About

I am Chris Allen self-taught solo pianist. My journey with the piano started in 1985, I was 17 and I was out hiking near the Koolau’s in Kaneohe, I actually found a cassette tape of George Winston in an abandoned building from years before.

I took it home and listened to it, that was all it took, the music that George played was incredible, I did not know that piano music could sound like that. I looked for other piano music that was like George Winston and I found Jim Brickman. It was George and Jim that set me on the path to learn the piano.

Since I did not have any money for a piano and my parents did not either, I had to be content with listening to George’s music and I did that a lot. I think it actually helped me because his songs were embedded in my Memories from listening to his music so many times.

In the late 1990’s I bought a radio Shack electric piano, it was not a full-size keyboard, and the piano sound was not that good, but it got me started, I started to teach myself certain songs from George Winston, the first one I learned was Thanksgiving.

I would just kind of play by ear and soon I was able to play a lot of George’s songs. I found that after learning a song that I was able to create one of my own in that same key. About a year after getting that piano I had a friend Scot Nelson how had just bought a Yamaha P-80 and I would go over to his house with my brother-in-law Dan and I would play his piano, just fooling around. That is when I was able to really create some good piano pieces and both Scot and Dan were amazed and they both even commented when did you learn how to play the piano.

Not long after that Scot bought another piano and gave me the Yamaha P-80 and I started creating more and more music and the rest is history. Now I listen to what ever piano music touches me and so far, the ones I like the best are. George Winston, Loubomere Melnick and Kirilo.

I live in Mountain View Hawaii with my wife and my family.