSS feed</a> </li> </ul> Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.

<description>&lt;p&gt;G&amp;apos;day, everyone! Welcome to show number eighty-two. I’ve just returned from a week in Queensland visiting family, though it meant very little piano practice happened. It’s been great working in the Belong Choir with Nardi Simpson, a Yuwaalaraay storyteller and composer, who makes the rehearsals inclusive and fun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Podcast Recommendation: No one saw it coming&lt;/b&gt; I’m a big fan of history podcasts, and this week I recommend Marc Fennell’s &amp;quot;No one saw it coming.&amp;quot; Specifically, the episode &amp;quot;The ballet that caused a riot and changed music,&amp;quot; which dives into Stravinsky’s &lt;em&gt;The Rite of Spring&lt;/em&gt;. Marc and Andrew Ford explore the music, the riots (real or exaggerated), and how Disney’s &lt;em&gt;Fantasia&lt;/em&gt; eventually cemented Stravinsky’s fame.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/no-one-saw-it-coming/the-rite-of-spring/105872884%3Futm_content%3Dlink%26utm_medium%3Dcontent_shared'&gt;https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/no-one-saw-it-coming/the-rite-of-spring/105872884?utm_content=link&amp;amp;utm_medium=content_shared&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/no-one-saw-it-coming'&gt;https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/no-one-saw-it-coming&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Essay: The &amp;quot;T&amp;quot; Word&lt;/b&gt; There is a word I try to avoid: Talent. While often meant as a compliment, attributing success to &amp;quot;talent&amp;quot; discounts the hundreds of hours of effort and commitment a musician puts in. Whether it’s a child prodigy or Rachmaninov, what we see is the result of hard work, not just a genetic lottery. Let’s replace the &amp;quot;T&amp;quot; word with “Effort&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Review: Grand Solos for Christmas, Book 3&lt;/b&gt; I decided it’s time to add some seasonal music to my repertoire—and starting in January gives me plenty of time! I picked up Melody Bober’s &lt;em&gt;Grand Solos for Christmas, Book 3&lt;/em&gt;. Rated for &amp;quot;Late Elementary,&amp;quot; these arrangements are approachable (keys of F, C, G, D) but musical enough to sound great at a family gathering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.alfred.com/authors/melody-bober/'&gt;https://www.alfred.com/authors/melody-bober/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1470617307%3Fref%3Dppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title'&gt;https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1470617307?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Progress&lt;/b&gt; Since I was away, I didn&amp;apos;t practice. Instead of rusty playing, I’m sharing professional performances of the pieces I’m currently learning:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;quot;A Wild Chase&amp;quot;&lt;/b&gt; performed by Roderick MacFarlane &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2XtjcjQyqA'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2XtjcjQyqA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;quot;Trumpet Tune&amp;quot;&lt;/b&gt; performed by Piano with Beth &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpqGF7J8aLc'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpqGF7J8aLc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;quot;Sea Song&amp;quot;&lt;/b&gt; performed by Alan Chan &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DykqLkbUAGM'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DykqLkbUAGM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;quot;Moonlight Sonata&amp;quot;&lt;/b&gt; performed by Danie&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms"&gt;Send me a text message.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can contact me:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;the show website, &lt;a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'&gt;www.pianofinally.show&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Instagram and Threads @pianofinally&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;and on &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;all the podcast directories - &lt;a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'&gt;list&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;here&amp;apos;s the &lt;a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'&gt;RSS feed&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. &lt;br/&gt;All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

G'day, everyone! Welcome to show number eighty-two. I’ve just returned from a week in Queensland visiting family, though it meant very little piano practice happened. It’s been great working in the Belong Choir with Nardi Simpson, a Yuwaalaraay storyteller and composer, who makes the rehearsals inclusive and fun. Podcast Recommendation: No one saw it coming I’m a big fan of history podcasts, and this week I recommend Marc Fennell’s "No one saw it coming." Specifically, the episode "The ballet...

