I’m Dan Konefal from Pittsburgh, PA, musician at large and all-around good guy. Heard lots of music growing up. Rock ‘n roll on 45’s on the record player and on the radio, Gregorian chant at church and other worship music. Liked going up into the choir loft with Dad and watch the organist. Seemed like he was operating a rocket ship. Multiple keyboards, pedals and the volume pedals that would activate the bellows in the back room. I’d venture back there and marvel at the volume and the mechanics of that monster. My parents insisted all us 5 kids play a musical instrument. My brother was the oldest and played the sousaphone. Sister #1 clarinet and guitar, sister #2 piano and sister #3 piano and trumpet. My middle sister was a good reader and could play lots of classical pieces very well. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t play like her. Couldn’t read rhythm too well but it was never explained to me plus I preferred being outside playing baseball. Had nun teachers at the grade school that helped a bit but looking at a piece of paper to derive music from it was puzzling but being an obedient child for the most part, I didn’t question anything. I was a kid, didn’t know anything and had parents who fed me, gave me a place to sleep and protected me so I knew they had my best interests at heart. Rocking the boat didn’t seem to be a good idea.
Had my first recital when I was 10. Played a couple of pieces down at the Knights of Columbus in the dining hall. I had nervous energy but was able to control it. Got through the pieces, didn’t play them perfectly but close enough. Didn’t seem that anyone noticed the goof ups so I escaped unscathed and more confident. Wanted to quit lessons a couple of years later but Dad wouldn’t let me. I wanted to play pop tunes and more modern music but the nuns kept me on a steady diet of classical tunes. It was read, read, read but I never understood what I was playing. Hated not knowing. Didn’t really know where I wanted to go musically but I knew I didn’t like being confined to reading only classical music but the deal I made with Dad was that I would continue taking lessons through the 8th grade. Did that and piano lessons were a thing of the past. High school band came around and I picked up flute, piccolo for marching band. Knew how to read music somewhat, knew my scales so transitioning to the flute wasn’t that big of a deal. Was featured soloist in the spring concerts my junior and senior year. Messed around with an alto saxophone my last couple years of high school. Didn’t know anything about the correct embouchure but I liked whatever sound I could get out of it. Started a stage band with fellow band members, found some old charts of tunes I had never heard of but I liked the sense of exploration, that I was finding something new, hip and cool. Played at a couple of school events. Nothing worth mentioning but it was a starting point. Saw Maynard Ferguson at a local high school. His sax section conducted a clinic. They were a baritone sax, 2 tenors, 2 altos and blew some intricate parts. Very exciting to a kid who didn’t know anything but I liked how everything sounded.
Decided that I wanted to learn more about music so off I went to Duquesne University as a flute major and piano minor. Made 2nd chair alto sax in the jazz ensemble. Didn’t know how I did that because I really couldn’t play that well but those in charge saw/heard something in me that they thought was good. I begged off after a couple of rehearsals because I wasn’t good enough. The notes on the chart were coming at me at warp speed and I couldn’t keep up. There was a 2nd jazz ensemble, kind of a minor league affiliate that was a better fit. Still wasn’t that good on that horn but I hung in there anyway. Sophomore year, I had piano class. I always had fast hands and agile fingers. The lessons I had as a youngster kind of kicked in and with the additional knowledge from high school and college, piano started to become a lot easier. Wanted to change to being a piano major but the dean said that I would have to repeat freshman year. Put the kibosh on that real quick. Didn’t want to stick around the extra year.
My senior year, I heard one of my classmates, Crazy Ray, playing some nice jazz chords. Asked him about it. He referred me to Frank Cunimondo. After a couple of years, Frank had imparted all of his knowledge, said that I had 20 years experience. Amazing but it turned out to be true. I have to term it the turning point in my life because from that point, everything made sense. Classical music became easy to understand. Nothing was a mystery. Frank told me to go out and play and gain experience. I’ve been doing that and then some since. I worked locally in dance bands in Pittsburgh, traveled with other bands which took me to Atlantic City, Miami, the midwest and Las Vegas. Worked in various venues here and there and kept on learning. Picked up bass guitar and was playing in a band in 4 weeks. Already knew the theory of bass playing, had done it my left hand on the piano. Just had to move it over to the bass. Got blisters at the beginning from overzealous practicing but healed up fine. Learned how to thump a la Louis Johnson and became a fan of Jaco Pastorius. My audio page has samples of my playing, original compositions and some other things. Piano is the gateway instrument. It all starts there.
