Episode 66 - Nothing's Wasted

🎙 Episode 66 – Nothing’s Wasted

Welcome back to Piano, Finally, the podcast of one bloke learning piano later in life. This episode didn’t go quite as planned—I was meant to be sharing a recording from Devi’s piano showcase, but thanks to a calendar mishap, I missed it by a day. Disappointing, yes—but not wasted. The extra practice means I now have four polished pieces ready to play whenever someone asks.

🎧 YouTube Spotlight – David Bennett
Two new videos worth a look:

• Beginner’s Guide to Woodwind Instruments
  , the third in a series explaining orchestral sections, complete with examples and a quiz.
• 67 Real Names of Famous Musicians
  , a lighter piece revealing the original names behind the stage names.

Catch more of David’s excellent work on his channel
.

📝 Essay – Nothing’s Wasted
Even without the showcase, the effort paid off. Preparing Spindler’s Canon, Türk’s Bagatelle in F, and Craggs’ Afternoon Snooze and Blackout Blues forced me to analyse practice habits more closely. I realised that when my fingers move on autopilot, mistakes creep in. Concentrating on understanding the music—not just memorising it—improved accuracy and confidence. Playing for others sharpens focus, so my advice is: find opportunities to share your music. None of the preparation is wasted.

🎼 Review – Sounds Inside
At Hurstville Library
, part of the Sydney Fringe Festival, I joined Marcus Whale for an evening of synthesisers, subtractive synthesis, and performance. Instruments were even available to borrow through the library’s collection—a brilliant way for young people to access music. Highlights included a Roland Juno-60 and Marcus’s layered electronic performance.

🎶 Closing & Progress
Coming up: a Taylor Swift tribute at the Sydney Fringe
, the last lesson of term with Devi, and a return to Rossi’s Wild Chase. This week’s progress section features the four showcase pieces, recorded on the Kawai NV10 with Pianoteq’s Shigeru Kawai SK-EX.

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