5 year old harmonica player with a perfect ear

[MonsterManWithAPlan]

I know this kid. He's my best friend!

[HarmonicaJazz]

So how is he doing now??

[iaskedforwater24]

caddo lake? are you from around shreveport louisiana?

[xldh44]

That is verrrry good! To be sure "perfect pitch" is a gift but it's an infallible gift; those who have it, have it and have always had it, so age doesn't really matter. What I am thoroughly impressed with (and echoing what downhill240 stated) what a great Dad! (Also great playing Dad.) I think, however Sam Benson's greater talent, or will be, is his harp playing! That is damn good for anybody under 20! Very very good! And again... great job Dad!

[crashbanicoot77]

wow lol :)



[Rachgless]

Very good playin' after 20 years :) Other videos?

[mrclashramone]

he has a great ear.

[azizishiner]

@4:17 Thats what HE said!!! 

[Swedishnerd]

I guessed of them correctly too except the last one. It's pretty easy to guess right, just by the pitch of them. The F and E are high pitched, C and D in the middle, Bb and A a bit lower, and G and LowF are really low. I don't have a perfect ear but was able to guess it. Try and see if he can tell the notes on a piano.

[Swedishnerd]

@Swedishnerd Still.. for a 5 year old it's pretty amazing :-)

[Alltimelowguitar123]

a gift yet a curse at the same time haha great job :)

[xldh44]

@Alltimelowguitar123 I fail to understand how that is a "curse" ???

[benga002]

00.02 - 00.26 this is how most porn movies starts....

[dschneid15601]

It's good to see people sticking to positive comments: Good Dad, etc.

My nephew has perfect pitch and it's great. I make him stand with his back to me and play a note and he nails it every time. His teacher's piano is out of tune by a 1/4 or so on the lowest key. If that note is played he can't tell you. At least note before he knew what note it was. Music is a wonderful gift. Especially when shared by someone close like a parent or friend. It's fun to share to love of music.

[PatrickMuellerMusic]

tune them down a 1/4 step and let him try again :D

[patthomas79]

make sure his passion for music never depletes !

[SeerTrulth]

What a beautiful boy and relationship.

[link1548]

good bravo congratulations thanks very good

[izzyvadimz]

those this means I have a perfect pitch ? because i got the A one

[Videodude1939]

I don't think I've ever seen anybody that can do that, young or old.

[KodeBloo]

@gwilliam45 My father taught me to play the harp when I was 8 yrs old. Of course I was taught songs like comes with a new one. (or used to) On top of Old Smokey, There's No Place Like Home etc. That was 49 years ago. Wonderful job you're doing there, Dad. And the repoire you have with your son is truly something to be admired. Congrats for a job well done! The kid has everything he needs to get by. You. ☺☻

[surrealIdeal]

lol once you know one key it's easy to know the next one, or at least that's what i think. still, not everyone has a good ear, certainly not kids.

[jalen77232]

is anyony hear have a music ear. i kinda do i can play any song on the piano for the right hand but i can never figure out the left hand cords. is any one els have that.

[KoShot]

im sorry, this could be talent, but i cant say for 100% that it is. There is a possibility that the kid memorizes the key of the tune the dad plays.

[euand16]

This does not show perfect pitch, but relative pitch. This is the learned ability recognise keys or notes from pre-learned reference points, something that any harmonicist worth their salt is capable of. Many people don't understand the difference between perfect pitch and relative pitch, and believe they are pitch perfect. The kid is obviously musically talented, and could well be pitch perfect, but due to the rarity of true absolute pitch, is not on the basis of this video.

[LisaSevyMorris]

That was awsome! Way to go Sam! Kiddo's and I watched several times. Very nice!!!

[nickbarcenas]

damn the dad is sick on harmonica and the kid gets down as well shit i play harmonica and i still can't get those old chicago blues sounds but i will...

[easyriders1000]

your son has a gift thjat youy have given to him which you should propagaTE as he maTURES he will be able to play any instrument

[Ermin0s]

hej i think i have a good ear too. i had them all correct

[AWESOM59]

that was asolutley brilliant!! :0)

[Graiskye]

Go Sam. Always envious of those with perfect or near perfect pitch, me I gotta bang around till it feels right you know what I mean. Keep rocking young feller.

[harptrucker]

good job Sam, thank Dad for me, he's a good player too.

many wishes from France

[wintergreen420]

i looked exactly like that when i was that age, but i couldnt play harmonica and still cant

[caleab27]

Hey Sam, did you know that a Black Hole hums the note of B flat? Check it out if you don't believe me. You've got a great talent little guy!

