By David Snyder
Ah, the piano. The moment you read that word, I’m sure a myriad of memories and emotions resurface. The piano has got this funny knack of being the world’s most beloved yet unappreciated instrument. It seems almost everyone has an emotional tie to the piano, like, “My grandmother would always play!” or “I started learning as a kid, but I quit way too soon,” or “Piano music just calms me down.” But at the same time, the piano can easily be underappreciated. To some, the piano has simply become an old relic in their home, a distant memory of traumatic childhood practice routines, and an antiquated approach to modern music.
My experience with the piano has been unequivocally life-changing. I distinctly remember the moment my mom told me I was going to start piano lessons. I was about to run outside into our huge North Dakota backyard when my mom called out, “David, you’re going to start piano lessons after the summer!” The moment my mom finished that sentence, I was filled with a bubbling excitement.
I was your average eight-year-old, living on a farm in the midwest, trying to discover my hobbies, my passions, and my identity amongst a family of ten kids. The piano seemed like the perfect way to really carve my own path. And so I did just that.
I began to take piano lessons with the town’s legendary Mrs. Halverson. Mrs. Halverson was your typical piano teacher; she was a septuagenarian, adored Beethoven, and had a cat named Poco. Mrs. Halverson took me under her strict teaching wings and began placing me in classical piano competitions. She was determined that I would be the student to receive ten consecutive years of competitive superior classical ratings and be awarded the coveted Classical Trophy of Excellence.
It became my mission to make Mrs. Halverson proud. Every year, I competed in classical competitions, and every year, Mrs. Halverson worked to ensure I would receive superior ratings. My life seemed to revolve around the piano and my ability to perform. To our delight, year after year, I received superior ratings. The piano gradually became my identity, and people started calling me “the piano guy.” I loved it.
But deep down inside, I was absolutely torn. When I trained with Mrs. Havlerson, I drilled classical music, but when I came home, I would jam out with my brothers, improvising and playing songs like Seven Nation Army and Don’t Stop Believing. I began to form melodic ideas and started to compose music, but Mr. Halverson didn’t approve of “jamming out” or composition. In her opinion, my time was best spent studying classical music. So, I secretly continued composing while doing my best to make Mrs. Halverson proud of my classical chops. I felt like I was living a double life.
I somehow kept juggling my two musical identities throughout middle school and into high school until everything changed during my senior year. I had finally made it to my tenth year of classical piano competitions – my year to make Mrs. Halverson proud, to prove myself as a serious musician, and to take home my classical trophy of excellence.
Classical competition day arrived, and I began to perform my over-practiced classical repertoire. I flawlessly executed the first piece and then confidently started the second. As I was relishing the perfectly memorized piece, I inadvertently began to improvise some left-hand voicings. The next thing I knew, I had finished the piece, having unintentionally improvised my way through half of it.
I could barely breathe; the tension in the room felt like a million pounds on my chest. I sauntered over to the judge, grabbed my scoring card, and instantly noticed a terrible score. My stomach felt sick, and I immediately ran to the bathroom and cried my eyes out. I felt like I had dismantled myself trying to become what was expected of me, but when the real me came through, it ruined everything. I didn’t just lose a piano competition that day, I lost my identity at the one place I thought I found it – the piano.
Following the competition, I decided to walk away from the piano. After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles, still bitter about the piano. I felt there was no way I could sit at the piano and be good enough; no way I could meet others' expectations of me.
In the midst of this confusion, I met my wife, Amanda, and she changed everything. As I fell in love with Amanda, I began finding inspiration to play the piano again. I distinctly remember one day I was sitting at the piano, trying to muster up the strength to play a classical piece, when Amanda looked at me and said, “David, why don’t you just play for fun?”
Her words shifted my whole outlook on the piano. Suddenly, I began to find joy in the random melodic ideas I had. I started to play classical pieces with a new approach and began to write songs that felt like love, frustration, joy, and heartache. The piano transformed into a tool to express my ideas, my thoughts, my opinions, my dreams. My life began to change.
It was around this time that my career as a pianist began to take off. I started posting videos of myself unabashedly jamming at the piano, performing, releasing my compositions, and sharing my story. Instead of being a source of obligation, the piano became an expression of musical freedom.
I look back at my time with Mrs. Halverson with true gratitude. She got me playing, showed me the beautiful complexity of classical piano, and instilled discipline and excellence into my life. Mrs. Halverson wanted the best for me, and I’m so happy her training brought me to where I am today. For a long time, I thought that I needed the piano to tell me who I was. Now, I’ve found joy in the keys, life in the creation, and therapy in the melodies.
I’m convinced that an acoustic piano holds an intimate beauty and ability to transform atmospheres and uplift individuals. The piano is a magical vessel to play all kinds of music, from classical to pop, to hip hop, to bossa nova, to jazz. What if everyone had a tool like the piano? What if everyone had a medium to be inventive, to create, to truly play?
The piano has undoubtedly changed my life. It’s become a confidant and an avenue of expression that I never knew could exist. I hope everyone has a chance to experience the beauty of getting lost in the music.
David Snyder is a seasoned pianist and composer in Los Angeles, traversing genres by adding hiphop beats, sweeping cinematic hits, and hilarious dance moves to his piano music. His melodic runs and harmonious arpeggios define a unique fusion of classical and mainstream music.
Beyond the stage, David is committed to inspiring young people to embrace music and piano playing. With a diverse resume, he's shared stages with icons like Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Flo Rida, and performed on America’s Got Talent.
With over 10 million music streams, David's influence extends to TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram, where his charm and talent engage his over 425k followers. Through comedic and impressive piano videos, he brings joy to audiences, making pop music into piano music. Step into David Snyder's world, where classical finesse meets inspiration and entertainment, leaving an indelible mark on hearts worldwide.
IG: @david_msnyder, ThePianoSaysItBetter.com.