Episode 82 - The “T” Word

Welcome to show eighty-one! It&apos;s scorching here—hitting 43°C—and I&apos;m busy prepping for the new school year. I’m recording early this week as I’m heading to Queensland to assemble a 3D printer for the grandkids!YouTube Review: Matthew Cawood - 30 Piano Techniques Matthew Cawood&apos;s video &quot;30 Piano Techniques Explained in 15 Minutes&quot; is excellent revision. He covers everything from basic articulation to ornaments and bass patterns like the Alberti bass. I even found a few new ones, like &quot;octave legato.&quot; <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH8BxXAHnWs'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH8BxXAHnWs</a>Essay: Play What You Like Inspired by a David Snyder short, I discuss why adult learners should prioritize music they enjoy over strict syllabuses. Whether it’s &quot;Blackout Blues&quot; or an ambitious &quot;Moonlight Sonata,&quot; playing music that motivates you is key.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jSMyRu7ujo0'>https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jSMyRu7ujo0</a>Review: Businesses I conclude my channel reviews with these businesses creating great content:<ul><li>Merriam Pianos: Stu Harrison produces top-tier, unbiased comparison videos.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/@MerriamPianos'>https://www.youtube.com/@MerriamPianos</a></li><li>Living Pianos Videos: Robert Estrin shares engaging stories and tips from a life in music.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/@LivingPianosVideos'>https://www.youtube.com/@LivingPianosVideos</a></li><li>Andertons Synths: Jack Duxbury brings high energy to reviews and blindfold &quot;shootouts.&quot; <a href='https://www.youtube.com/@AndertonsKeyboardDept'>https://www.youtube.com/@AndertonsKeyboardDept</a></li><li>Bonner&apos;s Pianos: Tony offers performance-heavy reviews, great for hearing the instruments.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/@bonnersmusic'>https://www.youtube.com/@bonnersmusic</a></li><li>Alamo Music: Ted Barsalou offers unique insights and interviews with other musicians.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/@apianogallery'>https://www.youtube.com/@apianogallery</a></li></ul>Progress &quot;A Wild Chase&quot; is becoming more consistent, though I need to speed up the middle. &quot;Trumpet Tune&quot; is improving with a focus on articulation. &quot;Sea Song&quot; is slow going with its complex rhythm, and &quot;Moonlight Sonata&quot; is on hold until I return from my trip.Contact me at david@pianofinally.show.The contents of this podcast were entirely generated by me, David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms">Send me a text message.</a>You can contact me: <ul> <li>via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option</li> <li>the show website, <a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'>www.pianofinally.show</a> </li> <li>Instagram and Threads @pianofinally</li> <li>and on <a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'>YouTube</a> </li> <li>all the podcast directories - <a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'>list</a> </li> <li>here&apos;s the <a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'>RSS feed</a> </li> </ul> Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Welcome to show eighty-one! It&amp;apos;s scorching here—hitting 43°C—and I&amp;apos;m busy prepping for the new school year. I’m recording early this week as I’m heading to Queensland to assemble a 3D printer for the grandkids!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;YouTube Review: Matthew Cawood - 30 Piano Techniques&lt;/b&gt; Matthew Cawood&amp;apos;s video &amp;quot;30 Piano Techniques Explained in 15 Minutes&amp;quot; is excellent revision. He covers everything from basic articulation to ornaments and bass patterns like the Alberti bass. I even found a few new ones, like &amp;quot;octave legato.&amp;quot; &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH8BxXAHnWs'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH8BxXAHnWs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Essay: Play What You Like&lt;/b&gt; Inspired by a David Snyder short, I discuss why adult learners should prioritize music they enjoy over strict syllabuses. Whether it’s &amp;quot;Blackout Blues&amp;quot; or an ambitious &amp;quot;Moonlight Sonata,&amp;quot; playing music that motivates you is key.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jSMyRu7ujo0'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jSMyRu7ujo0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Review: Businesses&lt;/b&gt; I conclude my channel reviews with these businesses creating great content:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Merriam Pianos:&lt;/b&gt; Stu Harrison produces top-tier, unbiased comparison videos.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@MerriamPianos'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@MerriamPianos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Living Pianos Videos:&lt;/b&gt; Robert Estrin shares engaging stories and tips from a life in music.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@LivingPianosVideos'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@LivingPianosVideos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Andertons Synths:&lt;/b&gt; Jack Duxbury brings high energy to reviews and blindfold &amp;quot;shootouts.&amp;quot; &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@AndertonsKeyboardDept'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@AndertonsKeyboardDept&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bonner&amp;apos;s Pianos:&lt;/b&gt; Tony offers performance-heavy reviews, great for hearing the instruments.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@bonnersmusic'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@bonnersmusic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Alamo Music:&lt;/b&gt; Ted Barsalou offers unique insights and interviews with other musicians.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@apianogallery'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@apianogallery&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Progress&lt;/b&gt; &amp;quot;A Wild Chase&amp;quot; is becoming more consistent, though I need to speed up the middle. &amp;quot;Trumpet Tune&amp;quot; is improving with a focus on articulation. &amp;quot;Sea Song&amp;quot; is slow going with its complex rhythm, and &amp;quot;Moonlight Sonata&amp;quot; is on hold until I return from my trip.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact me at david@pianofinally.show.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The contents of this podcast were entirely generated by me, David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms"&gt;Send me a text message.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can contact me:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;the show website, &lt;a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'&gt;www.pianofinally.show&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Instagram and Threads @pianofinally&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;and on &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;all the podcast directories - &lt;a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'&gt;list&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;here&amp;apos;s the &lt;a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'&gt;RSS feed&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. &lt;br/&gt;All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Welcome to show eighty-one! It's scorching here—hitting 43°C—and I'm busy prepping for the new school year. I’m recording early this week as I’m heading to Queensland to assemble a 3D printer for the grandkids! YouTube Review: Matthew Cawood - 30 Piano Techniques Matthew Cawood's video "30 Piano Techniques Explained in 15 Minutes" is excellent revision. He covers everything from basic articulation to ornaments and bass patterns like the Alberti bass. I even found a few new ones, like "octave ...

