Hello. I am Steve Pretty.

I spend my life working with sound in its many forms, and how it connects us.

Sometimes that’s through writing scores for TV, sometimes it’s through playing trumpet, sometimes it’s through my ‘wide-ranging and insightful’ (Guardian) podcast, sometimes it’s through bandleading, sometimes it’s working in theatre, sometimes it’s producing records, sometimes it’s creating soundscapes through ancient instruments like shells.

Drop me a line if you’d like me to do A Thing for you.

Music for screen and stage

I write scores, themes and songs for television, film, animation and theatre. Recent work includes the theme for My Friend Maisy and the song We Can Do Anything — a playful musical world built around five notes and children’s playground instruments.

Explore my composition work · The story behind Maisy’s music

Here’s my Instagram feed so you can see what I’ve been up to.

Don’t forget to also check out Hackney Colliery Band’s feeds for all the latest on that front.

My working week continues to look like several different people have accidentally shared a calendar. In the past 24 hrs I’ve: 🎺 Played a very fun gig with @dan.spanner’s Spanner Big Band 🎚 Mixed episode 4 of the #ForTheRecord music documentary for @thecosmicshamblesnetwork 🐟 Had a planning meeting with @cefasgovuk (who despite the screenshot were not actually asleep in the meeting) ahead of the panel on the moon, tides and eel migration that I’m hosting at @firstlightlowestoft 🎬 And had a very exciting meeting with @littlewoollyvision about a large and rather lovely new project I’m going to be scoring. Feeling very lucky to have work days that veer around quite this much!

Having a blast mixing the absolutely epic @thecosmicshamblesnetwork music documentary ‘For the Record’. @trunkmanuk and I first conceived of this years ago and he’s done an incredible job of pulling together literally hundreds of interviews from all over the world to make an extraordinary work of documentary brilliance. I’ve been a musical advisor on the series, as well as MDing and producing the closing cover songs for each episode, and now I’m mixing the behemoth. It’s really quite something. First episode is finally DELIVERED and drops on 25th June, with the rest following soon afterwards. Sign up to their newsletter for all the latest, and of course lots more coming here too. #musicdocumentary

Very lovely few days of family time in the Tuscan hills after a challenging year. The idea was to be here for my mum’s 80th but she didn’t make it that far. So instead we celebrated her by eating and drinking and being together and kids playing and laughing and sometimes crying. I largely had a very rare break from work (when you are in the lucky position of mainly absolutely loving your work, I find holidays make me want to do it more, not less), but did take the time to do a few bits of tangentially interesting and useful stuff. Learnt some of the intricacies of the @torsoelectronics S4 latest firmware by the pool (apologies for the gratuitous nipple shot), did some slightly cobbled together field recording (left my recorder at home by accident so instead rigged my @dji podcast mics up in a cheeky little coat hanger stereo array), and spent some lovely time tonight listening to pipistrelle bats by the light of the full moon thanks to the wonderful bat detector mic I got for a birthday present last year. Nature is great, family is great, Italy is great. Heading back to the studio and the horn next week with renewed vigour!

“Playing a musical instrument works so many different aspects of your brain…” A clip from Episode 39 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, from my conversation with the excellent @whatwedidbeforepodcast about music, memory, breath, motor skills, and why humans seem wired for sound. One of the nice things about making a show like this is that episodes don’t really date. Even with the new opera special (Episode 40) freshly out this week, there are plenty of older rabbit holes worth disappearing into too. Full audio episodes are on all podcast platforms, and full video episodes are now available on YouTube and Spotify too. @acast @spotify @applepodcasts @youtube #originofthepieces #musicpodcast #musicallycurious #musicandthebrain #breathcontrol #trumpet #podcastclip #musiceducation #musicdiscussion #hearmusicdifferently #creativepodcast

