When someone has a talent, they just have it and that cannot be changed. In Vancouver, Canada, there is a homeless man who recently came to light after playing a tear jerking classical piano piece on an old keyboard in a secondhand store. David Allen Welsh, a 50-year-old dispossessed man, mentioned that he was unable to read notes and did not receive any prior formal training. However, his ability to still play the piano so beautifully resulted in moving many to tears.
The story of David who has absolutely nothing to his name took place at Second Hand Solutions, which is a thrift store and coffee shop run locally by Open House Ministries. David has been homeless since the age of just six and that probably explains his frostbitten fingers. Despite all of that, it didn’t get in the way of his talent. He was still able to play on either borrowed keyboards and pianos from different stores or homeless shelters throughout the Pacific Northwest area. According to him, whenever he plays the piano, he does not have any control over the music. Instead, he just does what feels natural to him.
Rebecca Gore, the thrift shop’s store manager, revealed that a local piano teacher saw the video of David’s talent and was pleasantly surprised too. “I showed a video of him playing to a piano teacher and she pointed out immediately that he’s using his left hand as a primary and his right hand to play the melody,” she stated. She also added that although there were quite a number of individuals who have tried out on the piano, none of them have ever played it like David. Aside from that, she indicated that his fingers are obviously frostbitten and damaged by the numerous years he has spent living in harsh elements.
Another noticeable and interesting thing about David is that whenever he plays the piano, he would do so with his eyes close. As he already mentioned that he was unable to read notes, there was pretty much no need to keep them open. All he simply does is to let the music flow through him. “I don’t know how to play music, but I like what I hear in my head. Sometimes I don’t even know what key I’m pushing. My eyes aren’t even open. I’m just letting the music play the music,” explained David. For the full story, you can read it here.
Having the talent is one thing, the other thing that makes pianists rise to fame is through sheer hard work. At Awesome Piano, we have dedicated teachers to get your child on the right track from the very start. Hence, if you are looking for piano lessons in Singapore, do take a look at what we have to offer.