I am a musician. I started playing on a toy organ when I was in the second grade, (a "Polychord Electric Piano Organ" made by Enemee and given to me at Christmas by my mother). We couldn't afford lessons, so I was self taught from music books that came with this first instrument and with the line of subsequent organs, each representing a next step in my growing love for and ability to play. I am now the proud owner of a three manual Allen theater organ with a full AGO console and a sound so realistic that if you close your eyes I swear you can't tell the difference, (well maybe you could, but I sure can't).
Over my many years of playing, I have developed a wide and seemingly contradictory range of taste in musical genres. So it was with great interest last weekend that I read a review of "Pandora" by Andy Ihnatko in the Chicago Sun-Times. (The columnists are really the only reason I am still reading the Sun-Times, but that is fodder for another blog entry another time). I was particularly intrigued when Andy said that he felt like Pandora was literally reading his mind. It seemed to him that as he would think, "wouldn't it be nice to hear...", that particular piece of music would start to play next.
So this past Monday morning I began my day by visiting the Pandora website, www.Pandora.com, and setting up my first Pandora radio station. You do this by picking the name of a favorite artist or a favorite song. One of my all time favorite songs is "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. So I typed in the title and Pandora created a station called "Bohemian Rhapsody Radio". Interestingly, the first song was not Bohemian Rhapsody or even by Queen. Pandora boldly selected a "similar" piece of music, based on its unique method of analyzing music for its tonality, modality, rhythm, etc. I was really amazed at how absolutely "right on" this first choice was, and how this station continued playing song after song in the style of Queen and "Bohemian Rhapsody". And yes, it eventually did start to play songs by Queen, and played my favorite "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Well that did it. I started setting up station after station based on my broad taste in music. As of this writing I have set up the following stations:
- Bohemian Rhapsody Radio
- In the Mood Radio
- Star Wars Radio
- Seventy Six Trombones Radio
- Java Radio
- Volare Radio
- Scott Joplin Radio
- Billy Joel Radio
- Bette Midler Radio
- Dies Irae Radio
- Yanni Radio
When I am in a particular mood, I can select any one given station. But Pandora also has a "Quick Mix" feature that allows you to select all or any combination of your stations and then plays them at random. I have been listening to my Pandora stations all week and have filled my work day with an incredible variety of music. And as much as I know about music, I have also discovered many new titles and artists thanks to Pandora. If you love music as much as I do, I highly recommend this wonderful service. It is free of charge, so there are no monthly fees or contracts to worry about.
Pandora also has a tremendous customer service team. I know this simply because I sent a quick email to thank them for their service and I received a personal reply the very next day. This is a testimony to their dedication to the development of their service and their earnest desire to provide their listeners with the best service possible. My hat is off (and my headphones are on) to Pandora! I hope you will enjoy this wonderful service as much as I do!
2 comments:
Thanks for the reminder to revisit this service. I haven't played with it in a few years. It's getting better. I've created an account and am playing a bit with it now...
Wow, thanks for the nice review, Rev. Zwirn. It's great to hear you're enjoying the music so much.
It's also great to hear that you appreciate our customer service. :)
Thanks for listening!
Lucia, from Pandora
@padnora_radio on twitter
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