Episode 81 - Play What You Like

G&apos;day everyone! Welcome to show number eighty. It&apos;s the new year, and despite a rocky start with unseasonably cold morning swims, everything is going well here. I&apos;ve been busy tidying up the house, potentially making room for a new keyboard once the driveway is sorted!Podcast Update: The Rest is History I need to make a quick correction to last week’s episode. The new musical episodes of The Rest is History, covering Tchaikovsky and Wagner live from the Royal Albert Hall, are available now. They are excellent listens, exploring the lives, scandals, and music of these giants—even if, like me, you aren&apos;t Wagner&apos;s biggest fan.Essay: Not planning, not failing As we head into the new year, I discuss why I have no intention of making a strict plan for my piano playing. For adult learners, &quot;failing to plan&quot; isn&apos;t planning to fail; it&apos;s simply giving ourselves permission to take detours and have fun. My only goal is to enjoy the process, whether that means sticking to the syllabus or getting distracted by Beethoven&apos;s Moonlight Sonata.Review: YouTube Keyboardists Continuing my review of YouTube channels, this week I look at the keyboard players I follow for inspiration and education:<ul><li>My Keys to Music: Run by Marc Larochelle, this is a must for Nord keyboard owners, covering everything from sound emulation to in-depth setups.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/@MyKeysToMusic'>https://www.youtube.com/@MyKeysToMusic</a></li><li>DSoundman: Douglas, a worship leader, reviews and demonstrates a huge range of keyboards beyond just the piano, including Nord, Yamaha, and Arturia.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/@DSoundman'>https://www.youtube.com/@DSoundman</a></li><li>The Salisbury Organist: Ben Maton travels the UK playing organs in quaint village churches. It’s part travelogue, part performance, and completely unique.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/@SalisburyOrganist'>https://www.youtube.com/@SalisburyOrganist</a></li><li>Paul Fey: Similar to Ben but focusing on the grander sounds of cathedral organs. Paul often includes technical details and history in his videos.<a href='https://www.youtube.com/@PaulFey'>https://www.youtube.com/@PaulFey</a></li></ul>Progress, I&apos;m continuing my experiment of recording my entire practice session to beat the &quot;performance effect,&quot; and it seems to be working! A Wild Chase is improving, and I&apos;m slowing down the Trumpet Tune to get the articulations right. I&apos;ve also started a lovely new piece, Sea Song by Australian composer Christopher Healey—chosen via the rigorous method of &quot;it was on the right-hand page!&quot;If you&apos;d like to share your own piano journey on the show, drop me an email at david@pianofinally.show.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms">Send me a text message.</a>You can contact me: <ul> <li>via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option</li> <li>the show website, <a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'>www.pianofinally.show</a> </li> <li>Instagram and Threads @pianofinally</li> <li>and on <a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'>YouTube</a> </li> <li>all the podcast directories - <a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'>list</a> </li> <li>here&apos;s the <a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'>RSS feed</a> </li> </ul> Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.

