In Performance 101, I was always taught that the energy levels given to an audience should look like a roller coaster. It starts out at low levels, gradually moves through a mid-level for awhile, and then climaxes for a short burst of pure adrenaline. After this burst, it's critical to cycle back to the beginning. Similarly, an audience should be viewed as a single entity, or an "avatar" personified with living, emotional reactions. At different moments this entity needs attention, time to process details, quiet moments of bonding, and even bursts of pure sonic chaos. The style in which you, as the entertainer, delivers this sequence to the avatar is the art of performance. The vehicle to deliver this energy to the audience avatar takes the form of a setlist. I've seen entertainers who have no problem riffing with the crowd, setting up a "bit song" delivery with epic success and failure (including my own failures), ones who seem to know the right song at the right moment, and the ones who get lost in the muse. I've included a list of the Top 100 song requests that has been curated by the Piano Entertainers Network (thanks for connecting me Jimmy!), and I have definitely performed many of the classics. There are more recent songs that I need to learn, some songs listed may be a fool's errand to attempt live, and some I just cringe at playing for the 1001th time. Here are my top 5 favorite songs I perform from the list: 1. Piano Man 2. Sweet Caroline 3. Friends in Low Places 4. Take Me Home, Country Roads 5. Hotel California Here are 5 songs that I usually bomb when trying to perform: 1. Pour Some Sugar on Me 2. Bohemian Rhapsody 3. Don't Stop Believin' (I know...this should be a staple!) 4. Paradise By the Dashboard Lights 5. Africa / Take On Me The power to transform starts with striking that first note, pen stroke, or mouse click on a blank canvas. Leave your requests in the comments below. What are songs that you absolutely love to hear played live, and what would be the song(s) that you would like to have in your arsenal of perfect song requests?

"What freezes you at the piano: theory, rhythm, left hand, right hand, singing, or confidence?"

Okay y'all. This is going waaay back. I recently visited my family in Ohio, and I was handed a packet of pictures from my youth. As painful as it is to look through some of the awkward images, one picture stood out as a gem. Below is an image of myself at ~8 years old standing beside my first Suzuki teacher, Dorothy Ling. Before I even knew what real commitment was at 4 years of age, I was awoken and driven by my Mom every Monday morning @ 5am for five years. I would have my lesson before heading to school, and my "bargaining payment" for continuing was a sugared donut and chocolate milk from Kettle Donuts in Canton, OH. Dorothy's love of life and music was larger than life, and her laugh would shake the walls of the house. That is my main memory of her, and it kept me learning. I also love that a picture of Dr. Suzuki hangs in the background, and I looked ready to take on the business world with that suit. Whoa! Be bold, and if you have any pictures of yourself taking music lessons with your first music teacher as a kid (If you took any music or dance lessons), I'd love to see it! Question: What would be the one piece of advice you'd give your younger self regarding music lessons? My current advice to my former self: "One day you'll be cool. Just stop trying so hard to be somebody else, and start writing your own music as early as you can...even if it's awful at first. It'll get better, trust me."

I'm always inspired to see high-energy piano duels in film, and the competitive nature of the two dueling musicians speaks to the human condition and ego of "being the best". As a competitive young lad, I strived to get better by playing with much better musicians than myself. Which clip is your favorite?

Welcome to my channel, where I'm going to show you how to seriously rock the piano! For my entire life I have been seeking the perfect piano groove, which played in the correct way can inspire any audience to move and shake with uncontrollable joy. I greatly appreciate music biopics that capture the lightning spark moment perfectly on film when recreating great moments in historical performance. These lightning rod moments have happened for me as well but on a more personal level. When a performing musician nails the solo or comes back to "the pocket" at the right moment, the crowd will usually responds with excitement, as if the performer landed the Triple Lindy. It's profound, because in each audience member there's a deep need for each one to feel more human: Connection. The magic happens when flow state is reached, and the explosive energy flowing out of a commanding entertainer is visceral, electric, and may frequently cause mystical, out of body experiences. Is this the moment you always wanted when starting piano lessons? Is so, you're in the right community. To get started, cosey on up to the CLASSROOM tab of this course and start by checking out the START HERE video. Introduce yourself, city your based in, how long have you played, and what was the "craziest" gig you've ever witnessed or performed? Juicy details encouraged. If you're enjoying the vibe of this community, then jump over to the ABOUT page for more info on our joining the Premium Member Tier to join my Zoom Q&A session to learn and share piano riff techniques. Show up with requests for any type of blues, pop, country, or rock piano technique that you'd like to learn. Quick Ground Rules: 1. Please be ready to share in your progress at any level, and ask questions. 2. No bullying or general nasty behavior of fellow players (goes without saying). 3. Participate in Challenges and as always, HAVE FUN! Come for the rock, stay for the vibes. See you on the flippity side.