Episode 30 - Not the destination

Piano, finally

This episode of Piano, Finally, titled "Not the Destination", marks the 30th instalment of the podcast by David Reidy, an enthusiast documenting his piano learning journey. The episode opens with David’s warm welcome to new and returning listeners, followed by a brief mention of the ongoing National Chopin Piano Competition in Miami. He shares his impressions of the preliminary rounds, noting the high level of performance by the competitors and recommending the live streams for viewers interested in classical piano. The commentary on the event’s coverage, hosted by Ben Laude from the Chopin Podcast, offers an inside look at the competition, with David particularly enjoying an interview with competitor Anthony Ratinov.

David transitions into discussing The Rest is History, a history podcast hosted by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. He highlights two recent episodes focusing on Mozart and Beethoven, which were recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall. These episodes, enriched by the accompaniment of The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, explore the composers' evolving roles in society—from Bach’s status as a servant to Beethoven’s insistence on being treated as an equal. David commends the audio quality and musical selections, which feature iconic works, including Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

The core of the episode centres on David’s plans for his second year of learning piano. Acknowledging that life rarely adheres to plans, he nonetheless outlines key objectives. A significant milestone is his preparation to perform Adele’s Someone Like You with a school group at the Battle of the Bands in June. He emphasises the need for consistent group rehearsals amid the challenge of coordinating with Year 12 students. David also looks forward to continuing lessons with his teacher, Devi, with a focus on tackling advanced pieces in the ANZCA repertoire and improving his pop music chord work. He aims to complete the AMEB Level 3 theory exam and prepare a performance piece for Devi’s student recital.

Beyond structured lessons, David expresses his enthusiasm for Stephen Sondheim’s musicals and hopes to learn piano arrangements of some of Sondheim’s pieces. He also mentions a personal goal of replacing the recurring Crab Canonsegment in his podcast with a recording of himself playing it. Additionally, he plans to delve into music composition using a course by Guy Michelmore, aiming to enhance his understanding of orchestration, even though he does not aspire to become a composer.

David then provides an overview of his piano setup, which includes the Kawai NV10 hybrid grand piano paired with Pianoteq software. He praises the realistic feel of the NV10’s acoustic grand mechanism and Pianoteq’s range of instrument simulations, including Steinways and Bösendorfers. He complements his setup with a Mac Mini M4 Pro for audio processing, a Rodecaster Pro II for sound management,

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All reviews of products, websites and services are unpaid, and no sponsorship has been received for any content on this podcast.

Разделы

1. Opening (00:00:00)

2. Welcome (00:00:14)

3. Podcast - The Rest Is History (00:01:56)

4. Essay - Not the destination (00:03:51)

5. Review - My gear (00:06:21)

6. Closing (00:09:41)

7. Progress (00:10:35)