Episode 49 - Do I Need A Piano Teacher?

Thanks for tuning in to Episode 49! This week, I talk about why piano lessons are back, how progress changes when there’s someone else listening, and whether it’s worth having a piano teacher at all (spoiler: yes, it is).

🎼 Back to Lessons
Lessons resumed this week after the summer break—though it’s a short term, just five weeks before Devi heads overseas again. Playing the Spindler Canon and the Bagatelle in F in front of someone else felt very different than at home. I also made a bit of progress on Mozart—those first two bars are getting there, slowly.

🎬 YouTube Pick – Andy Chamberlain Music
This week’s video recommendation is You’ve Been Lied To About Time Signatures by Andy Chamberlain Music. It starts with theory basics, then dives into some wonderful historical context—particularly from 18:45 to 24:40, where Andy explains how 13th-century notation influences what we see on the page today.
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfWy5yhAukA

🧠 Essay – Do you need a piano teacher?
After a year of lessons, I reflect on how much more I’ve enjoyed and benefited from guided learning than I did trying to go it alone. From immediate feedback and technique tips to having someone who finds pedal technique as interesting as you do—it makes all the difference. Devi helped me fix timing in Afternoon Snooze and even fingering in Der Vogelfänger. For me, lessons are more than worth it.

🎹 Review – K&M Keyboard Stand
I recently bought a K&M 18810 Omega stand for the Nord Stage 4. It’s rock solid, holds the 20kg keyboard without a problem, and looks like it’ll last a lifetime. I’ve added the second-tier riser, a laptop shelf, and an iPad holder—great flexibility, sturdy German engineering, and easily sourced here in Australia.
More about K&M: https://www.k-m.de/en/
Where I bought mine: https://www.turramusic.com.au/products/konig-meyer-k-m-18810-omega-keyboard-stand

🎧 Progress Update
You’ll hear Afternoon Snooze and Blackout Blues again this week, plus the two bars of Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja I’ve been polishing. I’m also working on Wild Chase by Wynn-Anne Rossi—an energetic piece that’s tricky because the melody is shared between both hands. Not ready to record yet, but it’s underway.
Everything was recorded on the Kawai NV10 with Pianoteq 8 using the Anton Petrov Grand in Recording Mode One.

📬 Get in Touch
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Website: http://www.pianofinally.show
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🎉 Coming Up
Next week marks the podcast’s first birthday, and I’ll take a look back at the year that was.

Until then, I hope your p

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