Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces

About Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces

‘Wide-ranging and insightful’ - Guardian (pick of the week, January 2024) A show for anyone who has ever listened to, played, improvised, written, or just enjoyed music and wanted to know more about these mysterious sounds. Are they 'auditory cheesecake' as cognitive scientist Steven Pinker claims, or actually a fundamental part of what has made us into modern humans? With an enormous variety of guests ranging from well-known musicians, producers and industry figures through to those for whom music is central but who rarely have a voice, this show is unapologetically broad in scope. In 'entertaining noises', Steve has musicians explain and demonstrate their instrument, giving fresh perspective on everything from the piano to modular synthesizers, via lesser-known folk instruments from around the world. And in the flagship 'genre tombola' section, Steve is assigned a randomly-chosen genre from the list of 1334 music genres on Wikipedia, which he then goes away and researches, often talking to an expert in that music, before frequently attempting to make some music in that style... Whether he succeeds or not, there's lots of fascinating stuff to learn along the way! As fun as it is thoughtful, this show aims to help you hear and appreciate music in new ways. http://www.originofthepieces.com/ (http://www.originofthepieces.com/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Steve Pretty

Category

education · music · music

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Oct 2023

Latest episode

19 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

46 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Oct 2026

   Dal:um: Korea, Strung Differently

   Two Korean string instruments, two very different ways of shaping a sound. Dal:um’s Ha Suyean and Hwang Hyeyoung join me after their concert in Finland to explore the gayageum and geomungo, from delicate silk-string sounds to surprisingly powerful, percussive playing. We get close to the instruments: a bamboo playing stick, frets, pitch bends and movable bridges called “goose feet”. They explain how their modern instruments differ from traditional versions, and demonstrate a way of feeling Korean rhythm through breath and dance movement. There’s music from the concert, demonstrations from both players, and a performance recorded especially for the conversation. The video edition lets you see how their hands shape the sounds. Later, I share “Basildon Made Me Baby”, a collaboration with spoken-word artist Emy P, through a project with filmmaker and poet Aaron Shrimpton. My music takes a hip-hop direction, with a few nods to Basildon’s electropop heritage; Emy’s words explore place, identity and finding her people. Plus: Sound / Visuals / Spoken at the Towngate Theatre on 12th November 2026, and Origin live with Beardyman at Wilton’s Music Hall on 10th March 2027. IN THIS EPISODE Dal:um in concert and conversation Korean rhythm, breathing and dance Inside the geomungo and gayageum Silk strings, bamboo, frets and “goose feet” A performance by the duo Emy P, Basildon and a new spoken-word track Live dates with Steve Pretty WATCH / EXPLORE Origin of the Pieces — video editions, transcripts and more https://www.originofthepieces.com/ (https://www.originofthepieces.com/) Dal:um at Glitterbeat / tak:til https://glitterbeat.com/artists/dalum/ (https://glitterbeat.com/artists/dalum/) Sound / Visuals / Spoken — 12th November 2026 https://towngatetheatre.co.uk/estuary-sound-visuals-spoken/ (https://towngatetheatre.co.uk/estuary-sound-visuals-spoken/) Origin live with Beardyman — 10th March 2027 https://wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-origin-of-the-pieces-3/ (https://wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-origin-of-the-pieces-3/) MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE Dal:um: Ha Suyean (gayageum), Hwang Hyeyoung (geomungo). “Basildon Made Me Baby”: spoken word by Emy P; music and audio production by Steve Pretty, for a project with Aaron Shrimpton. CLARIFICATION Basildon is shortlisted for UK Town of Culture 2028; my tentative reference to it holding the title this year is mistaken. MORE FROM ORIGIN OF THE PIECES Join The Open Ear Dispatch and find the Patreon link at https://www.originofthepieces.com/ (https://www.originofthepieces.com/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Never the Same Melody Twice with Akram Abdulfattah

