(Note: Anybody reading “The Keys Are In It” may now proceed to Part Eight.)

Wednesday night Benjamin did something that I thought warranted sharing in the form of an audio file. When I asked him if he would like for me to share it, he said, “Yes.”

Now five years old, Ben says rock ‘n’ roll is his favorite type of music. He’s also a sucker for big band and pretty much anything his mother and I sing to him, but he requests rock ‘n’ roll more than any other. Sometimes, his specificity leaves a little to be desired.

In fact, earlier this week after I sang him a traditional lullaby, he asked for Shannon to come in and sing to him.

“What would you like me to sing?” Shannon said.

“Daughtry,” Ben replied.

And, God love her, she sang part of one of his slower tunes.

Here now is Ben performing two songs he composed all by himself, on a great little guitar we bought him for his birthday (nod to Charles for the consumer tips). First is an instrumental that features Ben on recorder and on guitar (at the same time), and then he does a little ditty with vocals and guitar. The second track contains both the soft and loud versions.

Instrumental Number One (0:16)

Rock Band Goin’ On (0:44)
(remember, he sings it softly the first time, and MUCH louder the next)

The recorder belonged to Benjamin’s local grandfather until we pulled it from his attic. The guitar is tuned to open G, meaning he can play a chord without putting any fingers on the fretboard.