New podcast episode: Opera Special: Voice, Power and the Big Machine is OUT NOW! Opera bass @barnabyrea_bass joins me backstage at @royalballetandopera for a deep dive into opera from the inside: how one human voice fills a theatre with no microphone, what “placement” and resonance actually mean, why opera singers train for years, and how the whole vast machine of singers, orchestra, conductor, stage crew, history and social ritual holds together. We recorded this while Barnaby was performing Doctor Grenvil in La Traviata, and he’s currently back at the Royal Opera House singing Hobson in Britten’s Peter Grimes, with performances on 21st, 25th and 28th May. The episode also grew out of my recent visit to @teatroallascala in Milan, which got me thinking about opera not just as music, but as architecture, class, spectacle, commerce and power. So yes, there’s voice geekery. But also boxes, gods, stalls, ticket prices, backstage docks, live music economics, and social history, not to mention a dive into the fact that opera can be both massively intimidating and surprisingly accessible. Listen / watch now via the link in bio. #originofthepieces #Opera #OperaSinger #BarnabyRea #RoyalOperaHouse

Ahead of Episode 40 FINALLY dropping soon, here’s a clip from Episode 39: A Cave, A Conch, An Algorithm. This one came from my collaboration with @whatwedidbefore, talking about the deep history of music, prehistoric instruments, ritual, resonance, AI, and, inevitably, shell instruments. This clip also includes some footage shot inside the Natural History Museum, where I was lucky enough to record some of these shell instruments overnight a couple of years ago. One note, in that space, did something that the same note in a normal room simply wouldn’t. Which is a useful reminder that music is never just notes. It’s also where they happen, who’s listening, what the air is doing, and what the room decides to give back. Episode 39 is out now, and Episode 40 is, at long last, nearly ready to emerge. 🎧 Listen to Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces wherever you get podcasts. #originofthepieces #musicallycurious #musicpodcast #conchshell #shellmusic #prehistoricmusic #ancientmusic #sounddesign #fieldrecording #resonance #naturalhistorymuseum #podcastclip #musicandplace #experimentalmusic

Are you musically curious? On Tuesday 19th May I’m bringing Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces to @wiltonsmusichall, one of the most beautiful venues in London. It’ll be a night of live music, conversation, stories and a few sonic experiments. My guests include @mrjimbobfromcarter from Carter USM, with songs from his recent records, stories from an amazing musical life, and some surprises along the way. We’ll also have Ocean Songs from @soniccollaborations, featuring Lottie P from @goatgirlofficial, alongside @nic.pendlebury, @colinriley_composer and me, exploring music, the sea, shells, electronics and the strange things that happen when you put them all in the same room. Tuesday 19th May, 7pm Wilton’s Music Hall Tickets via Wilton’s — link in bio. #originofthepieces #wiltonsmusichall #StevePretty #JimBob #CarterUSM #GoatGirl #OceanSongs #SonicCollaborations #livemusiclondon #londongigs #whatsonlondon #musicallycurious #musicpodcast #livemusic

Absolutely top night at the My Friend Maisy screening/wrap party. A huge honour to meet Lucy Cousins who was so kind about my music for the show, and just a really lovely and rare opportunity to meet the huge and amazing team who bring a very special show like this to life. ‘We can do anything!’ Is Maisy’s catchphrase and exactly what I needed to hear right now. #myfriendmaisy #maisymouse @bbcstudios @skytv @karrotanimation @danabruce @brainaud.io

Super fun couple of days in stunning Milan, playing potato with the one and only @londonvegetableorchestra in an event for @arketofficial and @lailacooks for #milandesignweek This is how to get from tuber to (kind of) tuba and then straight into a little Mozart recital with the gang @mike.the.tuba @clare_graham and Tim Cranmore. A lovelier, more vitamin packed bunch you couldn’t ask for to explore Milan and make very serious music with. #vegetableinstruments

My quirky but very fun and super powerful rig for the Ocean Songs project with @nic.pendlebury Lottie P from @goatgirlofficial @colinriley_composer and ably brought together by @kate.dornan1 Trumpet just out of shot. Such lovely music to play; tonight we play it framed by the North Sea @firstlightlowestoft East Point Pavilion, and Tuesday we’re @theatreship Roll up!

