A Bit Of An Update On My Guitar Hero

[developer]

I've had a couple of people ask about my lad Greg and how he's doing with his music (I've posted about him on here a couple of times before).

Conscious that the forum membership evolves, I'll give a brief background, however, apologies to those that have heard this before...

Greg (who is 19) is on the autistic spectrum and has difficulty with social interaction and communication, usually preferring to stay silent - however, behind his guitar he's a different person.

Recently he's begun to write his own stuff - he does the music and his mom helps him with the lyrics.

Here's his latest, which he performed last night - I hope you enjoy it.
[YOUTUBE]DpopaisG2dY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[grober]

Sorry but comes up "This video is private" .

ps tell him to have a look at that Rory Block video I posted over on what's everyone listening to bet he will enjoy it.

 

[daveenty]

Can't view video John?

Coming up as private.

 

[Dieselman]

Sorry but comes up "This video is private" .

Can't view video John?

Coming up as private.

Perhaps John linked to one of his favorite xhamster video's by mistake.

 

[developer]

Sorry guys - see if it works now.

 

[daveenty]

You should be deservedly proud.

 

[RWDpetrol]

I've just bought my 15 year old daughter her first guitar and some lessons. I'd be very proud if she ends up playing anywhere near as good as that.

 

[Giantvanman]

Excellent. If it isn't too intrusive a question, does he want to do this for a living?

 

[developer]

Excellent. If it isn't too intrusive a question, does he want to do this for a living?

That's a toughie (but not at all intrusive) - hopefully he'll keep it up and by the time he's say around 25, there may be session musician opportunities or the like.

He's a very ego free player so would respond well to doing set pieces.

 

[RWDpetrol]

He's a very ego free player so would respond well to doing set pieces.

Or teaching 1-2-1? £16.50 for 30 min!

 

[abecketts]

He's very good do keep encouraging him

Session musician is a potentially tough gig, my elder cousin has been one for years, he's had some great times working with Robert Plant, Caravan and Nigel Kennedy but the down time can be a challenge for him.

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

There is also deputising for players for weddings etc - my other half is a singer of reasonable standing and often supplements her income (mainly premium product launches, new RR in Dubai, Swaroski in Hong Kong, Louis Vuitton in London, etc) with £250 for a decent wedding band deputising. She can pretty much guarantee 2 of these a month when she has downtime.

 

[Giantvanman]

That's a toughie (but not at all intrusive) - hopefully he'll keep it up and by the time he's say around 25, there may be session musician opportunities or the like.

He's a very ego free player so would respond well to doing set pieces.

Whew. Was a bit concerned I stepped over the mark.

Clearly your son is talented and I hope he will be very successful if he chooses this career path. I wish him all the best in his endeavours and please thank him; as an acoustic guitarist with tiny talent, I enjoyed his set very much.

 

[Mr E]

There is also deputising for players for weddings etc - my other half is a singer of reasonable standing and often supplements her income (mainly premium product launches, new RR in Dubai, Swaroski in Hong Kong, Louis Vuitton in London, etc) with £250 for a decent wedding band deputising. She can pretty much guarantee 2 of these a month when she has downtime.

Depping as a singer is not too bad - as an instrumentalist is a little more difficult. You normally need to be able to play charts straight off which doesn't sound too bad, but try it with less than 24hrs notice in front of 1500 people!

The sad thing is, there are many more good players then there are opportunities. Years of gigging see me depping with bands I know well, plus recommendations - I won't go through the hassle for less than £500 and usually much more.

Just let laddo enjoy himself - there's far more fun in that!

 

[developer]

I wish him all the best in his endeavours and please thank him; as an acoustic guitarist with tiny talent, I enjoyed his set very much.

That's very kind of you - thanks very much .

 

[cp3377]

Really enjoyed watching that. Greg is clearly very talented and it's great that he can perform so well in front of a crowd too. My 8 yr old is about to start learning - I can only hope he enjoys it and would be delighted if he could play half as well as Greg in 10 years - let alone write his own stuff too. You should be very proud.

 

[ss201]

Well done to your son and to you too for encouraging him. The more he plays live, the better he'll get and his confidence will grow. Learning an instrument will see him enjoy many good times in years to come - especially if all his mates can play is a computer game!

 

[developer]

Really enjoyed watching that. Greg is clearly very talented and it's great that he can perform so well in front of a crowd too. My 8 yr old is about to start learning - I can only hope he enjoys it and would be delighted if he could play half as well as Greg in 10 years - let alone write his own stuff too. You should be very proud.

Thank you - we certainly are.

Regarding your son (and being aware it's early days for him) my lad's teacher said that there would come a point where he should play to an audience, probably at an open mic.

He said that it will go one of two ways - he'd either love it and carry on performing, or it would terrify him and he'd never do it again.

Luckily it was the former .

 

[DSM10000]

For anyone to stand up and perform in front of a group of people takes courage, your son also has clear skills and talent.

You must be rightly proud of his achievement, best wishes for his continued success and happiness in his love of music and his future!

 

[norfolkngood]

Agree with the above - as an aspiring guitarist hampered by joint problems (starting to play in mid-50s is at least 40 years too late!) I can only admire your lad's obvious talent.

Encourage him to keep playing and not get locked into a specific genre - working musos have to be able to play all styles to make a living, be it metal, rock or jazz or anything in between.

For inspiration a watch of Tommy Emmanuel's youtube vids is worthwhile or treat him to any of the DVDs ("Center Stage" was my Xmas pressie).