Children or Animals. . . an old music hall saying, and not without reason. But when you see some of the youngsters around now, that saying becomes more pertinent. These are no fresh faced kids dreaming of stardom; they already have it. At the age of 9, Umi Garrett and Fantasie Impromptu seem made for each other. And the piano, of course. Full size thingy naturally; looks set to digest our little marvel in one gulp, never to be seen again. But the opposite happens; she gives it Wigan, (that expression has a variety of connotations and is to be found in Northern England amongst those of a certain age . . !) masters it, like a farmers hand to the plough, like a roadworker`s grip on a windy - hammer . . . All of which makes one do a bit of navel gazing, concerning one`s own state of play so to speak.. Now F.I. appears to be a benchmark. Play that, and you`ve made it. Sort of. And indeed, I can. Or at least I thought I could `till I heard HER! . . .

Another one in particular took my eye. Aimi Kobayashi, an Asian (as usual, it seems). Now her relationship to the piano is intimate. Or is it to the music? She lives it, right through to her innermost being, and it shows. Lord help any fella who comes her way; he`ll be decidedly second fiddle. Makes me wonder if fellas should play something else, more manly, sort of. Like bass guitar or drums . . . but the women have muscled in there too. .

Anyway, to make a short story long, I wrote this wondering what some of you think when seeing such prodigious talent on display from those so young. . . Does it encourage, or discourage? Having got this far, you get to hear Aimi. Playing on a Bosendorfer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzPRdU-YLGY

You also deserve a laugh. At my expense. Me on a Dusseldorfer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98jMNN00S38

What fun! I`ve been encouraged to play that piece properly. Before I die . .

Despite how much I liked the clip of Aimi Kobayashi, I enjoyed yours more you know. I would love to be able to play as well as you. My most advanced piece at the moment is "My heart will go on" so your recording seems almost as distant for me as Kobayashi seems to you. I guess there's always someone to compare ourselves to, but I try to just enjoy listening to others without thinking about where I am in relation to them otherwise I think I would go mad.

"Despite how much I liked the clip of Aimi Kobayashi, I enjoyed yours more you know."

Can`t believe you just said that . .! . "My heart will go on" isn`t the easiest piece to learn, you know. Good luck in your endeavours, man!