Informazioni su questo podcast
A piano podcast, uncovering the magical musical moments from some of our finest composers, across all genres - notably Classical, popular, and folk. I will be talking about works that hold special meaning for me, as well as delving into elements of music theory, which help us to better understand the subject matter. This podcast will suit listeners with a general interest in the keyboard, and more specifically, those either learning the instrument, or considering doing so.
For more information about me, please feel free to visit my website:
https://www.whaviland.com/
Happy piano playing!
Episodi
I 20 episodi più recenti su 43
- Pian-no: The Tremor Sessions · 15 minGreetings to all new listeners! And to those of you returning: a sincere thank you for waiting so patiently. This is my return to piano podcasting, and the first of 2026 - the…
- The Last Post: A Piano Cover for Fallen Heroes · 15 minToday's piano podcast is, in timely fashion, an homage to the fallen heroes who gave their lives so that we may have ours. I will be talking briefly about the history and…
- Today’s Piano Stars: No.1 Jesse Brown · 21 minThis podcast episode commences a new series, on contemporary pianists that I consider the absolute best currently recording. And, we had to start with my personal favourite…
- Pop Songs, Piano Heart: Why Imperfect Takes Make Perfect Music · 12 minOkay, I admit: shameless plug for my latest album 'Cutting Room Floor: One Take Solo Piano' which released this week. But, I also felt it an opportunity to discuss elements of…
- Three Personal Benefits of Learning to Play Piano · 10 minInitially this show was planned to showcase the many physical and mental gains we may experience, on deciding to study the instrument. However, I soon realized this was not going…
- The Chords That Should Not Work: Pop's Harmonic Rule Breakers · 19 minFollowing on from last week’s episode, I had in my mind the idea of discussing unusual chord progressions in pop music: modern pioneers that pushed the boundaries of what was…
- Altered States, Inspired Sounds: Drugs and Creativity in Music · 15 minAn unlikely combination of random events hit me over the past fortnight, enough to fashion a piano podcast out of them - and apologies for the brief intermission! This weekend…
- Playing Piano from Memory: The Secret to Lasting Music · 14 minAn interesting juxtaposition this week: the recall of a duo of Haydn pieces I hadn't played for 32 years; and the simultaneous inability to remember why I walked into the…
- When Voices Become Keys: The Art of Piano Transcription · 21 minA good deal of my time this week was spent messing around with a choral work by Sir Edward Elgar. It is a beautiful, delicate setting of the Eucharistic hymn ‘Ave Verum Corpus’…
- Music's Most Addictive Device: The Ostinato · 15 minFollowing on neatly from last week’s discussion around musical motifs, let’s explore the related, but subtly different world, of the ostinato. What exactly is it? Can we recall…
- Motif Magic: The Most Iconic Musical Hooks · 23 minHow do composers grab our attention, and maintain it when we're listening to a composition? Simple! These use 'motifs' - short musical hooks, that embed themselves in our ears…
- Brian Eno Vibes: Live Ambient Piano Composition · 21 minFollowing on from last week's podcast concerning 'aleatoric' or chance music, I wanted to continue with the improv. So, today let's explore the wonderful world of Brian Eno, and…
- Roll the Dice! Chance and Composition · 21 minSomething slightly different this week, as I found myself in a creative vacuum: why not allow random chance to intervene? Like many composers before, let's take a dice roll to…
- Poetry and Prose: Why Pop and Classical Music Both Matter · 17 minI mentioned in a recent podcast about musical snobbery, and so I thought we might explore elements of this topic today. Why do many people consider the Classical genre to be the…
- Melodies of Resilience: Wartime Songs from WW1 and WW2 · 14 minFollowing the Victory in Europe [VE] Day celebrations this week, I thought it timely to prepare a podcast show on the topic of wartime music. So, I have chosen three of my…
- Hold That Note! The Magic of Fermatas in Music · 17 minWhat exactly is a fermata, and why might composers opt to use it in their music? We'll delve into the meaning behind the symbol, and consider a couple of famous examples…
- The Power of Firsts: Why We Stick to the Original · 16 minSomething a little different this week: I thought we’d explore some psychological elements of the musical experience - specifically what makes us return to our first encounter…
- Piano Perfection: Three Must-Learn Pieces in the Key of C Major! · 24 minFollowing last week’s show looking at the individual musical keys - their moods/colours, and specific composers’ preferences - I thought it followed neatly to begin a series…
- King of the Keys! Composers' Favorites, and Why? · 21 minAs this podcast is entitled 'Piano Key: A to G' I felt it about time to take a closer look at the individual musical keys. So: are the different pitch classes merely transposed…
- Primary Chords: Your Gateway to a World of Music! · 22 minFor today's piano podcast episode, let's look at the primary chords in music, and discover how simply knowing these three triads will open up a world of possibilities musically…