[duskguardian]

I guessed all of them correct and I only just started playing and instrument ^.^

[emmoh18]

5 year old and he'll be better than his dad in no time =)

nice clip

[MrDidjcripey]

Damn! Walters boogie isn't easy to play. Wish I'd started playing it at 5!

[cooldit1]

im like this kid...cept i play saxophone. Im serious.

[Chaostopher]

Lucky boy, blessed with perfect pitch! There is no hoax here!

[toastdcoasty]

why would they just make it up? give the kid his props maybe hes got a freak of an ear. he could be the next hendrix

[Allie5583]

If this is true amazing gift that boy has only if he do something with it like try it in other feilds such as piano guitar such thins like that but at the same time what we don't see is random pick we see in order pick he could know already that the first one that you pick up is A the second B the third C ETC. if this is true more power to you but this could also be rehearsed that is all

[abooskee]

it is nice, but someone could me behind the camera holding a sign up, it kinda seems like thats whats happening... like when he called ou the low f, it kind of seemed like he was saying the sign said low f? im not accusing anyone, this kid has skills, just making an opinion

[pragmaticus123]

Abooskee:

To what end? I mean, there ARE people born with Perfect Pitch...that is just a fact. It is a very rare trait...but it IS a quantifiable trait. AND, as it IS a trait and not a learned skill, age has not a wit to do with it. All he has to know is the names on the scale.

[tstewart01]

How does this not have 5 stars? That takes a lot of skill.

[xp0ferens]

having absolute pitch doesn't make you a better musician.

[gwilliam45]

Perfect pitch helps with things like understanding theory, melody and modes. Perfect pitch does nothing for things like rhythm and timing, which all good musicians have. So I agree, it does not make you a good musician, it is only a tool that can help.

[gjf278]

@gwilliam45 But no one can have PERFECT pitch, we are all humans and are prone to error. People can have realative pitch but not perfect.

[agentkproductions08]

@gwilliam45 well, it makes you a better one obviously. understanding the mathematics behind it, gives you freedom when improvising or even composing.

pitch is one of the things you have to master. and the more of the things necessary you master, the better you are. right? (you woulnd't say "the absolute rhythm/easiest breath/best voice doesn't make you a better musician"?!)

[caleab27]

@xp0ferens You're a douche bag! Have some respect and appreciation for this father and his kid. 

[talexmoore]

I'm pretty sure absolute pitch does make you a better musician. 

[talexmoore]

Lol i'm pretty sure it does help. I would know

[SierraWhiskey186]

@xp0ferens having a cynical attitude about a little kid with awesome talent doesnt make you a better musician either. Dick.

[LesLaw92]

@xp0ferens irrelevant - This kid is 5 years old and can recognise pitch perfectly. That's amazing. Regardless of it's potential benefits to musicianship.

[yelmorbdahc]

@xp0ferens Yer but it makes it a shit load easier. This is something anyone can learn, but pretty impressive for his age.

[rmachayes]

@xp0ferens xp, you missed the entire point of the video. Good luck in your life.

[leeroy6506]

Befor er blues spielt sollte er melodie spielen.ich habe auch in diesem alter begonnen.das er töne schon biegen kann ist sehr gut

[leeroy6506]

Before he plays the blues tune as he should have at this age begonnen.das he can turn tones already is very good

[haloslayer85]

cute

[Automission42]

bloody hell, he puts me to shame!

[aerosmith9rocks]

your harmanicas only have 6holes. ost have ten or eight. where did u get those?

[lovecakes44]

holy crap if your son keeps that up he's going to b an amazing harmonic player

[aerosmith9rocks]

your kid is awesome dude if u know what aerosmith is u should try to teach him how to play pink by aerosmith.

[dtecum]

Awesome playing from the boy. He is blessed with talent and Dad is a great mentor.

[Music503]

How does he do that?!

[galligator]

really?

[pallomed]

Tem que aproveitar o talento.....ouvido absoluto!!! Não é comum!!!

[downhill240]

The young lad is blessed with a natural talent but I think more importantly he's been truly blessed with a good dad and friend!

[thead4]

This little guy is really something, I'd love to see how he comes along in the next 15 years, he'll really be something if he sticks to it. I think he enjoys it. You've obviously been a good parent to him, wish I had a decent father. Hah'

Recognized Walter straight up too.

[jasonricci]

Awesome! Dads a good player too! Thanks Gosia and Dad for posting this charming video.

[gosiawoodman]

Great video, well done Sam.

I forwarded this to Mr Jason Ricci, no harm for him to be made aware of the upcoming talent.

Keep playing young man......

Well done Dad....

