Piano, finally

David Reidy
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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.

  1. 5D AGO

    Episode 96 - In it for the money

    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 Sondheim was mentioned. When asked what the difference between a musical and an opera is, he answered, "A musical is a way of making money and an opera is a way of spending it." This got me thinking about the influence money has on how we approach music. Comparing productions like Opera Australia's Turandot and the musical The Book of Morman, the audience experience is very similar, but the financials are not. The opera relies heavily on government funding to stay afloat, while the musical breaks box office records. Opera is marketed as elite entertainment, meaning it doesn't really have to go out and sell itself to a wider audience. How does this affect us as piano learners? It is likely the reason why exam syllabus books almost exclusively feature classical or classical adjacent pieces. Piano learning relies heavily on hundreds of years of musical tradition instead of having to promote itself from the ground up. Hal Leonard Choral My SATB (Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses) choir encourages practising outside of sessions, but finding a proper SATB score for a song can be tough. Luckily, the music publisher Hal Leonard has six different YouTube channels where they show the score of a piece of music perfectly synced with a high-quality performance. The choral section has genre playlists containing hundreds of videos, making it very easy to follow along with the score and learn the music. It is an amazing resource! https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hal+leonardhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f37Uf5Apj9w Progress and Closing It is going to be a busy week with voice and piano lessons, school debates, and choir rehearsals. Because of this, very little piano practice got done this week. This week I'm including Daniel McFarlaine's Titans, recorded using the Kawai NV10, with the Kontact Claire Piano emulating a Fazioli grand piano in concert mode, via Cubase 15 and a Mac Mini Pro. Send me a text message. You can contact me: via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best optionthe show website, www.pianofinally.showInstagram and Threads @pianofinallyand on YouTube all the podcast directories - listhere's the RSS feedSome 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.

    13 min

  2. APR 18

    Episode 95 - It's not a race

    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 are going well for our July performance. The singing has unexpectedly helped me translate my treble clef reading to the bass clef. Review: The Piano Scale Book I recently picked up The Piano Scale Book by Ben Andrew, a new release from Hal Leonard. It simplifies conventional classical scale learning using practical, colour-coded keyboard illustrations for fingerings. The book includes digital resources with 87 Synthesia-style videos. If you need to brush up on scales, it's worth a look. Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/48twBrh. Essay: It's not a race After watching a Rick Beato video on Spotify's top downloaded tracks, I was reminded how lucky we are as hobbyist learners to not have pressure to meet others' expectations. We don't have strict deadlines, just the goal to get better as time passes. Music for enjoyment shouldn't be turned into a race with no meaningful finish line—a lesson we should keep in mind for both ourselves and younger learners. YouTube Recommendation: Tom Scott Tom Scott, one of my favourite educational creators, is back with a new series called England. The first episode is a fascinating look at a traditional bell foundry. His videos retain that great low-tech feel and are not AI-generated. Check out his channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TomScottGo. Progress SegmentThis week features a selection of scales to help with my choir singing, recorded on the Kawai NV10 with Pianoteq 9 emulating a Shigeru Kawai SK-EX grand piano. 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 optionthe show website, www.pianofinally.showInstagram and Threads @pianofinallyand on YouTube all the podcast directories - listhere's the RSS feedSome 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.

    15 min

  3. APR 12

    Episode 94 - Let's do that again

    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 the five festival fellows: Ellen Chuong, Rueben Johnson, Maggie Zeng, Arjun Singh, and Daniel Casey. We also enjoyed performances by talented local musicians Jeremy and Leon Spikmans. The weekend wrapped up with Joaquín Turina’s Escena Andaluza sextet and Dohnányi’s Piano Quintet. The festival is entirely funded by tickets and donations, so if you have corporate connections, the organisers would love to hear from you! Learn more about the festival here: https://www.megalongmusicfestival.com.au/. Let's do that again At a recent sound check for the Counting Crows at the Enmore Theatre, I watched lead singer Adam Duritz actively tweak how the band performed a song they've played for decades. It got me thinking about how contemporary musicians constantly evolve their work, whereas classical pieces generally sound identical to recordings from fifty years ago. A rare exception is Australian guitarist John Williams and his band Sky—check out their unique take on classical music here: https://music.apple.com/au/album/toccata/1503012912?i=1503012925. Ryan Abshier and the Moonlight Sonata I review an encouraging video by Ryan Abshier about tackling Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. When the sheet music suddenly looks overly complex, Ryan explains how those intimidating chords can be broken down into simple, repeating numerical patterns, like 1, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2. Watch Ryan’s breakdown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-4sjhQWKPI. Progress My new scales and arpeggios book finally arrived from the UK! Devi is overseas, so there are no formal lessons this week. However, I'm making progress on Titans by Daniel McFarlane, practising the opening of the Moonlight Sonata, and singing along to my arpeggios. Have a listen to the practice piece here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phHuD-3bREY. If there is something you'd like me to talk about, drop me an email at david@pianofinally.show or visit www.pianofinally.show.  The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but these show notes were create Send me a text message. You can contact me: via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best optionthe show website, www.pianofinally.showInstagram and Threads @pianofinallyand on YouTube all the podcast directories - listhere's the RSS feedSome 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.

