Instruments

Currently I play 2 different instruments - melodeon, and organ.

Melodeon

Melodeon are also called button accordions, button boxes, squeezeboxes, and so on. As the name suggests, it is an accordion only with buttons as opposed to piano keys. Another big difference is that with a melodeon, you get DIFFERENT notes pushing/pulling while holding a certain button. (Unlike accordion, where you get the same note.

Most commonly, these are played for Morris dance performances and English folk tunes in general. They work very well for this purpose as they transport easily and are LOUD. (Very important that the sound carries over sticks clashing, bells ringing, and hollering!)

I've never taken lessons, but this instrument is very easy to get the hang of. Once you get the vasic technique down, you can play pretty much anything... Much easier than keyboard!

Pipe Organ

I attended Cleveland High School, which happens to be home to a 3/22 Kimball Theatre Pipe Organ in the auditorium. For the longest time I had no idea this instrument even existed! One day, many years ago, well-known organist Jonas Nordwall accompanied the Cleveland "A" Choir on that organ for Handel's Hallelujah Chorus during our winter concert. After hearing that instrument for the first time ever, it was pretty safe to say I've been hooked ever since then.

Less than a year later, I did a little research and starting taking lessons from Donna Parker. She is also a well-known organist and longtime friend/business partner of Jonas'. This was (and honestly still is) a great challenge coming from a background without piano or music theory.

But I stuck with it and soon realized I'd need something to practice on at home. Fortunately, home organs (electronic systems) are relatively easy to come by in the organ world, so a little time, patience, and searching was about all it took. Several months later, I came into posession of a 1960s-era, 2-manual Allen classical organ. I was very excited about this!

This organ has now lived in 2 different houses, and now curently resides here.

Nowadays I'm certainly no expert/maestro/keyboard wizard, but rest assured I'll get there someday...I hope... Having since taken up other instruments, I don't play quite as often as I used to, but my interest is still very much there.