I took the idea of doing concerts using our Piano-Keyboard Hour format on SPECIAL EVENT DAYS from the Fletcher Music company that Dorothy and I worked from 1996 onward. Fletcher sold Lowrey and Technics organs among less known brands but they catered to retired seniors and did “outreach” concerts to the retirement communities where Dorothy and me got started playing in front of retired groups with great success. We would encourage people to sign up for a drawing for free lessons and get them into the store where after awhile they’d buy an organ! Bingo. Dorothy called it “wine, dine and sign”. She was great at it. I’ve edited our hour down to 10 minutes here.
[MP3 HOTLINK Audio only] [MP4 video] [Other formats]
Galway Piper - Dorothy starts with a flute on the keyboard along with her bass/percussion background programmed into the Yamaha E433 then turns the solo over to Rick on the digital 88 key Casio Privia PR555X piano.
Same Old Shilala - Dorothy starts out with a new background rhythm with the 6/8 lilt needed here and leads with the accordian. Rick takes it with an 88 key piano then it goes back to Dorothy. We decided to not sing these since we had enough work just prepping the instrumentals, but they would work fine as sing alongs.
Sweet Rosie O’Gradie - Dorothy’s flute playing on the keyboard is expert here played just like a flautist would play it! No percussion here but a nice string background.
H.A.R.R.I.G.A.N. - Dorothy’s on the house-piano now, a little out of tune but good enough. Both of us play pianos here with no other accompaniment and now I think I should have included mics but it’s a whole other set up for those. Dorothy’s voice was loud enough to carry this anyway.
It’s a Great Day for the Irish - Dorothy gets lyrics in her over the loud pianos and we take turns doing the lead with her on “strings” as if in an orchestra and Rick on the digital Casio piano. It’s great fun throwing the lead back and forth.
RETROSPECTIVE
I'm doing my 30 year memoires with Dorothy including audio/video. It really helps me deal with the loss. I think we must have done over 100 shows together and worked about a half dozen different piano stores here in Arizona, and taught hundreds of students together in-store and privately for fees. I must posted about 300 videos our concerts and another 300 of each of us individually to Youtube. I created a 20-book teaching system based on her methods for her and 20 book-system based on my methods for my years at Guitar Center... each a bit different but same basic ideas. I also invented the Rick & Dorothy Piano-Keyboard Hour for retirement residences that we ran for six years here, based on my vision of having her on 88-key piano and me on keyboard ensemble with bass and percussion and a lead instrument, or vice versa. I learned a lot. Now here I am. Everything ground to a halt in March 2020 with the COVID shutdowns and Dorothy's leg-down on health problems in the same month.
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