My 9-year old son Shaun busked with us on Saturday at the Double Decker Festival. Big fun! Given how little practice time he's put in, and especially given the fact that he had never played with other musicians, I was blown away by his poise. What you can't see is the big crowd that gathered the moment he began blasting away.
Of course, I'd forgotten to tell him about how to lay out when the singer sings, so he keeps blasting along. But it's a good note, and he played it well. We'll add the other notes by and by.
I keep reminding myself that Louis Armstrong didn't touch a horn until he was 12.
Within a minute after I'd paid him, Shaun insisted that he was now a part of the Blues Doctors. Within five minutes he was telling everybody that he deserved more money and that the money we made on Saturday had REALLY come in because of him. It's stunning how quickly they figure out what it means to be a musician......
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Apr 27, 2015 2:43 PM
I'm not a father, but it's already been a dream of mine that my eventual offspring might be interested in music or other hobbies that I'm passionate about.
It must be really satisfying to play music with your son. Congratulations! ---------- Ridge's YouTube
Big fat sound that lad has. I hope you gave him a decent share of the extra coins which he brought in. ---------- Tony Eyers Australia www.HarmonicaAcademy.com everyone plays...
Awesome - a solid riff goes a long way. Amazing confidence on display.
I've often tried to convince my daughters to play along with me (at home) but so far my harmonica playing has only served to encourage them to play other instruments...
Good, solid tonguing, nice tone, and the start of what will be a great vibrato. For his age, that was very impressive playing.
Also, he never gets lost. Even with a simple riff like that, it could easily have been a train wreck, but he held it together for the entire song.
If I lived closer to you, I'd be angling for a student right now.
Not to be overlooked is a father that has the spine to include his son in the show before he is a fully developed musician. We all know the good that does and the necessity to play with better musicians, but kudos to you, Adam, for encouraging his musicianship in such a real-world way.
That sounds awesome and impressive. He's got a great feeling for groove and in my opinion that's the absolute backbone to what constitutes music. He shows that it's not what notes you play it's how you play them and how you can create awesome music using only one or two notes. So great to see that you've (?) given him such a solid foundation.
Last Edited by Dragonbreath on Apr 28, 2015 4:58 AM
Thanks, Steve (and everybody). I'm glad you pointed out the vibrato. One day somebody--a tech in a music store, I think--showed him that. But he hasn't been practicing it. It just emerged, on the spot. He's also never shown that kind of endurance in being able to keep on blasting for four or five minutes. That, too, augurs well for his future: he got into the groove, got into the situational requirements of the music, and kept on hitting it without complaint.
I not only gave him the big handful of bills (including a $5) that you see here, but I did the same thing when he sat in on the next set in the same way. And then I let him count the money--$5 to me, $5 to Alan--and gave him $1 for every $10 he counted out.
Again, giving him that foundational experience--making music with other musicians, making music in public, and making quick money--may be a devil's bargain. But we'll see.
I'm content to move slowly on the trumpet thing. He's got a foundation of basic competence.
FYI, I tried to play the thing and it's much harder than it looks. I figured that my 40 years as an embouchure player on harp would give me a leg up, but it didn't.
Wow! I played trumpet thru school as well and I'm impressed. I hear full rich tone and good breath control. Even when he falls of the note it sounds controlled and intentional. He looks comfortable. Good to see him holding the horn up level.
I know two bands that have trumpet players that double on harp. My trumpet chops are behind now and I'm afraid it will compromise my harp playing. Might be silly...dunno?
---------- www.facebook.com/catfishfryeband
Last Edited by harpdude61 on Apr 28, 2015 8:16 AM
My 10 year old is learning button accordion, which I play as well (I've got 10, mostly Hohners, it's getting out of hand). I busk a fair bit, I'm planning to take him when he's got a few tunes ready. Not sure how I'll manage the split, but anticipate a significant cash flow increase once he joins the act.
Music aside, he takes after his mother, and hence looks far better than I do. That should help. ---------- Tony Eyers Australia www.HarmonicaAcademy.com everyone plays...
I like his tone and his poise. And it is tough getting any noise out of a trumpet or sax unless you know what you are doing, much less recognizable notes. A good start. Congratulations!