My guest on Episode 37 is Alua Nascimento. Alongside a lot of playing (here’s a little duet of the classic “Brazil”), we get into Brazilian percussion and where his feel comes from. Turns out he comes from a long line of percussionists, including his grandmother, whose instrument was a knife and plate. Incredible! Full episode in all the usual places. #originofthepieces #percussion #pandeiro #stomp #trumpet #musicpodcast

Episode 37 of the podcast features this chat with @aluanascimento , recorded live at @wiltonsmusichall When I was desperately trying and failing to make body percussion sounds for a score I was working on, the universe provided… I met Alua at a party, discovered that he was a professional body percussionist, and got him to come and record the next day! Find out about this and much more about Brazilian culture and rhythm in episode 37 of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces, out now. #BodyPercussion #TVShow #MusicScore #SoundDesign #MusicProduction

Well, last night was extremely special. Having to take over the show that @bowelcancerbucketlist conceived @kingsplacelondon was quite the responsibility, but I hope we did him proud. I gave myself the brief of not trying to make the perfect show, but the show that Nat wanted it to be, and it definitely felt like that. Campaigning, dark humour, music, pathos and positivity. My massive thanks to all the acts on the bill: @wesstreeting @marksteel7 @dawnbutlerbrent @ladiesfightingbreastcancer choir @ashleydalton_mp @rhodgilbert @babelbrass And of course particular thanks to @mattfordecomedy for stepping in to host and for his amazing interviews. Also huge thanks to all the venue staff and of course to @macmillancancer - I hope we raised a lot of money for them. Photos by the amazing @kimltobin I think Nat would have been in his element. The universe can fuck right off for not letting him be there. But I also give it thanks for putting him here in the first place. #worldcancerday

About a year ago, my friend @bowelcancerbucketlist asked me if I would help to produce a live show with him. He wanted to feature some of his songs from the album I produced for him, and to make a kind of variety show in the spirit of my Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces shows, which he had been a guest at. But most of all, he wanted to raise both awareness and money for @macmillancancer Of course I was more than happy to help out. We eventually settled on the magnificent @kingsplacelondon as a venue, and booked a date: today, 4th February 2026 (@worldcancerday ). We booked the grand piano (not his first instrument, but something he threw himself into learning as he threw himself into everything), booked a packed bill where the only rule was that you had to have suffered from cancer of some kind: @ladiesfightingbreastcancer choir @rhodgilbert @mattfordecomedy @marksteel7 @dawnbutlerbrent @ashleydalton_mp @wesstreeting We had a show! Nat was very excited. We were all very excited. We were going to put on an incredible show, and raise both a ton of awareness and a ton of money for @macmillancancer Last week, Nat was rushed to A&E, and then to @stjohospice He died shortly afterwards. I was due to see him the next morning. We are devastated. But Nat wanted the show to go on whatever happened, and so here we are. I am now producing this and have never felt more pressure to put on an extraordinary show. But I am comfortable that the incredible hard work that Nat did pulling this show together will pay off in spades. This is not a memorial. It’s a celebration. Last few tickets available. Showtime 8pm. #worldcancerday #nathanieldye

Amazing few days rehearsing then shooting/recording some great stuff for the documentary I’ve been workin on with @thecosmicshamblesnetwork Played this little lot plus a bit of piano and a bit of BVs here and there. Very, very varied set of 8 songs and 8 guests who I’m not sure I’m allowed to reveal yet, but some incredibly special moments. Thanks to director/producer @trunkmanuk and dream team of crew, and to the amazing @kingsplacelondon for hosting us all. And massive thanks to my incredible band mates @benhandysides @rtaylorbeales for playing their socks off on a madly diverse range of music. Our 8 part documentary ‘On the Record’ comes out in June! Magnificent gear is by @expressive_e (first time the Osmose has left the studio and it’s a BEAST for live work), @trexeffects (delightfully filthy tape delay), @torsoelectronics (dream kit for creating live sampled atmospheres on the fly) and of course my trusty @monettetrumpets #musicdocumentary

Unexpected double gig last night. After working in @kingsplacelondon all day recording and filming music for the forthcoming @thecosmicshamblesnetwork documentary, I managed to get a ticket to our green room sharing colleagues the incredible @colincurrieperc quartet’s concert. Incredible new piece by @joeduddell and an impeccable performance of Steve Reich’s Drumming (Part 1) on the programme, and an astonishing performance! Then managed to catch @snorkel_band at @victoriadalston which was also amazing. SO MANY RHYTHMIC DISPLACEMENTS IN MY HEAD NOW. Then home where I did something I haven’t done for ages and just listened to the whole vinyl of In A Silent Way. Man, what a record. What a day of musicing!

