The Worship Keys Podcast Simplicity and Production with Chris Tomlin's Keys Player
In this episode, we welcome Matt Gilder to the Worship Keys podcast, with sponsorship from Aerospace Audio, to discuss Matt’s journey from growing up in Southeast Texas playing church piano to touring and producing, including nearly 20 years as keyboardist for Chris Tomlin since a 2006 session at Blackbird. Matt shares how ear training and the Nashville Number System shaped his musicianship, his early band Among Thorns, and how learning tracks and software opened doors. He breaks down his live rig evolution (Roland V-Piano, controller, MainStage, Ableton, redundancy, and iConnect solutions), offers advice on choosing inspiring gear, and emphasizes simplicity, listening, and playing for the room. They discuss handling big-stage energy, building trust and longevity with an artist, prioritizing creating and finishing music, and maintaining faith amid public ministry failures by focusing on integrity and healthy community.
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