Jul 24 2008
Rock Band Ben
(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.
Wow. A star is born!
Wow…. he’s doing REAL well!!!
Do you have any musical training Mark?
BTW, my blog post about my job/careers is WAY far from over! I barely scratched 10%
That is hilarious AND good! They say a child that you find singing is one happy child. Need I say more???
Pops - No doubt. I think the first part is slightly Dylan-esque.
Dave - He’s giving it his all, that’s for sure. I personally can’t get enough of it, but then again, he’s my son, so I’m sure I’m biased.
To answer your question… I was in recorder band in 5th grade and then Beginner Band in 6th grade. That was a solid start to my musical training that continued for another six years. In band, of course. It was a great foundation, and I should remember that instead of missing playing in a band like that, I can direct those years of learning toward some other musical pursuit.
Anna - A word that definitely fits Benjamin is “happy.” Thanks for the nice comments.
Biased? Towards your own son? Well… maybe.
Never mind the rock back, that kid’s got it going on! Able to play a recorder and a guitar at the SAME time? Astounding. And so willing to obey the prompt to play it louder the second time.
I like how he asked if you were going to put it on the TV now. Did he mean the computer? That kid’s got talent, I tell ya.
Simon - I think when he realized how much I was enjoying it, he was glad I asked him to sing louder. I could almost feel the excitement in his voice. I certainly could hear it.
I think he said that bit about putting it on TV because sometimes after recording him, I’ll plug the digital voice recorder’s headphone jack into a wire I have going into our receiver, which sits below the TV. Then his performance comes out of the same system we often use when we watch TV.
I played this on my headphones at work a few times and then again in my car upon leaving same. I couldn’t help laughing out loud and brimming with daddy pride all at the same time.
It’s a unique thing, watching our little ones come up in this world, and I have no doubt that parts of my brain that lay dormant before Benjamin came along would light up a CT scan now. Or an MRI, or whatever they use these days.
Magic, Mark. These days they use magic to look at various parts of your brain. And I certainly know about the brimming part.
MD…Sounds good. I can tell he’s into it.
Remember that if he can get his pointer finger all the way across the fretboard, he can make a bar chord and change notes.
Alot of the old blues guys tuned to open G or E and played with a slide.
If you can just get him to try, his hands will get stronger really quickly.
“Got a rock band goin’ on” Catchy…