   How much can you change a melody before it becomes something else? Palestinian-American violinist and composer Akram Abdulfattah joins me to explore a tradition in which variation is part of learning the tune from the start. Recorded at WOMEX in Finland in 2025, this conversation comes with plenty of violin demonstrations. Akram explains why a maqam is more than a scale, introduces the expressive possibilities between familiar notes, and shows how a phrase can take a different route each time it is played. His six-string violin extends into an unusually low register. We hear what those extra strings make possible, how they change the physical experience of playing, and why the instrument can sound so close to a human voice. There is an original solo performance along the way. We also talk about learning musical rules and finding freedom within them, Arabic roots and wider influences, and the pleasure of hearing a familiar melody change without losing its identity. Towards the end, Akram reflects on music, family and his Palestinian-American identity, before we discuss the challenges of making a living as a musician and helping audiences discover something unfamiliar. IN THIS EPISODE 00:00 – Welcome to Origin 00:26 – Introducing Akram Abdulfattah 02:33 – Live at WOMEX 2025 03:11 – Meet Akram 04:28 – Arabic roots, many influences 06:33 – Maqam: more than a scale 08:19 – Tarab and musical feeling 09:07 – The notes between the notes 10:29 – Hearing microtones on violin 16:49 – Tradition and improvisation 19:18 – Never the same melody twice 22:57 – A six-string violin 27:33 – An original solo performance 30:04 – Why the violin sounds like a voice 33:28 – What is music for? 36:08 – Music and Palestinian-American identity 39:02 – Where is music heading? 42:11 – Becoming more adventurous listeners 44:11 – Tradition, innovation and what comes next 46:47 – Support the show WATCH & EXPLORE Akram Abdulfattah — official website (https://akramabdulfattah.com/) Akram's music (https://akramabdulfattah.com/music/) Akram's listening and social links (https://linktr.ee/akramabdulfattah) MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE Live excerpts from WOMEX 2025, an original solo composition and violin demonstrations by Akram Abdulfattah. MORE FROM ORIGIN OF THE PIECES Website — episodes, transcripts and mailing list (https://www.originofthepieces.com/) YouTube (https://youtube.com/@StevePretty) Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces) If you enjoy the show, please share it with a friend or leave a rating or review. Stay musically curious. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   12 Sept 2026

   The Whole History of Music (More or Less)

   How do you tell the entire history of music? If you're director and Cosmic Shambles co-founder Trent Burton, apparently you start with the Big Bang, interview more than 100 people around the world, and emerge four-and-a-half years later with a nine-part, 10.5-hour documentary. This week I'm joined by Trent to talk about For the Record: An Incomplete History of Music, the enormous new series presented by Charlotte Ritchie, which travels from the origins of sound and the earliest music through notation, recording, jazz, rave culture, streaming and AI. I've been deeply embedded in the project myself as music consultant and mix engineer, so this conversation quickly expands beyond the making of the documentary into some of the questions it raises. How do you tell music history when music doesn't evolve in a straight line? What gets lost when oral traditions become notation — or performances become definitive recordings? And what happens to music when a machine can generate it on demand? We get into live performance, improvisation, rave culture, cultural exchange and appropriation, active listening, the economics of grassroots live music, Robert Smith's battle with ticket pricing, and why a 10.5-hour independent music documentary may make more sense on YouTube than on broadcast television. Midway through, there's some actual music too: an excerpt from Slack Tide, my piece for violinist Harriet Mackenzie and me, premiered at First Light Festival 2026 and based on the tidal cycle of the Suffolk coast. IN THIS EPISODE 00:00 – Welcome back and introducing For the Record 02:30 – Trent Burton, Cosmic Shambles and how the project began 06:00 – How 90 minutes became nine episodes and 614 minutes 09:00 – The impossible problem of structuring music history 14:10 – Notation, oral traditions and writing music down 21:30 – Recording and the invention of the “definitive” version 24:30 – AI, commodification and the future of live music 31:00 – Electronic music, improvisation and musical jeopardy 37:00 – Music, humanity, grief and why sound can make us cry 44:00 – Musical interlude: Harriet Mackenzie and Slack Tide 48:40 – Active listening and learning how to hear unfamiliar music 52:00 – Cultural appropriation, exchange and context 59:30 – AI, commercial music and making a living 1:01:30 – The crisis in grassroots live music 1:04:10 – Robert Smith, The Cure and affordable tickets 1:05:45 – Why For the Record is on YouTube rather than TV 1:12:55 – What is the point of music? 1:14:00 – How is music evolving? 1:18:35 – The musical moments that weren't meant to happen WATCH & EXPLORE For the Record: An Incomplete History of Music https://cosmicshambles.com/fortherecord/ (https://cosmicshambles.com/fortherecord/) Cosmic Shambles https://cosmicshambles.com/ (https://cosmicshambles.com/) MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE Slack Tide – Steve Pretty & Harriet Mackenzie https://youtu.be/1c9Urm13Ahw (https://youtu.be/1c9Urm13Ahw) The Lark Ascending – Steve Pretty & Harriet Mackenzie https://youtu.be/ANBH_a-MPs8 (https://youtu.be/ANBH_a-MPs8) Shells & Bells – Steve Pretty & Jason Singh https://youtu.be/qCNOWeMf6pI (https://youtu.be/qCNOWeMf6pI) MORE FROM ORIGIN OF THE PIECES Website – episodes, transcripts and mailing list https://www.originofthepieces.com/ (https://www.originofthepieces.com/) YouTube https://youtube.com/@StevePretty (https://youtube.com/@StevePretty) Patreon https://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces (https://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces) If you enjoyed this episode, following the show, rating it or sharing it with another musically curious person makes a real difference. Stay musically curious. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Who has been a guest on Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jono Enser
• Jeremy Deller
• Juliet Russell
• Pelkkä Poutanen
• Nathaniel Dye

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

9 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

46

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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