First ever double show day of On The Origin of the Pieces @wiltonsmusichall was such a blast! Very very fun doing the inaugural family show in the afternoon, then a really lovely show in the evening too. Quuuuuite a busy day for me, so the only shot I got all day was this one of my tired, happy face, waiting for a cab in the rain after loading out. Can’t thank my amazing guests @dan.spanner Big Band and the extraordinary @djsteadyuk enough. Amazing performances, and fascinating chats. Really lovely audiences for both shows, too! If you missed out, both shows will be available in their entirety on my Patreon then later YouTube channels, and edited highlights sprinkled across the podcast feed over the coming months. Next Wilton’s show on sale soon with similarly eclectic and brilliant guests! #livepodcast #musicpodcast #originofthepieces #bigband #drumnbassfamily

I scored My Friend Maisy by starting with the most playground-friendly idea I know: the (major) pentatonic scale. Five notes that sound great together whatever you do with them, and I dig into why that is in Episode 36 of the podcast. Then I discovered my kids’ school has a pentatonic chime thing on the playground… so I asked the teacher if I could borrow it for two minutes and recorded the theme on it. Clip from Episode 36 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces; full episode wherever you listen or watch. #originofthepieces #myfriendmaisy #kidstvcomposer #tvcomposer #screencomposer #soundtrack #musictheory #pentatonic #musiceducation #boomwhackers

A clip from Episode 36 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces featuring @el.leonpardo (from @mestizomusiccollective). This is from the Entertaining Noises bit, where I dig into how instruments work, where they come from, and how they’re actually played. Today: the gaita. A pre-Columbian ritual flute from the Kogi people in Colombia. When the Spanish arrived they thought it looked like a bagpipe, so gaita it became. It’s actually two flutes: Female plays the melody Male accompanies (with only two holes) Full episode is up now. #originofthepieces #musicpodcast #gaita #colombianmusic #indigenousmusic #flute #worldmusic #howtolisten #listening #musicallycurious

Mulatu Astatke: casually describing the day Duke Ellington played his arrangement in Addis Ababa. Then Ellington says: “I never expected this from an African.” That line has… aged somewhat. From Episode 35 of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces 🎧 Watch on Youtube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. #originofthepieces #MulatuAstatke #DukeEllington #EthioJazz #JazzHistory #musicallycurious

“Playing a musical instrument works so many different aspects of your brain…”

A clip from Episode 39 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, from my conversation with the excellent @whatwedidbeforepodcast about music, memory,

Ahead of Episode 40 FINALLY dropping soon, here’s a clip from Episode 39: A Cave, A Conch, An Algorithm.

This one came from my collaboration with @whatwedidbefore, talking about the deep history of music, prehistoric instruments, ritual, reson

Are you musically curious?

On Tuesday 19th May I’m bringing Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces to @wiltonsmusichall, one of the most beautiful venues in London.
It’ll be a night of live music, conversation, stories and a few sonic

Super fun couple of days in stunning Milan, playing potato with the one and only @londonvegetableorchestra in an event for @arketofficial and @lailacooks for #milandesignweek

This is how to get from tuber to (kind of) tuba and then straight into a

My guest on Episode 37 is Alua Nascimento. Alongside a lot of playing (here’s a little duet of the classic “Brazil”), we get into Brazilian percussion and where his feel comes from.
Turns out he comes from a long line of percussioni

Episode 37 of the podcast features this chat with @aluanascimento , recorded live at @wiltonsmusichall

When I was desperately trying and failing to make body percussion sounds for a score I was working on, the universe provided… I met Alua at

I scored My Friend Maisy by starting with the most playground-friendly idea I know: the (major) pentatonic scale.

Five notes that sound great together whatever you do with them, and I dig into why that is in Episode 36 of the podcast.

Then I discov

A clip from Episode 36 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces featuring @el.leonpardo (from @mestizomusiccollective).
This is from the Entertaining Noises bit, where I dig into how instruments work, where they come from, and how they’re ac

Mulatu Astatke: casually describing the day Duke Ellington played his arrangement in Addis Ababa.
Then Ellington says: “I never expected this from an African.”
That line has… aged somewhat.
From Episode 35 of Steve Pretty On The Or

A live hour-long ‘conch bath’, commissioned by ALSO festival, July 2025