About
Making music visible, because sheet music nearly made me give it up
I’m David Lesage: musician, teacher and inventor. I create the tools I wish I’d been given — so no one gives up music for lack of seeing it.
My story
From drums to handpan, by a long detour
I started music at 4, on drums. But from my very first lesson, reading sheet music was forced on me — a language that had, for me, no link to my desire to play. I quit everything to learn self-taught, by ear.
Later, at the National Conservatory, music theory tripped me up again. I left with a drums award, highest honours… yet discouraged by a theory of harmony that didn’t speak to me.
When I discovered the handpan, I hit the same wall: no method, and the difficulty of visually organising the paths of notes. I had up to three handpans to cover the notes of the piano — before meeting the Neotone. And there, a new difficulty: the notes change place with every scale.
So I built the tool I wish I’d been given as a child: a visual approach to harmony, through colours, shapes and emotions — to understand, memorise, and finally sing while accompanying myself on the handpan.
My teaching vision
The handpan, a full-fledged accompaniment instrument
With this approach, the handpan finally takes its place alongside the guitar and the piano. Thanks to the “4 Magic chords” (I-IV-V-VI), anyone can accompany the songs they love within minutes, while approaching theory as a game.
Visible
Colour, geometry and emotion replace jargon. You see music before naming it.
Accessible
Warmth, simplicity, a personal tone. From the curious child to the seasoned musician — I answer personally.
Demanding
Conservatory, studio quality, certified ambassador: the technical proof reassures, never intimidates.
My credentials
Credibility & background
Collaborations & press
Got a project? Let’s talk.
Music education, handpan, my tools — or any other project, even beyond Neotone. Brands, organisers, media, collaborators: the door is open.