People sometimes quit piano lessons without understanding why. They assume it’s their own lack of interest, but it may not be. Join us for a practical, honest discussion designed for piano students of all ages who feel stuck, bored, or burned out—and who want to reconnect with the joy of playing. Guest Karen Pieper is a professional pianist, performer, decades-long educator and psychotherapist who brings a wealth of wisdom, experience and keen insight to the conversation.
Cory Henry is Gospel music’s equivalent to Mozart. He began playing at age 2, performing in church at age 4, being mentored by some of the great gospel organists of all-time, going on to earn worldwide acclaim for his artistic contributions to Snarky Puppy, breaking all genre boundaries playing organ, synth and piano, collaborating with an amazingly diverse array of iconic musicians, and coming full circle to produce his own projects, including a return to his Gospel roots with his Grammy-winning album, Church. Cory candidly shared his journey through joy, pain, and victory.
This is an action-packed episode! In chatting with pianist, producer, composer and engineer, Vince Evans, we discussed his personal experiences with some of the most innovative jazz, pop, funk and gospel musicians of all-time. You’ll learn the origin of slap bass playing, you’ll learn about the “missing note” in the major scale, and Vince provided a never-before-heard live recording of himself accompanying brilliant vocalist, Lalah Hathaway on her father Donny Hathaway’s song, “A Song for You.”
Sometimes Divine Intervention disguises itself as a random opportunity. One choice can impact history. When Newsboys’ keyboardist, Jeff Frankenstein, agreed to drive around an undiscovered band in his Chevy Astro minivan during the early 1990’s, he had no idea that he soon would be asked to join what would become one of the most influential, legendary Christian rock bands of all time. From his earliest days with Newsboys to their latest album, Worldwide Revival (Part 1), Jeff shares his story, his wisdom and his excitement for the future.
Countless artists would have sounded different without him. Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award-winning producer, pianist, and songwriter, Matt Rollings, has played on thousands of albums, produced monumental recordings, has been awarded ACM Best Pianist/Keyboardist ten times, and has influenced a plethora of pianists with his matchless artistry and inimitable approach to the piano. If that weren’t enough, he’s also a fabulous story-teller, as you’ll hear in this episode! For show notes and hashtags, please visit: www.pianowhisperer.org.
Show Notes
Artist website: https://www.mattrollings.com/
Artist YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MattRollingsPiano
Mosaic Album: https://lnk.to/MattRollingsMosaic
Song 1 (from Mosaic): Wade In the Water, featuring The War & Treaty with The Blind Boys of Alabama
Song 2: Accentuate the Positive, featuring Lyle Lovett
Song 3: Stay, featuring Alison Krauss with Vince Gill
News, Reviews and Videos: https://www.mattrollings.com/news
Tape Op Interview: https://tapeop.com/interviews/133/matt-rollings/
As a teenager in a land far away from home, in a remote village in Spain, she heard the sound of piano playing emanating from a spare room in the local library. Though she didn’t play herself, she was drawn to this old upright, and she found herself visiting it frequently to explore all it had to offer. This led miraculously to finding a teacher in this tiny village, who introduced her to Chopin. That’s all it took for her to make a life decision to become a concert pianist, at 15! Several scholarships and degrees later, concert pianist Haley Myles has become a laureate of seven international competitions, produced three albums, written two editions of a book and has developed a prolific and captivating online presence. If you need some inspiration and motivation, this episode is for you! For show notes and hashtags, please visit: www.pianowhisperer.org.
Show Notes
Artist website: http://www.haleymyles.com
Artist YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HaleyMyles
Recent Album: http://www.haleymyles.com/product/the-complete-nocturnes/
Song 1: Chopin Nocturne, Op. 9: No. 1 in B-flat Minor
Song 2: Chopin Nocturne, Op. 9: No. 3 in B Major
PianoMe Interview: https://piano.me/blog/pianome-interview-with-concert-pianist-haley-myles-its-a-necessity/
Tony DeSare did not follow the typical road to success. But he knew who he was, and he knew what he loved. He played and sang his way to Carnegie Hall, headlined with major symphony orchestras and has amassed four top ten Billboard jazz albums. He has been featured on major TV and Radio programs, has become an award-winning composer and film scorer and now has a huge online following. His authenticity shines through in this episode, as he shares candidly about his journey from the early years through Covid times and into the future. This episode flies by!
Show Notes
Website
Youtube Channel
Song 1, I’m Gonna Live Till I Die
Song 2, You’ve Got a Friend
Song 3, Chemistry
NPR Interview
How does a lifelong performer and prolific recording artist keep his fans engaged during a time when live events aren’t happening? Acclaimed concert pianist, Frederic Chiu, has reinvented the concert pianist life with his Friends Club, his Classical Smackdown program and by not limiting his performances to the pianos he’s playing! How does that happen? Check out this episode! For show notes and hashtags, please visit: www.pianowhisperer.org.
Show Notes
Website
Ravel recording
Debussy recording
All recordings
Schedule
Yamaha Artist profile
Internationally-acclaimed recording artist and performer, Ariel Pocock, began playing piano at a very early age. In fact, she doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t play. Her recording success and constant performance schedule came to a halt when Covid hit. Now she reflects on who she really is as an artist.
Show Notes