Music Lessons in Green Mountain Falls, CO

Instruments: Accordion

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
I learned to play quickly when I started, most likely because my sister and father were playing and I heard music all the time. Like most kids, I found practice to be boring and difficult. I learned backwards, I played mostly by ear and would practice parts of classical songs until I got them right and then put them all together. I did not understand chord structure although I could play Mozart. When I began studying with Chelso Ferrari, he opened up a new world to me. It wasn't that he played better than my other teachers, which he did. But he showed me how certain chord enhancements changed the sound of almost any song! My playing got better after one lesson (I was already very advanced on the bass left hand) He showed me that I intrinsically knew what I couldn't understand technically. Then I learned what I was doing by rote and I had to really re-learn what I knew already. Then I could take any song I knew and enhance it.

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
The first big one was when I played Mozart's Rondo Ala Turk at a talent contest when I was 10 years old. I was always asked to join other kids playing instruments and the neighbors had their children take lessons from me. When I conquered (that's the only word I can use) Malaguena at twelve, I was very happy with myself and all the neighbors and friends were telling me how great I was. I went through a period of plateau, then I played in a couple or rock bands and wedding bands. I became bored when my aunt told me that I should take lessons from Chelso Ferrari - It changed the way I played and gave me a way to make money for school. But just the accomplishment of learning how to play jazz chords, is what I am most proud of.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
It was Malaguena but I've lost a little bit of my speed. I'm 72 years old. Although, I can play songs like But Beautiful, So In Love, Moonlight Serenade, very well. I have a couple of 'fake' books that I put together on my own that work well as dinner music, wedding music, club music. I believe I can play many of the songs as well as my deceased teacher, which is saying a lot.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
My father was a professional trumpet player, my sister played piano and won the Miss New York contest 2nd place, my aunt, uncle and cousin played trumpet, piano, accordion, saxophone, clarinet and bass as a group for fifty years. I played with all of them on occasion. However, when I played club dates or weddings I worked through the musician's union local 802 or various bookers. I started on accordion when I was six years old and played in school, at local talent shows and learned from a number of teachers. When I was eighteen I studied with a great teacher and accordionist, Chelso Ferrari. He taught me how to play full chords from fake books utilizing jazz sequences and transposing major, minor, and seventh chords into augmented fifths, sixths, major sevenths, and primarily diminished sevenths.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
It was known in the neighborhood that I could play well, so I was hired to play a couple of (very poor) weddings when I was about 14. Then by word of mouth and recommendation of my final teacher I played lots of weddings, barmitzvahs etc.

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