Join Billboard Top 10 Classical Pianist Owen Smith on a one-of-a-kind piano journey. Unlike traditional piano courses, this program embraces creativity, storytelling, and intuition to unlock the magic of music. Owen’s unconventional upbringing and unique approach to music—blending storytelling, rhythm, and humor—will inspire you to connect with the piano in a way that feels natural and exciting. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned enthusiast, these lessons focus on the shapes, patterns, and essence of music, helping you play songs you love and discover the joy of improvisation and self-expression.
This course is not about mastering sight-reading or preparing for studio gigs; it’s about connecting with music in an intuitive, personal way. As the course evolves, so will your understanding and appreciation of the piano. Join Owen on this exciting adventure and discover the joy of music like never before!
Each month, you’ll gain access to 2-4 engaging video lessons, covering a range of skill levels and topics. These lessons are designed to be family-friendly, entertaining, and inspiring—even for those who don’t play piano.
The first lesson introduces Owen's non-traditional teaching style, starting with the key of C to explore music fundamentals, chords, storytelling, and the deeper connections between music and life.
This is a free preview clip from Lesson 7: The Alchemist's Cookbook, Chords & Emotions.
The first lesson introduces Owen's non-traditional teaching style, starting with the key of C to explore music fundamentals, chords, storytelling, and the deeper connections between music and life.
Learn how to cover a song! Using Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" you will learn how to distill the essence of a song and make it your own.
Today's lesson we have special guest Tempo Bear to show us bars, beats, and measures. We will review some amazing student videos and I introduce two new songs for you to try: “simple man” and “stand by me.”
Since I currently have no voice, Amy and Walter have stepped in to help with this lesson. In this lesson, I show how to play with someone else and Walter discusses the importance of listening. Amy also shares insight into being the parent of a music student.
In today's lesson, we explore the ancestry of the piano and how it uniquely represents the strength of a civilization. We also learn the wheel of fifths and tackle a new challenging finger exercise.
Today's piano lesson is on the E Major Phrygian scale, the mode found in songs like Hava Nagila, Alanis Morissette's Uninvited, Metallica's Wherever I May Roam, Darren Korb's The Painful Way, Muse's Stockholm Syndrome, and many more. Every mode on the piano has a set of rules, emotional ranges, and, I would argue, a deep story it tells over and over again.
In this lesson, we explore how chord sequences evoke emotion, shaping the heart of musical storytelling. From the chords of the C scale to major/minor contrasts, tonic, dominant, and subdominant relationships, and iconic progressions like "A River Flows in You," we break down how harmony influences feeling. We also dive into how lyrics can either contradict or complement emotion, the power of jingles, and insights from Leonard Bernstein. Plus, we feature student submissions and discuss real-world musical applications.
This week’s lesson focuses on technique, posture, and building the strength, flexibility, and control needed to play anything with confidence. We’ll develop solid finger mechanics, improve hand positioning, and explore physical exercises that enhance speed and precision. Plus, I’ll give you a look at what Clair de Lune actually looks like on the keys!
Playing By Ear & The Songbird Challenge
How to play your favorite ballad.
In today's lesson, I got so many great videos and messages from students that I thought I'd focus on some of these topics. Specifically, chord inversions and how to play specific songs. I teach how to play "A River Throws In You" by Yiruma and "Time" by Pink Floyd.
This week, we take a look at how the half-step is used to create tension and anxiety in movies like Jaws, 8 Mile, and Halloween. We also explore honor-based epics and their chord progressions (Interstellar, Inception), logos-based movies like Chariots of Fire, and how Braveheart is unique.
In this lesson, we analyze the structure and lyrics of love songs and what makes them evoke emotion. This combines analysis of men and women, persuasion techniques, and the songs that influence all of our inner worlds.
Please send feedback and videos to whydidnttheylaugh@gmail.com
Todays lesson on the rhetoric of songs about loss will include:
"No hard feelings" by The avett brothers
"Another lonely day" by Ben Harper
“To build a home”
"My old man"
"No children" by The Mountain Goats
“Im sick in the head” Original from 2003
Each song shows a different approach and are all on a spectrum of nihilism to faith. Ironically the most nihilistic become comedic unintentionally.
With my dry erase markers I’ll teach you how to play “hava nagilla” and “fade into you.” I also show some great new finger exercises to work on dexterity.
