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  • The Alarm NASA Never Trained For

    The Alarm NASA Never Trained For

    His hands already knew and yours will too!

    Hey friends!

    This week we’re visiting space together, or more specifically, a moment that happened in space many moons ago (sorry – dad jokes only around here). On July 20th, 1969, the lunar module was about ninety seconds from touching down on the moon when an alarm went off, one nobody on that crew had ever seen before, not once, in any simulation. Neil Armstrong called it in: “Program Alarm. It’s a 1202. What is that?” On top of that, when he looked out the window, he realized the guidance computer was steering them straight into a crater full of boulders the size of cars.

    With less than a minute of fuel left he had to figure out what to do, and fast…

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  • Your left hand isn’t supposed to move that much

    Your left hand isn’t supposed to move that much

    A gym fail gif, and a fix for your left hand

    Heyyyyy keys players 🎹

    Welcome to Week 2 of Mobile Left Hand. Last week we worked The Drill – same chord, both hands, locked together. If you tried it, you already know the real test: drop your right hand and see if your left can hold up alone.

    This week’s the fix if you can’t quite do that yet.

    What triggered the idea for me to want to teach you this was a recent summer gig – just me and my daughter, Ada, singing a song. I needed to play the lead line while also holding down the chords underneath it. We were doing Billy Joel’s “Vienna.” The second I had the song down fully, my left hand knew where it was going without me having to think about it and the whole thing opened up – she knew exactly when to come in, the audience recognized the song immediately, and it just sounded beautifully full.

    That’s the payoff – now here’s how you get there.

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  • The Monday Musician is back – and so is your Left hand

    The Monday Musician is back – and so is your Left hand

    So about that accidental email… here’s the real one

    Hey – it’s Dan 👋

    If you got a stray Monday Musician email a couple weeks back, yeah, about that. I hit the wrong button. That wasn’t supposed to go out.

    But here’s what I didn’t expect: people opened it anyway. A year of silence, and you were still there. Thank you for that.

    Truth is, I didn’t run out of piano tips. I just kept overthinking what this newsletter should be instead of hitting send. Meanwhile I kept playing gigs, kept leading worship, kept teaching, kept hearing “man, I wish I hadn’t quit piano” after a majority of the services & shows this past year.

    So here we go, but on purpose this time…

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  • A Sneak Peek For You 👀

    A Sneak Peek For You 👀

    PlayBack: My Free Piano-By-Ear Course Launches Thursday!

    Hey there,

    When I was a kid, I fell in love with the Axel Foley theme from Beverly Hills Cop (⬅️ listen here). There was something about that synth sound that captivated me – it was the coolest thing I’d ever heard.

    I desperately wanted to play it on piano but had no clue where to start. Then one weekend, my Aunt Jeanne sat down with me and we began figuring it out together, note by note.

    That moment changed everything for me. Suddenly my brain clicked: “Wait… I can play ANY song I hear if I just spend time sounding it out?!” Suddenly, music wasn’t about deciphering cryptic symbols, but about hearing and recreating the sounds themselves.

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  • The Musical Superpower You Can Learn

    Play songs, anytime, anywhere

    (sheet music not required)

    It happened again last summer.

    Our band had been invited to a college weekend getaway out in Fremont, NE. I was playing keys when our worship leader turned to me between songs and whispered, “Let’s add ‘Christ Be Magnified’ right after this one.”

    No rehearsal. No chord chart. No warning. Just a spontaneous addition moments before we needed to play it.

    For many keyboard players (or any band member, really), this could trigger instant anxiety. But instead, I just nodded, mentally worked out the key, and when the time came, played it as if we’d practiced it all week.

    This isn’t some special talent I was born with. It’s something I learned, practiced, and refined over time – the ability to play piano by ear.

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  • This may not be for you, but I’m breaking the January rules

    plus what’s ahead this year

    We found this coffee place in Gaia, right across the river there is Porto. We totally love it and there is also wonderful accommodation right above this place.
    [Photo by Petr Sevcovic on Unsplash]

    You know what everyone’s doing this month? Cramming their schedules full, making wild promises about “new year, new me,” and beating themselves up when life gets in the way.

    Me? I’ve been spending nights playing cards with my wife and girls (they destroy me every time), reading & staying warm by the fireplace, grabbing coffees with friends, binging movies, laughing a lot, and even sneaking in a work trip to Austin last week.

    Normal schedule? What normal schedule?

    As we approached the new year, my wife shared a quote with me from Austin Kleon, NYTimes bestselling author of STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST, that resonated & inspired me:

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  • The Top 5 Piano Lessons You Loved in 2024 (plus what’s next)🎄

    Your favorite lessons hit some wild numbers this year ✨

    [Packing up for the last holiday gig of the year 🎹]

    Heyyyyy holiday keys players! ✨
    pauses from sorting cables & gear

    Come here, I’ve got something to tell you…

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  • A Gift of Peace Before the Holiday Rush 🎹✨

    Taking a Mindful Pause Together

    Dear friends,

    As we head into the holiday season, I wanted to take a different approach with this week’s video. Instead of the usual tutorial, I’ve created something special – a gentle piano meditation called “Breathe.”

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  • Sound like a Pro with this 1 ‘Lazy Inversion’ Trick

    …your fingers will thank you

    Happy Monday!

    When I was younger, I loved watching musicians. I wondered how they made big sounds with little movement. I thought they were lazy, but I later realized they were smart.

    Remember the chord shapes from last week? Today, I want to share something cool about “Lazy Piano.”

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  • The Art of “Lazy Piano”

    Work Smarter, Not Harder 🎹

    Hey there,

    Ever notice those pro players who barely seem to move, yet create massive sounds? That’s not laziness – that’s efficiency.

    This week, I’m sharing the foundation of what I call “Lazy Piano” (spoiler: it took a lot of work to get this lazy 😅). We’re diving into:

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