myclaystation

myclaystation
Music Defines My Life

My family had a music store. My maternal great-grandfather founded the store and then my grandfather (an artist and cartoonist – more about that later) joined him in running the store. Subsequently my uncle, mother and father carried on the family tradition. None of my cousins nor my brother had any interest in the store. Me…I loved it!

We didn’t sell records, we sold musical instruments and sheet music. We had the largest selection of sheet music in the county. The local schools would rent/buy their band instruments from us…and we sold organs and pianos. It was a noisy store that music reverberated from constantly. The good, the bad and the awful!

I remember at one time we had this huge pipe organ that I loved to sit at and see what kind of strange sounds I could get it to make. Until I was told to stop since I was surely annoying the customers.

But what I remember and loved the most were the pianos. The beautiful, beautiful pianos. All kinds…spinets, uprights, player pianos and the granddaddy of them all…the grand piano. Oh how I loved the grand pianos. Especially the beautiful, glossy, black grand pianos. The sounds they made were incredible. I couldn’t get enough. I took piano lessons for about ten years. Not enough to be really good, but enough to really enjoy the experience.

With so many pianos (and there were a lot) they used to have to be tuned regularly. So it seemed to me an almost constant sound in my ear listening to the piano tuners pound on one key at time…over and over and over again. When I eventually worked in the family store, that sound was music to my ears. In fact, I think that sound is what made me so aware of pitch and to appreciate a singer who could stay on pitch. I’m no vocal coach, nor any kind of musical expert, but after years of listening I can tell when a singer goes off key and off pitch. Now that’s not unusual for many, but for me it’s like chalk on a blackboard.

This brings me back to Clay Aiken. Rarely have I ever heard him go off pitch. Most people who sing off pitch are usually singing flat or just below the note or at least that’s how I understand it. For me, Clay is ear candy and I’m never disappointed.

Then, last summer, I got the most wonderful surprise. Clay played the piano. Just for me! LOL Well, ok, me and a few thousand others. Clay is a singer…not a piano player, but yet he sat at the keyboard and played a lovely accompaniment to his version of Love Me Tender during the Jukebox Tour. Rejoice…my loves collided and I was ecstatic! He couldn’t have been any cuter or more sincere and beautiful and I loved him even more…if that’s possible. Concentrating so hard and singing so beautifully. He could have been playing Chopin because for me, it was that beautiful Take a look…



















Thanks to Karen Eh for the great pic. And thanks to PermaSwooned for the previous pic.

If I ever figure out how to add video then you can hear this special performance.

Of course, when Clay decides to jump on top of the piano and wail...it doesn't get much better. We'll talk!!!


















Thanks to clayniac2 for the great pic.

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