All episodes
The Secret Life of the Orchestra: Strings
We unlock the mystery of the heart of the orchestra, and learn how violinists came to be associated with the devil.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of the Orchestra: Woodwind
From snake charmers to bagpipes, from pan pipes to concert halls, this family has been causing controversy wherever it goes…for over 35,000 years.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of the Orchestra: Percussion
Karl Steven explores one of the four families of orchestral instruments: percussion, finding out about how they work, their unusual pasts, and the players who devote their lives to them.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of the Orchestra: Brass
Karl Steven explores one of the four families of orchestral instruments: brass, finding out about how they work, their unusual pasts, and the players who devote their lives to them.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Remixers
Sam Wicks talks to a selection of local remixers about unpacking the details of other musicians' work and repacking them into new shapes and sizes.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Ten Guitars
The story of the song Ten Guitars and its place on the hit parade of all-time Kiwi classics.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of the Warm-Up DJ
The people at the turntables who pay their dues as musical fluffers to the star turn.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Piano Tuners
Piano tuning is a beautiful old art that requires a mathematical brain and a musical ear.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Loopers
Sam Wicks finds out more about the background and use of ‘band in a box’ item of equipment, and goes in search of resourceful local practitioners building sounds bigger than the sum of their parts.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Video Game Music Composers
From the simplest binary code ditties to huge orchestral scores with complex, interactive layers, video game soundtracks are integral to the action, emotion, and adrenaline levels of the gamer.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Skank
Nick Atkinson speaks to a DJ, an academic and several musicians to find out about the local take on this Jamaican sound, in The Secret Life of Skank.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of the Musical Saw
Karl Steven investigates the world of the musical saw and digs out a couple of bona fide New Zealand saw players.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Music Publishers
We meet the matchmakers and debt-collectors of the music industry.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Rock Photographers
Sam Wicks talks to Raymond Sagapolutele, Milana Radojcic and Roger Grauwmeijer about getting the money shots.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Lyricists
Julie Hill asks musicians and music lovers about some of their favourite wordsmiths in song.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Left-Handed Musicians
Nick Atkinson talks to diverse range of sinistra (left handed) local musicians hoping to unearth the behavioural traits these creative souls share.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Bird Calls
Robin Nathan looks at the relationship between bird calls and music.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Bedroom Music Producers
Tony Stamp talks to Sam Scott from the Phoenix Foundation, A&R managers at EMI, Jonathan from The Brunettes/Lil Chief, the manager of York St recording studio, and tutors from the Music and Audio Institute of NZ.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Community Choirs
Julie Hill meets some of the voices from the Gay and Lesbian singers, The Auckland Welsh choir, and The Sing For Joy choir and talks to Stephen Taberner of the Spooky Mens' Chorale and Men in Suits.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of The Ukulele
Musician Karl Steven investigates the toddler of stringed instruments, the fearsome ukulele, exploring its past, present, and future, with particular attention to its unique place here in the South Pacific
Full episodeThe Secret Life of A&R
Traditionally the Artist & Repertoire - or A&R - person did the late nights in sweaty venues to uncover the 'next big thing' - new bands to sign to their record label. But these days record label budgets are being cut and alongside the advent of the internet, is the role of the A&R person dying out?
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Wedding Singers and DJs
Sam Wicks goes behind the scenes of the wedding industry to talk to the folk that provide the music for marital knees-ups.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Saxophonists
Nick Atkinson, a saxophonist himself, sifts through the sediment of endless jazz-funk jams to discover a living breathing horn culture kept alive by a diverse tribe of local players.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Music Video Directors
Sam Wicks talks to directors Stuart Page, Joe Lonie and Andrew Morton about what goes into making a music video.
Full episodeThe Secret Life of Audiophiles
Jose Barbosa and Tony Stamp infiltrate the homes of three self-confessed hi-fi nuts to find out what's behind the drive for perfect sound and how much they're prepared to pay for aural nirvana.
Full episode