The piano we have now has a recording feature that Gabriel uses a lot. First he records something:
Then he plays it back and plays another part. Sort of like being your own band.
I'm really at a loss how to help him develop this interest. Piano lessons seems the obvious choice, but he doesn't want lessons, or thinks he doesn't need them. His playing is pretty sporadic anyway -- he goes in phases in which he plays a lot, then doesn't, then a whole bunch of new compositions come out (like in the videos above). Piano lessons are more of a regular, committed thing. He would benefit tremendously from the training, but we're not going to force him. I regularly remind him that if he wants to take lessons, we'll totally support it.
It was really fun watching him sort-of jam with his cousin playing on recorder.
Though, his cousin is really more of a front-man vocals guy, and prefers Guns'n'Roses to blues.
I wonder if there are kid-blues guitarists and singers out there who'd like to start a kid-jam band!
7/2/11
2 comments:
Gabriel's piano playing is really quite extraordinary. I wonder if Robert Kennedy would be willing to show him a few things? Not lessons per se, but just a few hints and techniques, another couple chord progressions, etc. I'm sure Gabriel would absorb it like a sponge.
There are also tons of "how to play blues piano" videos on YouTube. Do you let Gabe fart around on YouTube, or is that too dangerous?
Louise -- great idea on the YouTube. My classical pianist mother says she uses that a lot actually! Dave's shown him some of those videos, but we should try again. He's pretty resistant to instruction, though we've thought many times a one-on-one with Robert would be great.
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