Piano, finally

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 Alleluia from the Rockschool Keys book. For my solo voice piece with Sussane, we've decided on Fireflies by Adam Young, dropped an octave so it goes from B♭2 to B♭3, which is quite comfortable.
Essay - Music Background Music doesn't happen in a vacuum. Beyond the singing notes, there is much more of the behind-the-scenes required for a successful performance. For our choir, that means around seventy-five hours of in-person rehearsal for each concert, plus the physical work of assembling and disassembling risers. If you are part of a larger group, stepping up to do these background tasks is just as important as diligently learning your parts. Even bringing a plate of food to a recital helps make the whole experience for everyone a little more enjoyable. Step up and lend a hand, in the end every little bit helps.
Learning - What's new Bill Hilton has put together a comprehensive list of resources for early adult learners for his Patreon subscribers: The Great Big Piano Beginner Resource List. It includes beginner method books, sight-reading practice books, and technical exercise books suggested by other members.https://www.patreon.com/cw/billhilton/membership
I also used SpectraLayers 13 to do stem separation on the practice tracks for Fireflies, transposing the vocal part down by an octave.
On YouTube, Matthew Cawood has a video looking at the theory behind learning music theory, demonstrating why understanding cadences and chord progressions makes learning the playing more effective:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDkq2whf6q4
Adam over at The Keys Coach has a guide to 7th chords, sketching out a graphical system for working them out:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID3HrK OZCA
And Tom Donald at the London Contemporary School of Piano is tackling chord progressions:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0F-i63cSBU
Closing It is unlikely that there will be a show next week, as I am helping with the St Vincent de Paul van in western Sydney. If you'd like to contact me, email david@pianofinally.show or visit www.pianofinally.show. This podcast is produced on the lands of the Dharug and Gundungarra peoples, land that is, was and always will be traditional Aboriginal land.
The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.
Send me a text message.
You can contact me:
via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option
the show website, www.pianofinally.show
Instagram and Threads @pianofinally
and on YouTube 
all the podcast directories - list
here's the RSS feed
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.

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 a lot of time exploring the Montage M synthesiser. If you have one, or are thinking of getting a Montage or MODX keyboard, Keir Darby's video series, Montage M Demystified, is a really valuable resource. I also highly recommend checking out a video from Woody over at Woody's Piano Shack. He got a chance to play a real CFX—Yamaha's top-of-the-line concert grand piano—and talk with a piano technician. It's a beautiful instrument, which is good considering a CFX in Australia costs around a quarter of a million dollars! Watch Woody's CFX video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVveFcY2Uqo
Essay - Adaptations. Adaptations have long been a part of music. Sometimes it's taking a piece written for three violins and basso continuo, like Pachelbel's Canon, and turning it into a staple of the piano repertoire. In my choir, not one piece of our repertoire was originally written for a choir; they are all adapted from single-voice songs. Being in the bass section means we often get stuck with the root notes and the rhythm—there are a lot of pum-rapa-pum-pums in the ABBA song Fernando—but it makes those times we get an important part of the song even more special.
My playing has also led me to adapt my music furniture. Because the Montage is a stage keyboard, it doesn't have speakers or a music stand. So, I got out the CAD software and used my 3D printer to over-engineer a pair of small shelves that clamp to my Liquid Stands frame to hold my Adam D3V speakers. I also designed two interchangeable music stands that fit above the keyboard. Adaptations give us a way of making one-size-fits-all designs into truly personal pieces!
Learning - What's New: The singing lessons are showing results! We performed Ain't No Mountain High Enough this weekend, and I found I could get through it quite comfortably and sound pretty reasonable, even on the higher notes.
On the keyboard front, I've adopted the Rockschool syllabus from RSL Awards for some more contemporary music practice. I picked up the Grade 1 Keyboard and Grade 1 Voice books online, which include great backing tracks. Check out Rockschool here: https://rockschool.io/
I'm also doing the next lesson in Guy Michelmore's melody writing course, and getting reacquainted with Mathematica to make some diagrams for the new Physics course.
Closing: The rain went away, and the weather turned lovely for our performance at the Parramatta Pride Picnic. It was a fun performance, and the audience seemed to enjoy it!
Looking ahead, I'm not sure if there will be a show next week, as the choir has been invited to sing at a memorial service for our founder. The following week I am doing the St Vincent de Paul van on Sunday evening, which will mean no show on the 25th.
If you'd like to contact me, the email is david@pianofinally.show, and the website is www.pianofinally.show. Let me know where you are in your journey, what's going well, and what the challenges are!
This podcast is produced on the lands of the Dharug and Gundungarra peoples, land that always was and always will be traditional Aboriginal land. I pay my respects to their elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening to the podcast.
The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.
Send me a text message.
You can contact me:
via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option
the show website, www.pianofinally.show
Instagram and Threads @pianofinally
and on YouTube 
all the podcast directories - list
here's the RSS feed
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.