[cas8889]

lol such a cutey you got there and has a great ear on him tooo

[jtlcrawford84]

some kids have unreal musical talent they just seem to get from nowhere and it's amazing to see. Good job little man!

[sheeno102]

Jesus christ! he's good!!

[armskoteic]

The boy's got perfect pitch ears

[steffanvale]

It's even cooler because of all the crazy blue 7s and that. Lol at Bb, the guy didn't even know if he was right- he had to look! hehe :) well done son, you're amazing

[Owlish11]

Sam you are amazing-good work!

[Erzengel0007]

Super gemacht aus Dir wird mal ein super Harp Spieler wenn du so weiter machst.

mike

[dallmarg]

Ja, das ist sehr gut!

[FabioHarpfromHell]

OMG amazing !!

one day he will be a great harp player.

[carmentrammell]

Wow! You should be very proud. I loved his playing. Is he still playing the harp? I'd love to hear how he is playing now. My five year old likes the harmonica, but doesn't have the patience for anything but making up his own stuff. Congrats!

[downhill240]

The best time every male should have or should have had in his life is the time he spends or spent with his Pop. Keep hangin together Dad, you two have a nice relationship. Not all of us were so lucky to have a Dad who would hang with us. Keep praisin that boy and building his self-esteem!

[gwilliam45]

The kid actually lead himself astray and taught himself the names of different keys by the key written on the harmonica he was playing. When playing blues harp, the band typically plays in the fifth of the key relative to the harp. So when Sam hears a song on G, he says C becuase that is the key harmonica you play to a song in G. Don't feel sorry for him, he is just speaking harpaneese and having a great time playing his instrument.

[CaguamaTom]

jajajajajaja damn your ego man, can't you fucking see that it's a kid and his dad just hangin, he is having fun, and dad is proud!! he is not asking for anything, and ok, he does not have a perfect ear, but he is damn good! feel sorry for yourself getting jealous and shit! you are the fucking kid

[gmohan2762]

Doh. That's because he's saying the key of the HARP as it's played in the cross-position, which will always be the fifth. As in: a C harp in postion two plays in G, A plays in E, etc. .... He'll get the fifth/root concept in due time ...

[timbobandtom]

@lynnedee1

the father actually never said to name the notes he is playing,he asked to name the key of harmonica

so when the boy hears a G as a blow note he reconizes it as a C harp

therefore you ar beat

[kylehersey12]

@lynnedee1 your a bit of a dick you know that

[Stevelegh]

@lynnedee1

He's got perfect pitch and is identifying the key from the pitch, tone and timbre of the harp played. His dad was playing cross harp which is the 5th and he was identifying the harp key. Pretty clever for a five year old.

'Feel sorry for him'? Please. You are the epitome of 'perfect pitch' snobbery.

[gnamp]

@lynnedee1 He was asked to identify the key of the harp that was being playing. That's what he did.

[Illmatic973]

next Jason Ricci

[HeyHeyHarmonicaLuke]

wooot i guessed the G and the B flat right!

loooove G's

[Kylianvb]

Damn, amazing.

[ale282828]

fantastic!!!!

[keelan111]

Dude, if your little kid already has perfect pitch at 5, quit dicking around with silly shit like harmonicas, and get him on the piano, ingesting a steady diet of Mozart and Bach. I swear to god, by the time he's 20, he'll be either the next great concert pianist of the new age, or will have defected into pop music, will be some kind of John Mayer, and you'll be driving the mercedes he bought you. He's here for so much more then guessing harmonica tunings.

[quinoacat]

Diss'n the harp as a musical instrument is a good way to get one virtually shoved down your throat, keelan111. If this parent did what you said he could easily turn his kid off to music. Your suggestion is absolutely SICK and WAY OFF. You have no clue about the nurturing musical value of what is done here and how if it was just another kid learning classical piano some people would care less, no matter HOW good he was. He didn't guess the Eb so it would seem he NEEDS this practice.

[melodykentucky]

Totally awesome!!!!

[Alehaaner]

In case that´s no fake that boy is really good!!

Btw, does anybody know the key at 5´:10´´ ??

No?!

It´s called "Flat Ulence"...

;o)

Greedz from HOHNER-Country, Germany

ONKEL BLONKEL

[haphazardhaven]

what brand harps are you using?

[gwilliam45]

Mostly Marine Band Deluxe

[haphazardhaven]

lovely

I just bought the hohner MS blues harp and it is a truely amazing sounding harmonica.

Very talented bot by the way

He is going to be very musically enclined when he is older (not that he isn't already!)

