Hi, Been a while since I've commented. Hope you are well. I'll be keeping an eye on various tour dates as they pop up to come out and see your live excellence again!
My question is this - in your playing journey, have you ever considered scoring to picture (a highly competitive world I imagine from those such as Christian Henson etc)?
From your images, and outdoor live videos, it's clear that inspiration comes from environment, and you're playing is evocative to those images that we see in your YouTube content. Be interested to get your thoughts.
I know it's not on your doorstep, but it's at 3pm, so it might be a nice change to the evening show.
On your question - yes, absolutely, I would love to do more that work. I've done bits and bobs in the past, and have actually done a fair amount of recording for other composers for their TV, film and media projects. I'm working on some things at the moment which is a bit more social media/online-based which is fun.
I did the music for the first of the short drama's on this BBC Radio 4 programme:
It's by Manchester-based write Emma White, and it's a very poignant listen.
Of course, the music for moving image scene is a very competitive world to get into, but it is something I'm aiming to do, perhaps in a gradual way and building up a really nice portfolio of work across my releases and YouTube content etc.
My question is how many pianos have you owned, what was your favourite, and why? Also, as someone currently looking for a piano for my 7 year old to learn on, what's your advice? I'm presuming I'm not restricted to one question 😆
Thanks so much for this! And not at all, ask as many as you like!
So the answer to first question is pretty easy - one! I am immensely fortunate that the piano my parents bought (for a nominal £1 from a friend whose parents couldn't keep it) for our family home when I was around 11, is still the piano that I have at home, and which the majority of my recordings are made on!
I love it very much, as it just feels like playing "my" instrument, a sense of coming home. It's a Rönisch upright, manufactured in the old GDR, and is such a stable instrument. We have it arranged on a 45 degree angle in our decent-sized, high-ceilinged, wooden-floored-with-cellar-underneath living room, which I think gives it a very lovely and engaging sound when recorded.
It's one of those funny thing when it comes to instruments or anything mechanical - it's not worth a great deal from a purely monetary value perspective if I were ever to sell it, but it is truly invaluable to me at the moment, because it feels and sounds like me and how I play. Sometimes, I've put out releases on different instruments and I'll continue to do that, but I love that my own piano which has been with me for 25+ years is doing the job!
This is very exciting to hear your 7 year old is wanting to play. With my teaching hat on, I always say to people if you can stretch to it (affordability, space in the house, sound restraints etc), a real acoustic piano is always the best way. Keyboards and stage pianos are amazing these days and there are some very good models which are excellent, but I'll always stick up for the real thing offering the most complete and full picture both to the learning and enjoyment of the instrument and the process.
If you're not looking to buy new and outright, Facebook Marketplace or other online platforms can *sometimes* be a decent place to find a good deal (of course, it can be a bit hit and miss). Many families have had pianos in the family and for whatever reason can be looking to offload it. As they can be a lot to move, a lot of people will give pretty decent deals if you're able to arrange the pickup and onward delivery of it. You can - and goodness knows I have - do some "fun" piano removals yourself with some friends and the right sized vehicle, but if it's a nice, good-condition instrument, I'd always recommend using professional piano movers who have the right wheels, pulleys, ramps, lifts and an eye for moving round corners!
Some piano dealers will often have a very nice second-hand range, and others might not always advertise it as much. My piano tuner is also someone who has his ear to the ground about second-hand instruments, so if you ever happen to come across one of them, they can be useful sources of information.
Where are you based, out of interest? There are a few places around the country I know of/am connected with, and if they are local-ish to you, might be worth a look/think about.
Morning Simeon - many thanks for your advice, it's much appreciated. We're definitely after an acoustic piano. I have happy memories of having an old Zender piano in our house when I was growing up.
Hi, Been a while since I've commented. Hope you are well. I'll be keeping an eye on various tour dates as they pop up to come out and see your live excellence again!
