Episode 67 – If a job’s worth doing…

Welcome back to Piano, Finally, a podcast from an old bloke learning the piano later in life. Term three has wrapped up, and with it my piano lessons for now. Devi has me back on Wynn-Anne Rossi’s A Wild Chase, plus a new piece—Kevin Olson’s Machines on the Loose—and Juan Cabeza’s Diversion 1. Plenty to keep me busy through the break.

🎧 Podcast & YouTube – A Musical Séance
This week’s suggestion comes via Dan Schreiber’s book The Theory of Everything Else, where he recounts the story of Rosemary Brown—a spiritualist who claimed to channel new works from Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin and others. Psychologists called it unconscious composition, but the result was an album: A Musical Séance
(Spotify link). Weird, yes, but fascinating piano music.

• No Such Thing as a Fish
  
  
• We Can Be Weirdos
  
  
• Rosemary Brown wiki
  
  

📝 Essay – If a job’s worth doing…
Generative AI has its uses, but mainly for what’s unimportant. When a message matters, effort matters. Real music—music that communicates—isn’t just filler like hold music or AI “slop.” Corporations cutting corners with generated content reveal that they don’t care about their message. By contrast, humans crafting art signal intent, care, and communication. If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth having a real person do it. Two classic Sony ads (here’s the other) prove that effort shines through.

✏️ Review – Blackwing Pencils
For marking up scores, I’ve discovered Blackwing pencils
—beautifully made, with soft graphite, replaceable erasers, and even a two-stage sharpener. Expensive compared to standard HBs, but worth it for clear, easy writing on scores. Available locally via Sydney Art Store.

🎭 Coming Up
Next stop: Legally Blonde with the Blue Mountains Musical Society
and then the Out West Piano Fest in Bathurst.

🎼 Progress
This week’s progress is A Wild Chase by Wynn-Anne Rossi, from the Piano for Leisure, Grade 1 Series 4 book. Wynn-Anne also has her own YouTube channel. Recorded on the

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