An important life lesson my son taught me...

CyberFerret

Power User
About a month ago, my 13 year old son came to me and asked if he could learn to play an acoustic guitar piece by Andy McKee called "Drifting". At the time, he was primarily playing the electric guitar and had not really done much on the acoustic.

I listened to the original piece on Youtube and I actually laughed at my son and told him that the piece was very complex, with tricky two handed tapping and rhythmic slapping that was well beyond his current skill level on the instrument.

I actually told him to wait "another few years" until he gained more mastery over the guitar before he could even attempt to play that piece.

Well, he was undeterred, and went off to learn the piece by himself by watching Andy's video over and over, and also by following along with Andy's instructional videos on Youtube.

Well, not more than a month later, he actually got up in front of his middle school assembly of about 300 of his peers and played the piece in public.

I stood on the sidelines, my heart bursting with pride. I will never again make the mistake of underestimating either of my kids. They are capable of so much more than I *think* they can do.

Here is a video clip that his music teacher made at the performance. I actually am grateful that his teacher encouraged him to play this piece at assembly.

 
I think I saw the light from you gleaming with pride over here in the us :D Nice job Jordan:encouragement:
 
Nice job Jordan! I really liked his response to the little glitch at 1:10, a quick smile to recognize it and then right back into the groove. There are a lot of 'established' guitarists that can't play through a clam with a smile. Great job. :eagerness:
 
Yeah...kids are so much more determined and open for learning than grownups (especially if something has caught their interest)...ever noticed that learning something becomes harder with age?:roll
 
As a parent, I can totally relate to how proud you must be of your son. As a musician..... I can totally relate to how proud you must be of your son!!

That was incredible on so many levels! Thanks for sharing. :)
 
Great story! What a proud moment for not only you the father but him too for taking the challenge and getting it done!

Goodness all around!
 
He did awesome! You suck Cyberferret! I'm reporting you to the Dad commission!

J/K
Your awesome too!! Lesson learned. I laughed at my kids once and told all 3 of them they could not do something ...then they jumped me in our back lot and beat the snot outta me. I will never underestimate them and laugh at them (to their face).
 
Great dedication and talent shown by your son. I'm not familiar with the original, but that was a beautiful performance. Bravo!
 
That's awesome. Your kid is great!

On a side note, I hung out with Andy for a bit the last time periphery came through at their show. I had no idea people in Australia knew who he was. Great dude that guy.
 
Awesome job! Kudos to your son for being able to tackle such a difficult piece in such a short time.

It also makes me realize I need to get my butt in gear. I've been playing for 25 years and don't have the patience to pull that off.
 
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