<description>&lt;p&gt;G&amp;apos;day everyone! Welcome to show number eighty. It&amp;apos;s the new year, and despite a rocky start with unseasonably cold morning swims, everything is going well here. I&amp;apos;ve been busy tidying up the house, potentially making room for a new keyboard once the driveway is sorted!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Podcast Update: The Rest is History&lt;/b&gt; I need to make a quick correction to last week’s episode. The new musical episodes of &lt;em&gt;The Rest is History&lt;/em&gt;, covering Tchaikovsky and Wagner live from the Royal Albert Hall, are available now. They are excellent listens, exploring the lives, scandals, and music of these giants—even if, like me, you aren&amp;apos;t Wagner&amp;apos;s biggest fan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Essay: Not planning, not failing&lt;/b&gt; As we head into the new year, I discuss why I have no intention of making a strict plan for my piano playing. For adult learners, &amp;quot;failing to plan&amp;quot; isn&amp;apos;t planning to fail; it&amp;apos;s simply giving ourselves permission to take detours and have fun. My only goal is to enjoy the process, whether that means sticking to the syllabus or getting distracted by Beethoven&amp;apos;s &lt;em&gt;Moonlight Sonata&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Review: YouTube Keyboardists&lt;/b&gt; Continuing my review of YouTube channels, this week I look at the keyboard players I follow for inspiration and education:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;My Keys to Music:&lt;/b&gt; Run by Marc Larochelle, this is a must for Nord keyboard owners, covering everything from sound emulation to in-depth setups.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@MyKeysToMusic'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@MyKeysToMusic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;DSoundman:&lt;/b&gt; Douglas, a worship leader, reviews and demonstrates a huge range of keyboards beyond just the piano, including Nord, Yamaha, and Arturia.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@DSoundman'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@DSoundman&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Salisbury Organist:&lt;/b&gt; Ben Maton travels the UK playing organs in quaint village churches. It’s part travelogue, part performance, and completely unique.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@SalisburyOrganist'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@SalisburyOrganist&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Paul Fey:&lt;/b&gt; Similar to Ben but focusing on the grander sounds of cathedral organs. Paul often includes technical details and history in his videos.&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@PaulFey'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@PaulFey&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Progress&lt;/b&gt;, I&amp;apos;m continuing my experiment of recording my entire practice session to beat the &amp;quot;performance effect,&amp;quot; and it seems to be working! &lt;em&gt;A Wild Chase&lt;/em&gt; is improving, and I&amp;apos;m slowing down the &lt;em&gt;Trumpet Tune&lt;/em&gt; to get the articulations right. I&amp;apos;ve also started a lovely new piece, &lt;em&gt;Sea Song&lt;/em&gt; by Australian composer Christopher Healey—chosen via the rigorous method of &amp;quot;it was on the right-hand page!&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;apos;d like to share your own piano journey on the show, drop me an email at david@pianofinally.show.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms"&gt;Send me a text message.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can contact me:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;the show website, &lt;a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'&gt;www.pianofinally.show&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Instagram and Threads @pianofinally&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;and on &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;all the podcast directories - &lt;a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'&gt;list&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;here&amp;apos;s the &lt;a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'&gt;RSS feed&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. &lt;br/&gt;All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

