Notice: I no longer take music students.  This site is here just for historical reasons. 

Learn Music

Hi, I'm Knute.  I want to show you how to improvise, play "by ear", or learn Jazz.  All three are surprisingly interconnected. Maybe you want to learn to improvise as a way of creating your own songs or for a group.  Maybe you want to be able to pick songs you hear and play them on the piano, changing them a little to make them "yours".  Or maybe you love Jazz but it seems too hard to play.  I want to help you with any or all of these things.  Click on Lessons above.

Sheet Music

Do you write songs but don't know how write the music for it?  Or maybe you want nice sheet music typeset for your song.  I can do that.  Click on Transcriptions above.

About Me

I've been playing music for almost 50 years. When I was five I would play the piano.  I had no lessons so like any kid, I would make up songs.  I was improvising and creating!  At 12 I started formal lessons but I never stopped creating my own songs.  As a teen, I would pick up songs from the radio (Elton John was popular at the time).  I wouldn't buy much sheet music for Pop songs -- which was sometimes inaccurate anyway -- I would listen and learn by ear.

I went to college to earn a music degree.  During that time I learned music theory and played in several Jazz bands. Outside of college I was playing professionally, mostly with a four piece Pop/Jazz/Fusion group.  Theses days I play for my church and with comedy improv groups.

Knute Snortum - knute (at) snortum (dot) net