Episode 7
The Gina Bachauer piano competition watching has led to a whole pile of other piano competition videos on youtube>
Passing it on
Ever wondered how an old bloke like me, David Reidy, finally got around to learning the piano? Well, this week's episode is packed with insights and stories from my own musical journey.
This week's review is Alfred's Basic Piano Library All-in-One Course by Willard A, Palmer, Morton Manus and Amanda Vick Lethko. If you're starting out learning as an adult, your new pursuit is likely to spark some interest in those around you and perhaps they'll decide to give it a try too. If they're adults, point them towards the resources I've been talking about or towards the materials you're using yourself, but if they're younger, you might find yourself needing to introduce the piano to them. So this week's review is of some books that may help. Unlike adult piano method books, texts for children aren't self-directed. They assume that there will be someone guiding the new player. So I've looked for some books that are appealing to a young beginner, but at a level that I, as only a beginner myself, can handle. If the youngster shows an interest in going further, then finding a proper teacher for them would be the next step. That's the first proper piece in the book. It's very simple for the learner They've already covered finger numbers and it's being played just with the left hand on the black keys between F and B. It even comes with a duet part for the teacher, so you could accompany the new learner. Except for one thing, because the tune has been made easy for the beginner it is in B flat, so there are six flats in the key signature. You'd better practice before giving it a go. The book is quite comprehensive and more than enough to give a young beginner a decent taste of piano learning before turning them over to an experienced teacher. If you are already a good player yourself, there's probably about a year's worth of material if you want to teach them. So that's the first book of Alfred's all-in-one course. There is a whole set more. If you want to go further, I'd recommend having a look at them
This week's YouTube channel recommendation is for an American musician living and teaching in Australia. You might think I've just randomly found someone to include in the show, but you'd be wrong. This week's musician is Finn Pursell, my first piano teacher. When I was looking to begin at the local conservatorium, I read Finn's bio. It said that, in addition to many years of experience, he was interested in harpsichords. I've always liked harpsichords too, so that's one of the reasons I picked Finn as my first teacher. Recently, Finn took delivery of a two-manual harpsichord. He has put up videos of himself playing some pieces and it sounds great. If things work out, I could see myself getting a harpsichord like this in the distant future. Finn also has videos of himself playing many classical piano pieces, and I'd thoroughly recommend visiting and subscribing to his channel. There's a link in the show notes.
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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.