G'day everyone! Welcome to show number eighty. It's the new year, and despite a rocky start with unseasonably cold morning swims, everything is going well here. I've been busy tidying up the house, potentially making room for a new keyboard once the driveway is sorted! Podcast Update: The Rest is History I need to make a quick correction to last week’s episode. The new musical episodes of The Rest is History, covering Tchaikovsky and Wagner live from the Royal Albert Hall, are available now. ...

Episode 80 - Not planning, not failing

Episode 78 - A Series of Fortunate EventsG&apos;day everyone! Welcome to show number seventy-eight. The holidays have finally started! School has finished for the year, and while I have some work to do on a new Physics program for 2027, there is plenty of time to get it done. Devi and I have chosen some new pieces to keep me busy over the break, and I&apos;m looking forward to increasing my daily practice.YouTube - Guy Michelmore - Want to Write a Better Tune? This week I look at a video by Guy Michelmore. Guy is a composer of film and television music with a very relatable presentation style—mostly because he leaves his mistakes in! In this video, he writes a simple piece of music using Cubase, explaining his thought process on chord progressions and melody. It is a fascinating look at how a piece of music comes together. <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJJFlAEBwYI'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJJFlAEBwYI</a>Essay - A Series of Fortunate Events I discuss why subscribing to a concert series, like the Sydney Symphony Orchestra&apos;s Sunday Afternoon series, is a wise investment for an adult learner. Beyond the financial discount, committing to a series helps you block out time for music in a busy calendar. It exposes you to new repertoire—this year I discovered Scriabin—and it&apos;s a great way to support live music and young performers.Review - AMEB Piano Series 19 Grade 2 Following last week&apos;s look at Grade One, I review the new AMEB Series 19 Grade 2 book. The jump in difficulty is noticeable; pieces are longer (often two pages) and much denser with notes. The selection is diverse, featuring works from Wilhelm Friedemann Bach to contemporary pieces like &quot;Mala dyskoteka&quot; by Krystyna Gowik and &quot;La poursuite&quot; by Louise Nguyen Van Ty. It looks like a challenging year ahead!<a href='https://www.ameb.edu.au/shop/music/keyboard/piano/series-19'>https://www.ameb.edu.au/shop/music/keyboard/piano/series-19</a>Progress I&apos;m continuing with the &quot;Moonlight&quot; Sonata and my flute piece, though combining hands remains a challenge. Wynn-Anne Rossi&apos;s &quot;A Wild Chase&quot; is now memorised, and I&apos;m working on evening it out with a drum machine. I&apos;ve also started looking at &quot;Titans&quot; by Daniel McFarlane, &quot;A Mingus Among Us&quot; by Eric Baumgartner, and &quot;Sea Song&quot; by Christopher Healey.If you&apos;d like to get in touch or share your own musical journey on the podcast, drop me a line at david@pianofinally.show.The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by me, David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms">Send me a text message.</a>You can contact me: <ul> <li>via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option</li> <li>the show website, <a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'>www.pianofinally.show</a> </li> <li>Instagram and Threads @pianofinally</li> <li>and on <a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'>YouTube</a> </li> <li>all the podcast directories - <a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'>list</a> </li> <li>here&apos;s the <a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'>RSS feed</a> </li> </ul> Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Episode 78 - A Series of Fortunate Events&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;G&amp;apos;day everyone! Welcome to show number seventy-eight. The holidays have finally started! School has finished for the year, and while I have some work to do on a new Physics program for 2027, there is plenty of time to get it done. Devi and I have chosen some new pieces to keep me busy over the break, and I&amp;apos;m looking forward to increasing my daily practice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;YouTube - Guy Michelmore - Want to Write a Better Tune?