My question is this - in your playing journey, have you ever considered scoring to picture (a highly competitive world I imagine from those such as Christian Henson etc)?
From your images, and outdoor live videos, it's clear that inspiration comes from environment, and you're playing is evocative to those images that we see in your YouTube content. Be interested to get your thoughts.
Hi Adrian, great to hear from you! Can't believe it's coming on for a year since we met in Mull! Time flies.
I think the closest I'm going to be to you this autumn is a nice Saturday afternoon show at The Met in Bury: https://themet.org.uk/event/simeon-walker/
I know it's not on your doorstep, but it's at 3pm, so it might be a nice change to the evening show.
On your question - yes, absolutely, I would love to do more that work. I've done bits and bobs in the past, and have actually done a fair amount of recording for other composers for their TV, film and media projects. I'm working on some things at the moment which is a bit more social media/online-based which is fun.
I did the music for the first of the short drama's on this BBC Radio 4 programme:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000xlm1
It's by Manchester-based write Emma White, and it's a very poignant listen.
Of course, the music for moving image scene is a very competitive world to get into, but it is something I'm aiming to do, perhaps in a gradual way and building up a really nice portfolio of work across my releases and YouTube content etc.
Great pics 📸
My question is how many pianos have you owned, what was your favourite, and why? Also, as someone currently looking for a piano for my 7 year old to learn on, what's your advice? I'm presuming I'm not restricted to one question 😆
Hey Paul,
Thanks so much for this! And not at all, ask as many as you like!
So the answer to first question is pretty easy - one! I am immensely fortunate that the piano my parents bought (for a nominal £1 from a friend whose parents couldn't keep it) for our family home when I was around 11, is still the piano that I have at home, and which the majority of my recordings are made on!
I love it very much, as it just feels like playing "my" instrument, a sense of coming home. It's a Rönisch upright, manufactured in the old GDR, and is such a stable instrument. We have it arranged on a 45 degree angle in our decent-sized, high-ceilinged, wooden-floored-with-cellar-underneath living room, which I think gives it a very lovely and engaging sound when recorded.
It's one of those funny thing when it comes to instruments or anything mechanical - it's not worth a great deal from a purely monetary value perspective if I were ever to sell it, but it is truly invaluable to me at the moment, because it feels and sounds like me and how I play. Sometimes, I've put out releases on different instruments and I'll continue to do that, but I love that my own piano which has been with me for 25+ years is doing the job!
This is very exciting to hear your 7 year old is wanting to play. With my teaching hat on, I always say to people if you can stretch to it (affordability, space in the house, sound restraints etc), a real acoustic piano is always the best way. Keyboards and stage pianos are amazing these days and there are some very good models which are excellent, but I'll always stick up for the real thing offering the most complete and full picture both to the learning and enjoyment of the instrument and the process.
If you're not looking to buy new and outright, Facebook Marketplace or other online platforms can *sometimes* be a decent place to find a good deal (of course, it can be a bit hit and miss). Many families have had pianos in the family and for whatever reason can be looking to offload it. As they can be a lot to move, a lot of people will give pretty decent deals if you're able to arrange the pickup and onward delivery of it. You can - and goodness knows I have - do some "fun" piano removals yourself with some friends and the right sized vehicle, but if it's a nice, good-condition instrument, I'd always recommend using professional piano movers who have the right wheels, pulleys, ramps, lifts and an eye for moving round corners!
Some piano dealers will often have a very nice second-hand range, and others might not always advertise it as much. My piano tuner is also someone who has his ear to the ground about second-hand instruments, so if you ever happen to come across one of them, they can be useful sources of information.
Where are you based, out of interest? There are a few places around the country I know of/am connected with, and if they are local-ish to you, might be worth a look/think about.
Exciting!
Morning Simeon - many thanks for your advice, it's much appreciated. We're definitely after an acoustic piano. I have happy memories of having an old Zender piano in our house when I was growing up.
I'll ping you a DM re where I live. Thanks again.