Does anyone play recorder?

[cotten]

Thanks, we will! Then we're moving to a 6-ringer, 12-bell ensemble for the Summer. No tables or pads or accidentals, just music stands, with a high emphasis on nuanced ringing to keep it from getting boring. That's going to be fun, too!

cotten

[Dakell]

Three weeks ago my wife and I went from Texas to North Carolina to see an aunt of mine who is terminal with cancer. We stayed with my cousin who is married to a wealthy guy who inherited a 400+ acre tobacco farm at the foot of Pilot Mountain when he was 15. He used money from the crops to put himself through college to become a PhD in nuclear physics. They are quite well off financially and decided several years ago to add to their own 3 kids by adopting three brothers out of an abusive situation with parents who were druggies and starved their kids as punishment. They are giving those boys an excellent shot at a new life despite the behavioral problems they act out with.

During our visit one of the boys, 10 year old Jordan, was fascinated with my guitar and kept asking me to play it. We went into his room where he told me "I can play a recorder". He got out one of those plastic things and I thought I was in for the typical ear burning squeaks and flat noted where you could vaguely pick out the tune being played. Man was I wrong. The boy could actually PLAY it. He wanted me to teach him something on guitar. His slight stature meant he could barely get his arms around the guitar but I showed him a D chord anyway. I was impressed with how quickly he learned it and actually soon developed an acceptable strumming rhythm. We moved on to a G chord which was a big stretch for his small hands but he managed it. The kid was a sponge as far as picking up what I showed him.

The next day I heard my guitar being played. I went back to our bedroom to see he had gotten the guitar out of the case and was doing his D chord strumming again. My cousin told me the boys have no concept of personal property and asking permission. After telling him never to get the guitar without me there I sat down to listen to him strum. I was utterly amazed that he remembered both chords overnight. He started out improvising his own fingerings all the way up the neck. I began to wonder if he was a reincarnation of some long departed black blues musician. He told me he wanted a guitar. I found a link online to a Yamaha FG junior guitar and gave it to my cousin to consider buying for him. After all, their 2 teenage kids each have their own new fully equipped Ford Explorers. She said they'd consider it. I told her about his unbelievable memory of what I showed him to play. She asked me if I could give him Skype video chat lessons to which I immediately agreed.

Jordan and I jammed a few times with him on recorder and me trying to improvise chords for him. It was a blast for the little guy. Hopefully I helped develop a talent in him that will continue. We'll see...

[Corgle]

no