The Instagram Challenge

Since the start of this month I have started an Instagram challenge - to upload a daily video of a different cover song a day for a year.

I thought carefully before deciding to give this a go! On one hand it is very simple - Instagram videos are limited to a minute a day and filmed on my phone, they are relatively easy to film and quick to upload. On the other hand, there are 365 days in a year...

The positives, I hope, are that it is a daily reminder of me and my services, a chance to showcase the various styles I enjoy playing in, and hopefully by being liberal with the '#' key, will open me to new audiences too... Part of the videos are tutorials for other pianists and I an enjoying being part of a wider community of people who love playing as much as I do.

I am only 22 days in at the point of writing this and have enjoyed a good start - I was chosen as "keyboardist of the day' on Instagram and that particular video has received over 4,000 views now and 550 odd likes which is great.

What I am enjoying most though, is discovering new music. I have been asking people to request tunes that I could include amongst the challenge and I have been introduced to new artists and songs that I have loved learning and we are less than a month in. Hopefully I will be introduced to many more artists and songs too.

I am also enjoying the daily practicing required to learn the requested new material. I play by ear and through working the new songs out, am finding my ear is getting 'sharper' and giving me new ideas whilst soloing and comping tunes too.

I really want to see this challenge through! So if you are on Instagram, please do follow me and make a suggestion and I shall do my best to include it. My instagram page feed is at the bottom of the home page.

#instagram #piano #challenge #requests