    16 min

  4. APR 5

    Episode 93 - Consistently distracting

    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 acoustics doesn't matter. This year, the professional musicians included Jacqui Cronin, Frank Celata, Timothy Nankervis, Asmira Woodward-Page, and leva Jokubaviciute. The concert was named A moment in time and consisted of seven works. The selections were made to complement Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour le fin du Temps. Other pieces included Alex Turley's Zero Sum Game, Arvo Pärt's Fratres, Jessica Meyer's I only speak of the Sun, Miriam Hyde's Toccata for two, and Caroline Shaw's Entr'acte. Quartet for the End of Time was written during the Second World War and had its first performance in a German prisoner of war camp. It is written for clarinet, violin, cello and piano. Listen to the Messiaen recording: https://music.apple.com/au/album/messiaen-quatuor-pour-la-fin-du-temps/1452201290 Megalong Music Festival Website: https://www.megalongmusicfestival.com.au/ Essay: Consistently distracting Taking a day off from the swimming pool on Good Friday made Saturday's swim a little harder than usual, which got me thinking about how advantageous it is to consistently stick to a routine. I consistently swim just over a kilometre each morning. So, why can't I do the same for piano practice?  At the pool, there is nothing to do other than swim, but when I sit down at the piano, I can always see that there is something else that needs doing, like dusting the Kawai. My idea for a solution is to move the piano so I can't see the other jobs. My medium-term plan is to turn the smallest bedroom back into a piano room and consistently shut the door. Progress & Coming Up We spent most of the lesson on Monday concentrating on Titans by Daniel McFarlane once again. The music was recorded using the Nord Stage 4 with settings based around the Astoria Grand piano, inspired by a video by Douglas of dsoundman. +Watch the dsoundman video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phHuD-3bREY 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 optionthe show website, www.pianofinally.showInstagram and Threads @pianofinallyand on YouTube all the podcast directories - listhere's the RSS feedSome 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.

    12 min

  5. MAR 29

    Episode 92 - Cover Stories

    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, fun production. The story was written by Australian Author Miles Franklin, telling the story of Sybilla, a young woman living in outback Australia in the 1890s.There is no band; the music throughout was performed by the cast of ten actors, all of whom do an excellent job.The lead performer is Kala Gare who plays Sybilla.Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ts08hNxCOETickets: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2026/my-brilliant-careerEssay: Cover Stories This week, I look at the fundamental difference between the two different ways we approach music. In classical music and examinations, strict adherence to the score is required. In contrast, big names in pop or rock concerts don't follow their own written music. Shouldn't we be encouraging students to build their skills, but then to take them in new directions?. Should we be asking them to write their own musical stories rather than just more cover stories?. Review: Korg VPT-1 During the week, a small piece of equipment arrived: the Korg VPT-1 or Vocal Pitch Tuner. It costs AUD59.It can play a tone at any of the notes in its range and listen to what it hears to display the pitch of the note.I've been using it to check that I'm staying on pitch when I do vocal exercises from my voice teacher, Sussanne.Mannys: https://www.mannys.com.au/products/korg-vpt-1-vocal-pitch-trainerAmazon: https://www.amazon.com.au/KORG-VPT-1-Vocal-Pitch-Trainer/dp/B083ZTJYWF?th=1Coming Up & Progress The Piano has returned to ABC TV in Australia.The Bell Shakespeare Company's production of Julius Caesar was excellent. Tickets: https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/julius-caesarIn my piano progress, I'm working on Titans by Daniel McFarlane.If you'd like to contact me, email is the Send me a text message. You can contact me: via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best optionthe show website, www.pianofinally.showInstagram and Threads @pianofinallyand on YouTube all the podcast directories - listhere's the RSS feedSome 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.