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/
What's been playing I have been enjoying Daniel Thrasher's fun classical pieces (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gStpYu84aRQ), a brilliant one-take cover of Pink Floyd's Money by sina-drums at Abbey Road Studios (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMuG3XoOw0l), and Pierre Piscitelli's fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how he makes his videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSYpQPZH43s).
Essay - On Paper: This week, I explore my approaches to using sheet music, and whether it is better on paper or digitally.I share my current setup, which involves some very nice Blackwing pencils (https://thesydneyartstore.com.au/collections/graphite/products/palomino-blackwing-soft-graphite) for paper scores, and a 13" iPad Pro running Newzik for digital scores.[cite: 4, 5] While digital is incredibly convenient for syncing finger numbers and annotations across devices, paper still has its place.[cite: 5, 6] Electronics will never replace browsing through Sappho Books (https://www.sapphobooks.com.au/) or DaCapo (https://www.dacapo.com.au/). Let's embrace both!
Learning - What's new: I've got the new practice space set up, placing the Yamaha Montage M8x in a spot where it gets played numerous times a day.[cite: 6, 7] I'm slowly but steadily working on Pierre Piscitelli's tutorial for Candle in the Wind. I'm also preparing to dive into Guy Michelmore's new course on Harmony.
Closing & Progress I'll be taking the Montage to the repairer to get the broken knob fixed. We also have a choir performance at the Parramatta Pride Picnic coming up. Finally, I share my progress with the Montage, experimenting with the opening of Candle in the Wind and the Trumpet Tune.
The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.
Send me a text message.
You can contact me:
via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option
the show website, www.pianofinally.show
Instagram and Threads @pianofinally
and on YouTube 
all the podcast directories - list
here's the RSS feed
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.

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 now available. You can grab yours here: https://www.bmff.org.au/
What's been playing Last week, ABC Radio's The Music Show covered a fascinating family singing continuously for 400 years, alongside Brian Dessner's new cello concerto, The Trembling Earth. I also had a fantastic workshop with the Luminescence Chamber Singers who travelled up from Canberra to help us with phrasing and timing for our upcoming choir concert. Check out their October concerts and a video of them performing All is Well here: https://www.luminescence.org.au/
On YouTube, I found two great videos. Pierre Piscitelli has a wonderful tutorial on Candle in the Wind, which is definitely on my list to learn. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKFhbSLn-Vs. Also, check out Every Piano Player's Worst Nightmare... (Here's what to play) by Piano with Melanie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfNZ4rvYTsA. I might give her suggested piece a try next time I'm early to choir practice!
Background Music This week, I've been pondering a question: is music always meant to be listened to? At a recent school building opening, two brilliant Year 10 students played live background music. They were fantastic, yet mostly ignored as people mingled. It got me thinking about how background music is everywhere—from supermarkets to weddings—and whether having live musicians fade into the background is a good thing for them financially, or just frustrating when their hard work is overlooked. Let me know how you balance live music and paying musicians proper respect!
What's New I've started working on the opening bars of Candle in the Wind and slowly navigating the hundred-plus controls on my new Yamaha Montage keyboard. My long-term goal is to learn the process of picking up a lead sheet and producing something decent, rather than just playing the right notes from a full score.
Closing I went to see some of my students in a local, cut-down production of Beauty and the Beast by Fantasia Showstoppers, and I was pleasantly surprised by the exceptional singing! Find out more about them here: https://www.fantasiashowstoppers.com.au/
If you'd like to reach out, email me at david@pianofinally.show or visit www.pianofinally.show. Let me know where you are in your musical journey!
The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but that these show notes were created by Gemini.
Send me a text message.
You can contact me:
via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option
the show website, www.pianofinally.show
Instagram and Threads @pianofinally
and on YouTube 
all the podcast directories - list
here's the RSS feed
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.

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 new school building was also opened on Friday, complete with open day events and fantastic background music provided by students to celebrate the school's fortieth birthday.
Festivals and Summits This weekend is the AltStrings Practice Summit. While primarily aimed at string players, this free summit for amateur adult musicians has a lot to offer, so I opted for the paid version to access the recordings rather than paying attention at 2:30 in the morning. Also, early bird tickets are now available for the 30th Blue Mountains Music Festival happening next March. Grab them here: https://www.bmff.org.au/.
What's been playing The third season of the ABRSM "Start Here" podcast has surprisingly dropped two new episodes covering Punk and House music. The series is comprehensive and an excellent way to expand your musical horizons. You can listen here: https://shows.acast.com/abrsm-start-here. On ABC Radio, "The Music Show" featured a look back at the career of John Farnham, diving deep into "You're the Voice". Check out the episode here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/musicshow/john-farnham-whispering-jack/107070578. This ties into a new biography and an upcoming musical based on his life premiering in November. Get tickets to the musical here before it sells out: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/2026/productions/whispering-jack. Other than that, I'm listening to choir practice tracks like "Barefoot" and "The Day You Went Away" to get a proper feel for the music.
Learning - What's new I've made a bit of progress in the "How to Write A Great Melody" course by Guy Michelmore. I've been using the motif generator to come up with short, one-bar phrases that will form the basis of my next exercises. To get closer to playing familiar pop music, I've been exploring the types of keyboards used in classic recordings. David Bennett recently released "Top 10 Rhodes Songs of All Time", which covers the development of Rhodes pianos. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CV0Jv1Z0To. Pierre Piscitelli also has his own version of Rhodes intros, which you can check out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CimnsB-IHpk. I’ve been using these videos to play with the settings on the Nord and MODX.
Progress at the Keys The Trumpet Tune is coming along nicely, and I finally have the timing of the trills working properly into the next notes. With the right-hand working, I'm starting to bring in the left-hand chords. Excitingly, I'm making a start on a cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". With the Montage M8X arriving this coming week, I've purchased a package of settings based around Pink Floyd's music and am testing them out.
Closing Piano practice will take a back seat this week as I attend the 2027 season launches for the Sydney Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare, plus a read performance of Henry VI Pt 2, the annual Astronomy evening at Macquarie University, and a vocal workshop. If you want to reach out, email david@pianofinally.show or visit www.pianofinally.show.
The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but these show notes were created by Gemini.
Send me a text message.
You can contact me:
via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best option
the show website, www.pianofinally.show
Instagram and Threads @pianofinally
and on YouTube 
all the podcast directories - list
here's the RSS feed
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.