&lt;/b&gt; This week I look at a video by Guy Michelmore. Guy is a composer of film and television music with a very relatable presentation style—mostly because he leaves his mistakes in! In this video, he writes a simple piece of music using Cubase, explaining his thought process on chord progressions and melody. It is a fascinating look at how a piece of music comes together. &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJJFlAEBwYI'&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJJFlAEBwYI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Essay - A Series of Fortunate Events&lt;/b&gt; I discuss why subscribing to a concert series, like the Sydney Symphony Orchestra&amp;apos;s Sunday Afternoon series, is a wise investment for an adult learner. Beyond the financial discount, committing to a series helps you block out time for music in a busy calendar. It exposes you to new repertoire—this year I discovered Scriabin—and it&amp;apos;s a great way to support live music and young performers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Review - AMEB Piano Series 19 Grade 2&lt;/b&gt; Following last week&amp;apos;s look at Grade One, I review the new AMEB Series 19 Grade 2 book. The jump in difficulty is noticeable; pieces are longer (often two pages) and much denser with notes. The selection is diverse, featuring works from Wilhelm Friedemann Bach to contemporary pieces like &amp;quot;Mala dyskoteka&amp;quot; by Krystyna Gowik and &amp;quot;La poursuite&amp;quot; by Louise Nguyen Van Ty. It looks like a challenging year ahead!&lt;a href='https://www.ameb.edu.au/shop/music/keyboard/piano/series-19'&gt;https://www.ameb.edu.au/shop/music/keyboard/piano/series-19&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Progress&lt;/b&gt; I&amp;apos;m continuing with the &amp;quot;Moonlight&amp;quot; Sonata and my flute piece, though combining hands remains a challenge. Wynn-Anne Rossi&amp;apos;s &amp;quot;A Wild Chase&amp;quot; is now memorised, and I&amp;apos;m working on evening it out with a drum machine. I&amp;apos;ve also started looking at &amp;quot;Titans&amp;quot; by Daniel McFarlane, &amp;quot;A Mingus Among Us&amp;quot; by Eric Baumgartner, and &amp;quot;Sea Song&amp;quot; by Christopher Healey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;apos;d like to get in touch or share your own musical journey on the podcast, drop me a line at david@pianofinally.show.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by me, David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2366139/open_sms"&gt;Send me a text message.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can contact me:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;the show website, &lt;a href='https://www.pianofinally.show'&gt;www.pianofinally.show&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Instagram and Threads @pianofinally&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;and on &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/@pianofinally'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;all the podcast directories - &lt;a href='https://pianofinally.buzzsprout.com/share'&gt;list&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;here&amp;apos;s the &lt;a href='https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2366139.rss'&gt;RSS feed&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some of the links to books and other items mentioned in the podcast may affiliate links for Amazon or other providers. If you use one of these links, a commission may be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use a link. &lt;br/&gt;All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Episode 78 - A Series of Fortunate Events G'day everyone! Welcome to show number seventy-eight. The holidays have finally started! School has finished for the year, and while I have some work to do on a new Physics program for 2027, there is plenty of time to get it done. Devi and I have chosen some new pieces to keep me busy over the break, and I'm looking forward to increasing my daily practice. YouTube - Guy Michelmore - Want to Write a Better Tune? This week I look at a video by Guy Miche...

Episode 79 - The Observer Effect

Piano Finally is a podcast by an old bloke who is learning the piano, finally. I cover the process of learning the piano and music theory as an adult learner. I also review piano books, hardware and other materials from an adult learner's perspective.

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