    15 min

  6. MAR 22

    Episode 91 - Musical Support

    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 piano piece, Titans by Daniel McFarlane, which has to be from memory because the chords in the right hand jump an octave each time. Moonlight Sonata and Sea Song are still coming along slowly. Podcast Recommendation: Start Here. I highly recommend the third season of the Start Here podcast. It is produced by the ABRSM (the Associated Boards of the Royal Schools of Music) in the United Kingdom and presented by Alexis Ffrench. Each of the ten episodes looks at a different genre of music, from Grime to heavy metal, providing intelligent conversation and insights. https://www.abrsm.org/en-gb/listen/podcast Essay: Musical Support Spending the weekend at the Blue Mountains Music Festival got me thinking about the people who support performers. Because very few musicians get meaningful support from business and government once they finish their initial training, it should be the audiences that are providing the support. Getting out to see your local musicians is a great way of ensuring that there will still be original music that means something, rather than cheap to produce AI-generated silence filler sounds. Review: Sondheim for Singers - Baritone/Bass I found out that my unauditioned choir likes to do a bit of a musical audit, which includes singing a song. I found the Sondheim for Singers - Baritone/Bass book, which features forty pieces ranging from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum to Into the Woods (though nothing from Assassins). If you are looking to sing some Sondheim, it is a great place to start. Link: https://www.halleonard.com/search/search.action?keywords=sondheim+for+singers&searchcategory=00&dt=item#product Coming Up this week are voice and piano lessons, choir, Julius Caesar with the Bell Shakespeare Company, and My Brilliant Career with the Sydney Theatre Company. If you'd like to contact me, email is the best way at david@pianofinally.show or via the website at www.pianofinally.show. The contents of the podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but th Send me a text message. You can contact me: via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best optionthe show website, www.pianofinally.showInstagram and Threads @pianofinallyand on YouTube all the podcast directories - listhere's the RSS feedSome 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.

    16 min

  7. MAR 15

    Episode 90 - The Blue Mountains Music Festival

    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: The Making of Synthesiser V's Choir Voices: I discuss the AI voice tool, Synthesiser V 2 Pro by Dreamtonics,which I’ve been using to create isolated practice tracks for the choir. I share my thoughts on ethical AI training in the arts and review a video showcasing the small team—including Kanru, Junko, and Yongxin—who ethically recorded and built these choir voices.Watch the video here: The Making of Synthesiser V's Choir Voices.Backstage Support: A short essay on the support networks we all rely on as musicians. While touring professionals might have massive crews providing electricity to stadium events like Taylor Swift's Eras tour,amateur musicians rely heavily on the forbearance and support of their families and friends while practising those repetitive scales.Festival Review: A roundup of the fantastic acts I managed to see at the Blue Mountains Music Festival, including:The Ocelots: Twin brothers from Ireland playing guitar, harmonica, keyboard, and flute. Visit their YouTube Channel.Mary Coughlan: Described as Ireland's greatest female vocalist, who played songs from her new album.Check out her channel.Sunday Lemonade: An incredibly energetic local singer-songwriter duo. Visit their website.The Spooky Men's Chorale: A hilarious 17-piece a capella group that had the audience singing along to Taylor Swift/Tina Turner mashups. Visit their YouTube Channel.To learn more about the festival, visit: https://www.bmff.org.au/.Progress: A quick reality check on finding the time to practice this week, plus a short snippet from my recent vocal lesson.Get in Touch: If you're learning an instrument or singing, I’d love to hear how you are managing your practice time and what challenges you are facing. Contact me at david@pianofinally.show or visit www.pianofinally.show. The contents of this 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 optionthe show website, www.pianofinally.showInstagram and Threads @pianofinallyand on YouTube all the podcast directories - listhere's the RSS feedSome 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.

    15 min

  8. MAR 8

    Episode 89 - Practise Together

    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 the Year 7 public speaking semi-finals, I managed to attend my regular singing and piano lessons. Working with Sussane, my voice teacher, I’ve successfully moved up another full tone—eyeing a specific E in an upcoming piece. I’ve found that having others involved, like my teachers Devi and Sussane, makes me much more likely to block out practice time and follow through on my plans. YouTube Review: Matthew Cawood I took a look at a video by Matthew Cawood where he reacts to a beginner pianist named Dinky. Dinky documented her seven-month journey from zero, and while her playing is technically entertaining, Matthew suggests she may be learning by rote rather than building a long-term foundation. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZxQY4uskVcSoftware Review: Synthesiser V Studio 2 Pro I’ve been having a lot of fun with Synthesiser V Studio 2 Pro from Dreamtonics. This AI voice tool uses machine learning and properly licensed samples of real people to generate vocal tracks from music scores. I’ve been using it to create practice audio for my community choir, specifically generating choir voices for Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen". Explore Synthesiser V: https://dreamtonics.com/Progress Report It was another difficult week to fit in as much practice as I wanted. I am still working on chord progressions, now playing octaves in the left hand with chords higher up in the right. The Fmaj7 chord remains a particular hurdle. I’m also trying an idea from Tom Donald: Tom Donald Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbL IFFNWHO](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbL IFFNWHO) The Blue Mountains Music Festival is coming up next weekend, and I hope to share some reviews from the event soon! The contents of this podcast were entirely generated by David Reidy, but these show notes were created by me, Gemini.Send me a text message. You can contact me: via email at david@pianofinally.show; this is probably the best optionthe show website, www.pianofinally.showInstagram and Threads @pianofinallyand on YouTube all the podcast directories - listhere's the RSS feedSome 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.

    17 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    David Reidy
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    97
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 David Reidy
  • Show Website
    Piano, finally