[dirtyfleabag]

that is a very talented child,perfect pitch is a special gift..i hope u feed him a chrome too,would be good for him to also listen to jazz players like toots and adler,but of course for a 5year old to be doing little walter is already amazing.really nice to see how u get on so well.have u ever listened to the album"the trip to cullenstown"by the murphy brothers?irish traditional harmonica,played by 2bros and their dad,would be great duets for u to play together.check it out!thanks 4posting!

[markitymark90]

awesome, your kid has an amazing ear

[Vernuft]

The kid plays Walter's Boogie, great!com'on witht he Blues.

[guitarjamzdotcom]

I'd get him piano lessons right away.

[mcdonaldrt]

pretty cool. nice work kid.

[Punchy357]

lol OMG this kids awesome. His head like moves with the music like he seriously diggs the harmonica. What's even cooler is the fact your teaching him something not only positive but awesome. Once he gets a little bigger i think it'll be easier for him to play just holdin chords and stuff takes a big mouth and deep lungs. Get that kid into all instruments he's like a little savant. This is why I believe in Suzuki method.

[fatas412]

does he know the key or remember the harmonica sound

[squrrle]

oh my gosh..this kid is gonna be abslolutly amazing when hes older..if he can already play like that right now..think of his skill ina few years..and then in 10 years..and some day he'll be a harmonica master..

[drummerlinn]

Ok, so I'm at a loss here. Call me tone deaf if you'd like to, but I checked every key the guy played on two guitars, the keyboard, the piano, garage band, and a couple of my iphone apps, and they matched with each other, but totally didn't with what I heard on the video. but nobody else seems to be hearing what I'm hearing, so maybe a weird upload? Are negative comments getting deleted. I'm sorry, but I have a feeling this video is a con, or a joke or something.

[gwilliam45]

Not a joke/con- If you checked the tones against harps, you would hear that the tones match the Harp key that Sam identifies. The reson they are different on Guitar, etc. is because you typically play harp three keys higher than the key of the song (cross harp). For example for a song in E you would play an A harp, song in G= C harp, song in A= D harp, etc. Sam names tones in terms of the harp he would play- if he hears a song in F, he says Bf, as that is the harp he would play.

[drummerlinn]

@gwilliam45 The transposition thing makes sense. Like concert pitch in an orchestra. it is extraordinary that he can do that. But now he thinks a G on the piano is a C. It's like he can hear notes like people see colors, but he thinks blue is red.

That was the response I thought I sent two years ago

[ilene1982us]

That is totally awesome. Good job Sam and keep it up dad...Awesome

[saramurphy123]

Aw this is one of the sweetest videos ive ever seen.

and that kid has got some skills!

[HarmonicaPL]

If I could do that when I was 5! The boy really has "big ears" and he likes harping too, so he should stick to it! Maybe one day we'll find a CD of his on a store shelf? Best wishes from Poland!

[RIVOTHEAD13]

lol, right on.. cool vid

[v8metal]

Nice boy, nice father, nice playing, you rule. You probably rule the planet earth, and the universe it self. thanks for the vid.

[jetaimemina]

Good ear definitely, but it's fairly easy once you got it down. You can just mentally compare the currently playing notes/key to the previous one. You should have your kid recognize 'em one by one with a certain timespan inbetween, if you know what I mean.

[gwilliam45]

Yes, your right, after he gets the first tone correct, he then has a reference pitch for the others. He is accurate without a reference pitch but this video does not show that well...

[Siryoyales]

hey, hi there! the kid is awesome !! can you write here the notes of the first melody you play,please? i mean 2 blow, 3 draw,etc. see you and good luck little little walter !! x)

[gwilliam45]

2 draw, 3draw 1/4 bent, 4 draw. 5 blow, 5 draw, 5 blow, 4 draw, 5 blow.

Thanks for the comment and good luck

[bajondy]

when i have a kid i hope he/she is so musically talented.

Real cool kid u got there man.

[waitforthefuture]

i didn't want to sign in but i had to for this kid...kiddo and his father ..gud luck......and wow..i got the first one right...

[gwilliam45]

If you got the first one right, your better than me! It is rare that I can guess the right pitch... but I can just ask Sam....

[shrimpdaddy]

that was awesome! keep it up kiddo...

[gwilliam45]

Sam loves to get comments and always checks out the people that do. He checked you out and says "man, shrimpdaddy is an awesome harp player". So you have a new fan.

[EnterSkywalker]

crikey that kid is better than me !

[GoldenBug]

Holy Cow! Sam is great! Very inspiring (especially as the father of a 5-1/2 year old and a 4 year old).

[gwilliam45]

I like sam

[DLP1962]

hey that is great! Keep up the good work young man !

