Wednesday, April 22, 2009

How to Listen to and Record Piano Night on Your Computer


New Orleans Piano Night is set for this coming Monday,
April 27, starting at 7 pm Central, and continuing on
into the wee wee hours. In the last letter I suggested
(for those of you who won't be running off to New
Orleans to attend the event in person) that you listen
to it and perhaps record it from the live Internet
broadcast. Here's a little tutorial on how to make this
happen.

What you need:

1. A computer. One with a reasonably fast CPU.
Anything, Mac or PC, made in the last seven years
should suffice.

2. A fast Internet connection. DSL or cable. Dial up
MIGHT work, but could be frustrating.

3. Any web browser. I use Firefox or Safari.

4. iTunes. This is a free download from apple.com

5. Click on the WWOZ web site at:
http://www.wwoz.org/new+orleans+community/piano+night
Once you are there, click on "Listen On Line" and
select your connection speed. You may have to
experiment a little here.

This should be enough to get you tuned in to the live
broadcast.

As for recording it. You will need some software for
this. Although I've never used it, I hear that Audacity
works well for this. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

I personally use Wire Tap for my Mac, but that's not a
free download.

Audacity works for PC, Mac, and Linux. And it's free.
Read the documentation and record the presentation on
your computer hard drive or on an external hard drive.
I suggest chosing mp3 as the file format for best
fidelity and smallest file size.

If that doesn't work, PLEASE do not ask me for help on
this. I've told you all I know. I can't fix individual
computer problems. Sorry. You should be able to find
lots of help on line.

Let me know how you like the show.

Tune In Piano Night This Monday

Every year I make this announcement because I think
it's of real interest to anyone who has more than just
a passing interest in real Americana piano music. It's
Piano Night, an annual event that runs in conjunction
with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, set to
start on Friday.

Piano Night, however, is this coming Monday, April 27.
It seems there are no real super star headliners this
year, but the performers are all first rate. And if you
have a fondness for this style of music, this is the
annual premiere event as far as I know. You might want
to put it into your calendar right now.

You can get more information on the web site as well as
tune in and listen live on your computer on Monday,
April 27 starting at 7 pm Central time.

In past years I have recorded the broadcast right on my
computer and transfered the files to my iPod. It's
great stuff to listen to and provides opportunities for
learning as well. A lot of the music is HIGHLY
influenced by the Twelve Bar Blues.

Here's the link to the Piano Night Web Site. Enjoy


You can click on "Listen Online" when the time comes to
hear the event broadcast live.