Have fun and sound great on the piano without sheet music.
Hello! My name is Nate. You may know me from my YouTube channel where I make it easy for people to play songs they love on the piano using a chord based approach.
My goal is to demystify piano accompaniment for popular songs by making things clear and easy to understand. Rather than getting bogged down with technical jargon and notes on a staff, I focus on what really drives the music: chords and rhythm.
Most of the people who wrote all of these great songs played them without using sheet music, and you can too!
If ready to play and sing pop and rock songs with a refreshing approach to piano learning, check out my courses below!
"You got me hooked on learning to play the piano. More precisely, you made me believe I can learn it, or better still, thanks to you, I now proudly say, 'I can play the piano.' "
- Bjorn K
Courses to take your playing to the next level:
Nate's technique course!
The ultimate roadmap for creating head-turning piano parts from any chord progression.
Use rhythms, inversions, arpeggios, and alterations to turn clunky chords into beautiful music.
The Piano Chord Breakthoughs practice roadmap helps integrate these techniques into your muscle memory so you can finally find spontaneous, expressive freedom in your piano playing.
About Nate
Growing up in Ithaca, New York, Nate sang before he could talk, and started his piano journey young.
Like many of you, he struggled with "old fashioned" classical lessons, ultimately giving up on boring sheet music before he finished elementary school.
Joining a rock band in middle school changed his life. He started practicing every chance he got, learning chord accompaniment playing from Beatles' songbooks.
Performing the music he loved with his friends ignited a passion for playing and singing that carries through to this day.
Nate went on to spend his early adulthood playing in bands, recording albums, and touring – all while teaching private piano lessons on the side to help pay the bills.
One day, he woke up and realized his passions had flipped. His teaching "day job" had become his primary focus, and was where he wanted to put his energy going forward.
After starting a music school in Brooklyn, NY (Echo City Music Lab), he started posting song tutorial videos on YouTube and hasn't looked back.
Nate now lives in Portland, Oregon with his dog, Vraska (Pit/Cattle Dog Mix).
His mission is to pave the way for adults eager to explore the exciting world of chord-based piano accompaniment.
"Nate has taught me more about music theory, technique and the pure joy of "seasoning and layering" chords than I ever imagined.
The cost of the course is beyond reasonable and so many levels of piano playing can benefit from it. It has enhanced my level and confidence immensely and I look forward to learning more from this humble, thorough and magical instructor!"
- - Lisa F
"I'm so glad I found Nate's course. It is everything it says on the tin. I'm an intermediate piano player, but before this course I had very little ability to improvise and make my pop songs with chords sound fun and great with cool rhythms.
I definitely recommend Piano Chord Breakthroughs if you want to play the songs you love and get more confident at it too!"
- - Neil L
"I am back on track, practicing, being enthusiastic, challenged but supported in a very well-grounded way. Merci!"
- - Marc-André B
"I feel a lot more confident now"
- - John L
"Piano Chord Breakthroughs is exactly what I was looking for! The results are obvious even after just one lesson, I found myself going from simply memorizing songs to actually understanding music. I was able to quickly apply the techniques to songs I already knew as well as develop a routine that allows me to play freely, have fun and make my own music!
I really can't speak highly enough about this course, above and beyond, worth every penny. These lessons truly give you the skills to be able to actually play the piano!"
- - Ashley G
"I performed for the very first time in front of a live audience using Nate's approach.
I would absolutely recommend this Course for anyone interested in playing piano. The course is clear and concise and Nate has some amazing music that you can follow
along and learn for as you go"
- - Marty R
"I've taken classes from other online teachers.
I have learned more from you in two weeks compared to the others in over two years.
I now know how to use the techniques, most importantly, I know why. Thanks Nate, you're truly a great piano teacher."
- - Charles J
"Your course gave me a structured way to learn songs that are significantly more complex than what I could learn before. Also your course gave me a clear way to learn those songs by slowly building up complexity. I think the course has generally made me more comfortable learning songs, and has sparked an interest in music theory.
I recommend this course to beginners who want to improve!"
- - Romain T
"I first tried traditional piano lessons 20 years ago and became unmotivated with the endless scales and Disney songs. I gave up unsatisfied after almost two years. In just 4 months of playing using your course and videos, I am beginning to be able to do what I had originally dreamed about doing. Thanks again, I really appreciate it"
- - Jeff G