‘Wide-ranging and insightful’ - Guardian (pick of the week, January 2024)
A show for anyone who has ever listened to, played, improvised, written, or just enjoyed music and wanted to know more about these mysterious sounds. Are they 'auditory cheesecake' as cognitive scientist Steven Pinker claims, or actually a fundamental part of what has made us into modern humans?
With an enormous variety of guests ranging from well-known musicians, producers and industry figures through to those for whom music is central but who rarely have a voice, this show is unapologetically broad in scope.
In 'entertaining noises', Steve has musicians explain and demonstrate their instrument, giving fresh perspective on everything from the piano to modular synthesizers, via lesser-known folk instruments from around the world.
And in the flagship 'genre tombola' section, Steve is assigned a randomly-chosen genre from the list of 1334 music genres on Wikipedia, which he then goes away and researches, often talking to an expert in that music, before frequently attempting to make some music in that style... Whether he succeeds or not, there's lots of fascinating stuff to learn along the way!
As fun as it is thoughtful, this show aims to help you hear and appreciate music in new ways.
http://www.originofthepieces.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
‘Wide-ranging and insightful’ - Guardian (pick of the week, January 2024)
A show for anyone who has ever listened to, played, improvised, written, or just enjoyed music and wanted to know more about these mysterious sounds. Are they 'auditory cheesecake' as cognitive scientist Steven Pinker claims, or actually a fundamental part of what has made us into modern humans?
With an enormous variety of guests ranging from well-known musicians, producers and industry figures through to those for whom music is central but who rarely have a voice, this show is unapologetically broad in scope.
In 'entertaining noises', Steve has musicians explain and demonstrate their instrument, giving fresh perspective on everything from the piano to modular synthesizers, via lesser-known folk instruments from around the world.
And in the flagship 'genre tombola' section, Steve is assigned a randomly-chosen genre from the list of 1334 music genres on Wikipedia, which he then goes away and researches, often talking to an expert in that music, before frequently attempting to make some music in that style... Whether he succeeds or not, there's lots of fascinating stuff to learn along the way!
As fun as it is thoughtful, this show aims to help you hear and appreciate music in new ways.
http://www.originofthepieces.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mailing list: sign up for special offers, news and more
Patreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies and to be part of a growing musically-curious community
Wilton's Music Hall show 30th November: use code STEVEPRETTYF for best available seats for £15
Hackney Colliery Band Earth show 8th October: use code ORIGIN! for £5 off
In this episode, Steve chats about recent adventures and musical projects, including trips to Berlin, Portugal, and Norway. He reflects on a previous episode about Arctic music, featuring unique artists and bands. Steve jokes about the challenge of keeping up with podcast episodes due to his busy schedule. He introduces his band, Hackney Colliery Band, and their upcoming album, 'Collaborations Volume Two,' showcasing a variety of musical styles and guests. The episode includes a live performance and an interview with Nawar Alnaddaf, a Syrian refugee musician, about her journey and traditional instruments, and a couple of exclusive tracks from Hackney Colliery Band. Also quite a lot of Steve apologising.
00:00 Welcome
00:43 Apologies for the Delay
01:54 Recap of the Last Episode
03:36 Upcoming Show Highlights
04:15 Hackney Colliery Band's New Album
06:16 Live Interview at Wilton's Music Hall
11:27 The History and Inspiration Behind Hackney Colliery Band
28:38 Interview with Syrian Musician Nawar Alnaddaf
32:36 Exploring Quarter Tones on the Oud
34:47 The Unique Shape and Strings of the Oud
35:38 Tuning the Oud and Demonstration
40:23 Introduction to the Ney
42:29 Playing Techniques and History of the Ney
48:10 The Spiritual and Social Importance of Music
50:23 Closing Remarks and Upcoming Events
52:51 Musical Outro: Sure Feels Good
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.