I'm touched that you're impressed

Another video on YouTube has me enthralled. A genius mandolinist found himself impressed with an eleven year old player. After meeting her at a festival, he found himself allowing her to play a tune on his mandolin. Awe struck him when he realize that she did, in fact, know her way around his mandolin. He later invites her on stage while he is in concert. The part of the video that I most enjoy is when they play together live. She's eleven; he's been deemed the top of the line. She has no problem keeping up.


They play a song together, tossing the melody back and forth. Watching this man perform is incredibly entertaining. He is all over the place. It seems that he can never just give you a note or chord, he must also offer you his body to punctuate what he's playing. He’s never in one spot for long. He loses himself in his playing. When he’s playing with his band mates you can tell that he is the source of the excitement as well as is feeding off their energy. It's a very complementary relationship, them on stage. It was different when he was playing with this young girl. In a way, it felt as though he was only on stage to compliment her playing. He deftly handled his part of the melody with an air that he just needed to get through his part so that he can give the song back to her. There was almost an impatience in his playing when he was spotlighted. Most of his focus was on this young lady. He had all eyes on her, watching her fingering and navigation through the song.

There was a gleam similar to that of a proud parent in his eye. The first thing you notice about this performance, is that he isn't moving around as much. During the song the most moving he does is an impatient rocking through his solos and shifting his weight. The fact that he is extremely impressed with her is clear on his face. There was amusement in the form of a open-mouthed smile that just kept spreading the longer they played. I love that a man who is deemed a genius at what he does still has it in him to be impressed and accepting of a rising talent. It isn't just that he played with her, it's that he was completely complimentary of what she was capable of. It is that he made it clear that he enjoyed every minute of it. I can't truly say that I'm impressed as that would be far too pretentious of me. I just love it. I love his enjoyment. I love her talent. I love his encouragement of her. I know it seems as though I toss that word around a lot, but music is something that is very dear to my heart. His talent and his use of it, for not only his own personal gain but also those around him, is touching all the way down to my toes. It is moments like this that me proud to be a fan.