music
Hosted by Steve Pretty · music · EN · 45 episodes
‘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
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Signup to Generate a Pitch‘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?
Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces is hosted by Steve Pretty. The show has published 45 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Dal:um: Korea, Strung Differently" (19 October 2026, 30 minutes), "Never the Same Melody Twice with Akram Abdulfattah" (24 September 2026, 48 minutes), and "The Whole History of Music (More or Less)" (12 September 2026, 82 minutes).
Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces publishes roughly monthly, with episodes averaging 49 minutes across 45 episodes.
Booking probability for Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces is 32%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces are Artists, Writers & Performers. Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces has a music audience.
Steve Pretty hosts Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces, a music show with 45 episodes published.
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Episode #43
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...
Episode #42
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...
Episode #41
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...
Episode #40
<p>This week, I’m joined by bass Barnaby Rea for a longer-than-usual opera special I mean if we're doing opera, we've gotta go long, right?!), recorded backstage at the Royal Opera House, London.</p><br><p>Barnaby is a...
Episode #39
<p>A collaboration with What We Did Before on the deep history of music, from prehistoric instruments and ritual to place, technology and AI. </p><br><p>A slightly different episode this time. Instead of the usual...
Episode #38
<p>In this episode, I’m dedicating the show to Nathaniel Dye — musician, music teacher, brass band obsessive, ultramarathon runner, and one of the most quietly extraordinary people I’ve met. We begin with Nat performing...
Episode #37
<h2>Episode 37 - A clap, a Slap and a Stomp</h2><p><br></p><p>What actually is musical time? In this episode, Steve kicks off 2026 with the first four days of his “12 Days of Listening” mini-series — all about pulse...
Episode #36
<p>From a Colombian ritual flute heard backstage at Oslo Mela to a children’s TV theme tune played on a London school playground, this episode explores why pentatonic scales turn up everywhere — and why they feel so...
Episode #35
<p>From Addis to the Barbican and back again, this episode dives into the sound-world shaped by Mulatu Astatke — the father of Ethio jazz. With Mulatu having recently completed his farewell tour, Steve goes back to a...
Episode #34
<p>From the high lonesome sound of Appalachia to the flow of a Bronx cipher, this episode explores what happens when two traditions of storytelling and rhythm collide. Recorded at the WOMEX 2024 world-music gathering in...
Episode #33
<p>From living-room experiments to Malawian street stages — and a brief stop-off in Transylvania.</p><br><p>This week, Steve explores what it means to sing what you see: making music that’s spontaneous, handmade and...
Episode #32
<h2>⚠️ Note: This is a re-upload</h2><p><br></p><p>The original episode was taken down due to a copyright strike on the theme tune — even though I wrote and produced it myself. While I sort that out, you’re treated to a...
Episode #32
<p>This week, I finally tackle a long-overdue Genre Tombola pick: Tonás, one of the oldest and most intense styles in flamenco — unaccompanied, emotional, and steeped in centuries of cultural history.</p><br><p>To...
Episode #31
<p>What can a lump of whale earwax tell us about human history?</p><p>What does the end of the universe sound like?</p><p>And how do you play the sea like a synthesiser?</p><br><p>This episode of Steve Pretty On The...
Episode #30
<p>This week I speak to Kassandra e’Silva, a saxophonist, improviser and NHS music therapist. We caught up just before a gig at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival to talk about the power of music in care settings — from...
Episode #29
<p>This week, Steve shares a powerful, surprising, and often jaw-dropping conversation with musician, composer and activist Jono Enser.</p><br><p>Jono is a gifted multi-instrumentalist and a member of Nubiyan Twist, but...
Episode #28
<p>❤️ Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces</p><p>📬 Join the mailing list + explore the archive: https://www.originofthepieces.com</p><br><p>Welcome back to your...
Episode #27
<p>In this Eurovision-week bonus episode, Steve Pretty is joined by actor, singer, and former UK Eurovision contestant Frances Ruffelle, recorded live at Wilton’s Music Hall.</p><br><p>📺 Watch Frances’s Eurovision...
Episode #26
<p>Wilton's Music Hall show 30th April: use code PRETTYAPR25 for best available seats for £15</p><p>Mailing list: sign up for special offers, news and more</p><p>Patreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies...
Episode #25
<p>Wilton's Music Hall show 30th April: use code PRETTYAPR25 for best available seats for £15</p><p>Mailing list: sign up for special offers, news and more</p><p>Patreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies...
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