Over the years many people have asked me to talk about my PIANO playing:
to share my experiences and insights. To that end I dedicate this blog!

A bit about my history:
I began with drum lessons at age 5. I definitley liked it, but something else was calling..like for instance...the Beatles!  They blew my wittle mind out in a car!...my dad's car..on the radio... and I wanted to "be that" when I grew up. Now I couldn't very well write songs like that at the drums so...there had to be another instrument that made..well...chord and melody  sounds.

3 years later:

Christmas..snow-bound at Aunt Pinky (nickname: I still dont know her real name) and Uncle Joe's in South Philly...trading presents...my parents pull out a big box and hand it to me...I'm spellbound with anticipation as I tare into the wrapping: A Magnus air-powered Organ!!!!....ahhhhhhhh!
Truly I say unto you, I did not get off that thing all night....EVEN after they unplugged it!!

3 MORE years later:

I've been bugging Mom and Dad for a professional organ...for two years and 350 days (took two weeks to wear out the Magnus) ...a real one with pedals and two manuals ... I  actually cryed
'til they believed I was serious : o (   One day I return home from school...head to the basement for my after-school music-listening session...and... there it is! A brand-spanking new ORGAN...with pedals!! a-a-and..t-t-t-two manuals! wooooh... Once again...don't get off it for...days ...play 'til I drop...

Enter my FIRST real music lessons:
She worked for the organ Co we bought my organ from...Wurlitzer in Center City Philadelphia..I dont remember her name, rank OR serial number but..let me tell you!
She ruled her gustapo-inspired teaching sessions with an iron fist....and a wooden ruler!!  yyy-ouch!!! I gotta use those hands your wackin' wit 'dat ruler, lady!...kinda like a  gustapo-inspired catholic nun/teacher I once encountered...after two of those ...experiences, along comes ...the Dans'!

let's ...DANs
...now there's a name that changed my life. Both my pre-college teachers where
Dans'...the first Dan, well, he got me off the ground.. got me playing things like
auld lang syne and other such classic tunes.... meanwhile I couldnt help making
little melodies up and trying to learn pop stuff off records. Alot of my ear-training
came from simply sitting down with a record and learning the tune note-for note...nothing can replace that training for sure! I once learned the entire Yes song 'Close to The Edge' and Keith Emerson's 'Fugue'  both from the recording.  

So, at this point it's been two years with Dan and..well..my parents couldnt tell the difference bwteen me and the teacher..SO... enter Dan no 2. Now Dan Desiderio is a world renown classical..accordionist..travelled the entire globe many times over.
My parents knew him and thought he would be good for me....
and since I wanted to play like my heros (Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson) a classical teacher like Dan was def good idea!

Here is a recent vid of my arrangement of  Harry Warren's Chattanooga Choo Choo!

Find more videos like this on world of wiffledust