Schmonzcast #2: My piano teacher asked me to harmonize a folk tune on the spot. I gave him “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in A♭ the traditional way. Then, for fun, I improvised an alternate version over chromatically descending bass. “Are you always so clever?” he wanted to know. Me too.

This week's lesson had another happy outcome: he's going to try to exert his influence to get me semi-regular access to a full Steinway in a room with great acoustics. Perfect for making recordings for this podcast.