‘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.
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In this special 25th episode of Steve Pretty on the Origin of the Pieces, Steve takes a moment to reflect, celebrate, and introduce something new.
00:00 - Intro & Live Shows
Steve reflects on recent gigs at Wilton’s & Also Festival.
04:57 - Podcast Evolution & Short Break
Big changes ahead: new website, workflow, and video podcast format.
09:05 - The Video Podcast Upgrade
From Episode 26, watch on Spotify, YouTube, and more.
11:34 - New Segment: Clip n Mix
Listeners send in audio/video snippets, and Steve turns them into music.
Submit via podcast@stevepretty.com or social media.
14:52 - The Story Behind ‘Reawake’
How surviving the 2004 tsunami and attending his own memorial gig led to this song.
20:39 - Making Music from a Heartbeat
Steve records his daughter’s first ultrasound heartbeat and turns it into music.
26:26 - Sound Design Breakdown
Steve demos how he transforms the heartbeat into a full track using sampling & processing.
36:21 - Full Track: ‘Reawake’
Hear Hackney Colliery Band’s emotional piece, featuring his daughter’s heartbeat.
44:37 - Reflections on Survival & Creativity
How the tsunami shaped Steve’s outlook and approach to music.
49:34 - What’s Next?
Steve takes a short break before the video relaunch.
Send in your Clip n Mix submissions!
👉 Stay connected:
📧 Join the mailing list for updates, exclusive content & ticket offers: www.originofthepieces.com
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📲 Follow Steve on social media: @stevepretty on Instagram, @steveprettymusic on TikTok
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.