8-year old's YouTube Debut: Kabalevsky Etude A minor

[philiphotchkiss]

If you like this video, please share and comment -
you'd be making this little guy's day:-)

[mateos]

I think it is very good job ! I enjoyed listening

[rachfan]

Hi Philip,

The little guy did a fantastic job with this piece!  Bravo!

David

[nanabush]

Good stuff!  It's hilarious, because this is a study in the Grade 7 RCM (many teenagers have struggled with this!!)

He seems so at ease playing it; I've always wondered how some kids pick up on an instrument as if it's nothing.

The ending is the best part; this is a great piece for a piano recital!

[pianisten1989]

Now I will be the bad cop.. Or well, not bad, but you know!

It's already very good. But you should try to get it more evenly.

The thing with fast pieces are that (or at least for some) is that they doesn't play that fast many times, but it's completely even! And, somehow, it sounds like they're playing it really fast, when they actually doesn't...

So I would suggest you play it an inch slower, but try to make it perfectly even!

Good job!

[philiphotchkiss]

Hey Gang:

Thank you for the feedback and the kind words for the little guy's video. And I appreciate the comments from the "bad cop" on evenness of tempo. Definitely needs improvement - he's played it at M=126-132, in this video it's around M=116 to the 1/8. At his age, it amazing how much the action of the piano he's playing on affects both evenness and the max tempo.

But with that said, this piece has opportunities to bring out great dynamic waves - and at tempi this fast that's hard to do, so often he'll play it slower with a focus on the dynamics.

Again, the feedback from all is greatly appreciated.

[emill]

He is a bundle of talent .... so important to nurture it correctly.
Is he a son of yours?  a relative or a student?

[philiphotchkiss]

Yes, he's my son - thank you for the kind words.  About to put up another post of him playing Bach's prelude in D minor in practice mode:)

[philiphotchkiss]

PS on the comment regarding nurturing his talent - we've been very fortunate. Back in Minneapolis at the MacPhail Center for Music his first teacher was Irina Elkina (age 5-7). Irina is a world class performer and is well known in the duo piano world playing at events sponsored by Lincoln Center and the like with her identical twin sister Julia. And she is an amazing teacher. If anyone from the Twin Cities is reading this, I highly recommend Irina - she is a remarkable teacher and human being.

We recently moved to the SF Bay Area. He auditioned for John McCarthy, the Director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Preparatory Division who is an internationally recognized piano teacher & musician and John took Nathan on as a student. We were and are thrilled.

I'm an amateur classical pianist and I was his first teacher. Once he could play a Tully and a Bach Minuet musically & from memory, and having just turned five, he auditioned with Irina Elkina and I was able to stay actively in the mix as the lesson-attending, behind the scenes teaching assistant:)

His Mother and big sister also are very supportive of his piano studies and his passion for playing baseball.