[Harp-L] Re: Miller is a 12-Year-Old Harp Monster

["Jonathan Metts" <jonathan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A friend of mine called yesterday and told me to find the video of this kid playing super fast harp on "America's Got Talent".  He expressed the same awe and worry that some of you are expressing on Harp-L.  My take is that the kid has amazing technique, although he doesn't seem to be playing in tandem with his brother on guitar.  But this TV show isn't about making the best music, it's about showing off your talents, and the harp player did exactly that and to great effect.  As for his age, while very impressive, it is a gimmick and a transient one at that.  In ten years, this LD Miller will no longer be a teenage phenom, and he'll have to rely on his musical abilities (which may be equal to his technique -- I haven't heard enough to say).  Remember that Stevie Wonder was once "Little" Stevie Wonder and didn't come into his own until adulthood, when he explored his own unique musical world.  Then nobody cared anymore that he was blind or had once been a child star.

Jonathan