The "Lady of Spain" Story

It was an ordinary day. The guy I work part-time for at the framing gallery, Keith, had a large suitcase setting on the work table when I came to work. He asked if I could take a look at what was inside and see if I thought it was in good shape. "What is it?" I asked. "Just open it and see," he told me. I opened the case and the smell of "old" came out. It was an accordion! Really pretty red one with white keys. A full size 120 base accordion. Somewhere along the line I had mentioned to him that I played the accordion when I was younger. He said Cindy, his wife, had bought it on eBay to give to her son for Christmas. He's been wanting to learn how to play the accordion for years. Neat gift, really! I pulled it our and strapped it on. Unhooked the bellows and started to play "Lady of Spain." "Yep, seems to be in good condition except for a few minor blemishes. Will make a great gift." Brought back memories from my childhood. Mom and Dad were trying to convince me that I should take lessons on the accordion. Seems like one of my dad's customers at Meiskeys Jewelry Store, where he was the manager, was Mickey Sinopoli and he was a great accordion player and teacher. OK, I guess I'll give it a try. Now, I was only in 5th grade and probably 10 or 11 years old at the time. I was pretty excited I remember, since some of my friends were taking music lessons in school. I first started with a small version of the full size accordion because of my size. It had 25 keys like you would find on a piano on the right side of the instrument and 12 button keys or base keys that were on the left side. For weeks I would have a weekly half-hour lesson then sit in my bedroom in the evening and practice the scale with my right hand and the bass notes with my left hand. At times I would squeeze the side together too fast and get my chin caught in the bellows. Or if I was practicing in my PJs, I had to watch I didn't get anything else caught since you have the instrument sitting in your lap. For about 6 months I practiced and practiced. Learned a few easy songs and played them for my relatives. Then I graduated to a full size accordion. The 120 base type that had 41 treble keys on the right hand and 120 buttons on the left hand. Shiny black with white keys and buttons. Had a few octave push buttons that I could use to change from higher octaves to lower ones. It was HEAVY! All I could do to get it in my lap and strap it on. Probably weighed 40 pounds and I might have been 90-100 pounds in weight. But, I was cool playing all these old time songs. Then, I started to get sick of the accordion. Wasn't fun anymore. I was getting interested in this new music, rock and roll. You needed a guitar to play it and not an accordion. By now I was in junior high school and Mom and Dad saw it coming. They told me I had to stick it out until the end of the summer before I entered 8th grade. There was a big recital for Mickey's students at St. Anne's Church around the corner from our house at the end of the summer. I had to play in the recital and then I could stop if I no longer wanted to play. They were probably getting tired of hearing the same old songs over and over again. I performed well in the recital playing my mom's favorite, "Lady of Spain, I Adore You!" Managed to hold the darn thing in the air for the entire song without dropping it. Applause, applause!! It was over! Mom and Dad were proud. Now I could concentrate on the guitar. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.