5 year old boy plays harp for Amnesty Intl

[Nezuumi]

he is the actual nuts. i started playing harp when i was 7 and i thought that was early.

[kuzey]

Amazing..

[pinky93rocksm]

can u list all of the songhis doing it sound so beutiful plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[denniesloot18]

sounds like a piano, awesome



[CUERVOLUMINOSO]

This is just unbelievable! - In the exquisite "White Gull's Flight" piece by Betty Paret, round about 6:11 you can almost distinguish a woman singing some notes along with Benjamin's harp!

[CUERVOLUMINOSO]

That a tiny soul with such tiny arms, hardly able to stretch across the harp strings, can bring through such beauty from heaven to earth, defies explanation!

[bigsis314]

what kind of harp is this?

[CreightonGriffiths]

@bigsis314 It is a Clarsach mage by Pilgrim Harps - a UK harp maker. It has 34 strings

[Snake4740]

I´m not surpised of his talent im surprised of the fact that he is not Asian.

[lisababycat1000]

Talented!! What is the name of the last piece that he played?

[lisababycat1000]

Talented!! What is the name of the last piece that he played?

[TheOfficialMilkDud]

In one of the user comments you said hes 13 1/2

If i was single i would ask if i can date your son cause im 13 xD

I can play harp too but im not THAT good! xP

[MattieSongbird]

Anyone who dislikes this must be a psychopath. 

[davewill247]

What composition are you playing when the time counter displays 2:35 through 3:10? I'm a new harpist and would like to learn to play whatever that was. Thanks so much!

[LouieSu]

@davewill247

The White Gull's Flight by Betty Paret

[davewill247]

@LouieSu

Thanks so much for the information! I'm really looking forward to learning this music.

[davidoffon]

How big is your harp? Oh, it's bigger than me And how big is your heart? Oh, it's as big as a tree!

[Wrayn2002]

I'm jealous!

Hmmm, I bet he could make some extra spending money with that thing! Lol.

[sjafalconz]

when i have a kid one day i am soo making him/her learn an instrument O.O.. well... try to make it apart of his/her life early on.

[brookeytv]

whoa!! BEASTTT

[mariandr2000]

no good for the boy....

[Wreastler2]

wow am really impressed by this young lad i started playing the harp when i was 14 and now am 15.

[WhoopMQ]

Haha that was great seeing him get up and adjust all the levers

[chickennone]

Thought it was a fake till I saw his right hand ...

Damn fine job for a lad !

[bensouchi]

he's playing it between 2:38 and 3:20 ...

Thanks in advance.

[bensouchi]

Could anyone give me the name of the third song he was playing please?

[dannyray753]

whats the name of the song he was first playing at the beginning?

[CreightonGriffiths]

It is 'Hornpipe' arr Henry Purcell (1659-1695) from Christopher Powell's harp book Y Telynor Clasurol which is published by Adlais Music Publishers

[dannyray753]

thanks :)

[beauregardnmagnolia]

Wow! This is a remarkable accomplishment for a child of five, and a delight for us old-timers (over 5) to hear. :D So, what is this young man playing now? Any recent posts? Thanks for sharing! ♥

[CreightonGriffiths]

Ben is now 13 1/2 and playing better than ever thanks to Catrin Finch & Ann Griffiths. I have about an hour of music from a recital in Italy which I hope to upload soon including Sonate pour harpe - Tailleferre, Sonata No. 3 - John Parry and Elegie pour la mort d'un berger - Bernard Andres. Ben is giving a solo recital in France next month and playing the Handel Harp concerto with two different orchestras in Wales in March so I hope to get some more clips from those events too!!

[beauregardnmagnolia]

OK, touring already ...another WOW! :D Really can't wait to hear his recent and upcoming performances. Wonderful to know that he's continuing to develop his amazing skills on the harp. (Now I have to go listen to some 'older' people play the works you mentioned.) Congratulations to Ben, his teachers, and especially his parents. You should be proud! ♥

[T0Og0oD4Y0u]

@CreightonGriffiths Hes older than me hmmm ben was born at 1998???????

cause mi bro 13 :D

[angelaharpist]

Fantastic!

