3 replies to this topic

[Nvyseal]

Here's an amazing beginning to an end of a really great story for a kid named Justus.

One night i was chilling watching TV and listening to tweets on twitter Ashton Kutcher tweets and posts up a small video he took with his phone cam about this kid on the streets of Philadelphia playing a fiddle, quite well i might say.



A director from NBC saw the youtube video and put out a search for Justus. They found him playing on the street corners as usual. (Please watch the three short videos in the jump)

Justus is a self-taught musician who's been playing the violin for less than two years. His explanation for how he picked it up so fast?

"I guess my fingers are just used to it because I play a lot of Guitar Hero," said Justus.

Less than 15 days after aplusk's (Ashton Kutcher) video was posted Justus Rivera was on the "Ellen" show (Please watch those videos also). His ultimate goal is to attend college, which Sara Lee gave him a $10,000 head start with.

What amazes me here is kindness that people can show one another and dreams really do come true.

[banj0]

that kid "has it." he may think his technique (left hand, specifically) is because of guitar hero but technique is no substitute for understanding how or when to throw in, for example, triplets in a 4/4 TS or when to go chromatic to create tension and then resolve it---he's also showing a good understanding of arpeggios and how to use them to enhance/create/forward a melody. On the flip side, his right hand on the frog is almost textbook.

For his age, that kid is either a prodigy or he's been exposed to, and learned quite a bit from, the music he's heard. Either way, he puts 99% of us in the general populace to shame, myself included. Us guitar/banjo/fretted-bass guys need to remember that this kid doesn't have frets to lean on. His intonation is spot on because of hand position across four strings, all with differing tension and all requiring different pressure and placements. One of many reasons the violin is so hard to master, let alone become "listenable on."

That kid rocks.

[stormrosson]

errrrrr Ashton's last name is spelled Kutcher, Dman lol........but I gotta go with Banjer ,this kid has "it" and it's definitely "prodigious"

[Nvyseal]

stormrosson, on Sep 27 2009, 08:05 AM, said:

errrrrr Ashton's last name is spelled Kutcher, Dman lol........but I gotta go with Banjer ,this kid has "it" and it's definitely "prodigious"

Fixed, thanks bud