[gamertildeath00]

How did you get him to sit long enough to film this let alone to teach him the notes and play the harmonica?!?!?!

[tazbabie4]

omg! your kids got talent!! man, I wish i could play as well as he can! I can't wait to see him on tv! :p

[BigAlexB1Blues]

Big Walter Would Be Proud of YOU.

Do you know "easy"?

- Big Alex

[BigAlexB1Blues]

Nice tone sam. Keep it up.

-Big Alex

[soggytoast89]

dude i wanna see this kid on tv in the future

[shaneboylan]

That's great pitch. Is he identifying the key of harp, or the tonic note of what you're playing in 2nd position?

[gunchibaiyya]

Kid, just as kids should be....sharp but at the same time playful. Perfect, but mistaking here and there, and shying. Your kid is perfect.

[gwilliam45]

Thanks for the nice comment from Malta.

[SalPedi]

An amazing child with perfect pitch!. With a talent like that he should eventually go to a Conservatory of music to pursue some field in music.

[PaintballOwnager]

this kids gonna be epic at harmonica when hes older.

keep it up!

[expatriot1]

That is awesome...actually the part that impressed me the most was the last bit where he plays...how'd you teach him to do that??

[gwilliam45]

He mostly taught himself. I showed him how to bend notes and use his tounge to play octaves and slaps, but mostly he just loves to play and spends allot of time figuring this out.

Thanks for the comment.

[BluezBro604]

a good ear's the most important thing in the blues...& 4 all improv.

[GermanHarpist]

I think thats very impressive. You hear right away, hes gonna be a great musician.

[JBJ90]

Awesome!

Hey thats really great!

thanks for the Video!

[1890cabin]

He can play in my cabin anytime!

[ELECTRICSHAMAN13]

WE NEED MORE KIDS LIKE THIS

[me99615]

Great kid and great harmonica playing. If you had played the same melody for each key, in a similar range, then the results would be much more convincing. It appears that the lad has simply memorized the different songs to the name of a key. You played a different tune to every different key. So, with your method it is not necessary to recognize the key tones, one needs to simply memorize the different melodies.

[gwilliam45]

Tks for the comment. No, he did memorize the key by the song/melody. Maybe I will video a more conviencing test someday, though I am sure someone will have a theory as to how we faked it. I Wiki'ed "perfect pitch" and found that studies show kids under 5 are able to learn perfect pitch (similar to distingushing colors) and after 5, people can no longer learn it. Since the key of a harp is written on the harp, Sam had a way to name the pitches while he was young engough to distingush them.

[KudzuRunner]

That's interesting. You played a G--the note, I mean--and Sam says "C." You played an E and he says "A." So he's not naming the pitch you play, but the harp in which you've just played notes in a DIFFERENT key. That's something quite different than perfect pitch. Or else he has perfect pitch and he's also transposing in his head...ah: and he misses the D-flat. Hmmmm.

[gwilliam45]

Not certain Adam but I think it is perect pitch- ability to name a pitch with no known refernece pitch. He names the pitch in terms of 2nd position, with no known ref. If I walk up to Sam and play a 2 hole draw on an F harp he says F, if I blow on the one hole he says Bb, everytime. He missed the Eb in the vid b/c he had never heard/played an Eb so he had no "name" for the pitch. He also did not know what b or # meant or the diff. BTW- Your one of the coolest cats alive for sharing so much

[theloveboxquartet]

But what Adam is saying is that he is getting the key WRONG.....you play a G, the kid says C, which is the wrong key, so can you put him right, which is only fair on the young lad.

[gwilliam45]

I have thought about when to explain 2nd pos, the key the band is in vs the cross harp key etc. He is only 5 & just started recognizing the letters in the alphabet! I am afraid it would be confusing to him at this point. I am going to have to teach him about this stuff soon as he now likes to try to play along with 1st and 3rd pos. stuff but is confused about the keys. For now he can continue to enjoy learning to play harp and to name pitches in terms of 2nd position. Thanks for the comment

[shrimpdaddy]

he is referencing to blues harp which is what he knows and his instrument it is still perfect pitch as he knows what to play which means he knows what sound matches. if he didn't say what note and just picked it up and played we would be amayzed the only reason he sais the note is for our benefit. I am truely impressed the kid has a wonderfull gift! and BTW sam thanks and i am a big fan of yours little brother keep blowin.

[vireogilvus]

I noticed the cross harp discrepancy also, and couldn't help wonder if the kid is going to grow up calibrated that way. He may have perfect pitch, but have to forever transcribe/transpose the way he thinks about keys. Or maybe it'll be a perfectly smooth transition. Interesting to ponder.