[erictjie]

i will have my first child in July and i hope my son or daughter will love music and i am very inspired by your talent. i will buy he/she a harp to play. and tips how to teach and motivate the kid to play?

[dsandjl1]

Having good music and a verity of it always is good influence.

[nocolourproduct]

awesome and amazing!

[SrNetsWalker]

Anyone know what's the name of the piece in 2:41 ?

[IamahHippie]

what modle harp and how much is it if any one knows that would be great

[CreightonGriffiths]

It is called "The Clarsach" and is made by Pilgrim Harps here in the UK. The price varies with finishes etc but between £2,350 & £2,500. It goes back to 1970 and is the result of a special commission from the late Derek Bell (the celebrated harpist with the Chieftains). It is a traditional style 34 string Clarsach but with concert-tension stringing. It is a great harp!

[Gegfa]

NICE !!

[troysKILLbruins]

I WANT MY KID TO DO THAT !!!!:D

[paologrimaldi]

Which works did he played? wondeful pieces...not really for "beginner" God bless him!

[IamahHippie]

holy crap this kid rocks but this what rich people can do get there kids harp lessons at age 2 or less

[empressnyx]

or you can become a member of the PTA or start a school fund to bring music into your child's school. I was raised in a "music town" where more kids were in the marching band than on the football team we played for.  With dedication anything is possible.

[tauseefqau]

sweetheart u are awesome

love you :-*

[Chia1432]

I am jealous.

[manz900]

I know I am not jealous, his talent is unquie for his age, so let him enjoy it.

[sugarhigh4ever8]

wow, he's so great! wish i had that much talent at that age.

little heartbreaker in the making, lol

[LaylaHaOr]

Love also these sweet little hands...bravo!

[Heath75032]

He has a gift.

[petrobabe]

What's the title of the last two pieces he played?

[eternalwhisper25]

what is he doing at 1:06 with the harp?

im sorry i really dont know much or anything about the harp =B

[CreightonGriffiths]

Ben is playing a "lever" harp also called a folk harp, Celtic harp or Clarsach. Each string has its own lever. By moving the lever you can change the string from be a natural to a sharp or a flat. At 1:06 he was setting lots of levers ready for the next piece of music.

[eternalwhisper25]

so the harp its like mmm i mean a piano has the sharps and flats next to each key but if you need a sharp/flat in your harp you need to move the lever??

thats what i understood

[CreightonGriffiths]

Sort of - thinking of a piano - then the levers on a harp enable you to change a white note into a black note by raising the pitch by a half-note or semitone. So your C becomes C♯or Db but unlike with a piano once you have set say middle C as C# you can no longer play it as C without swapping the lever back!

[eternalwhisper25]

wow thank u very much

[COMALiteJ]

The larger pedal harp that he plays in later videos when he's older has seven pedals, one for each "white key" in an octave. Pressing the pedal up or down (each pedal has three positions: up, down, and middle) makes the corresponding notes (all of them at once — much handier than the lever harp!) change semitones accordingly.

Note the color-coding of the strings, to help you keep your place. This is like the pattern of two and three black key groupings such as on a piano or organ.

[deadpalette]

i am amazed by this little boy

[Edithalba1844]

Bravo, Benjamin, bravo! You clearly are devoted to music and to this instrument! We'll surely hear amazing things from you in future!

[mankyelmo]

wow

[grzegorz19plonka]

Very well cool hoes!

[Roverann]

So good! I love that boy!

[MKMcHenry]

This makes a pretty good case for past lives. I mean, how long can he have been playing, a couple of years? Really amazing!

[CreightonGriffiths]

Ben had been playing for about eighteen months when he gave that concert.

[melann21]

Most adults cannot play as well as this 5 year old boy. This is truley a gift from god. If you have ever watched anyof his other video's, you can se is his face, that he really feels the music. Bravo!

[Linuxica]

Amazing boy.

Bravo!