Guitar Prodigies

We bought an extremely inexpensive guitar for the children. It's one of those PaperJamz things. The guitar doesn't have strings or nobs. It has a lot of touch-sensitive surfaces that allow the musician to strum or to play a note or chords or new songs. The instrument is as electronic as can be, including a USB port for uploading and downloading songs. It's a lot of fun, as can be seen by its use.

An unconventional grip

The helmet doesn't fit as well as it used to

You may be wondering, "Why the space helmet?" Two causes are at work here. First, the children know that a singer needs to have a microphone in order to perform properly for a crowd. The astronaut's helmet includes a small black bit--the communications microphone. It lets a guitar player sing without a hand-held microphone. This is something they've learned from The Beatles: Rock Band.

The second cause is also related to The Beatles: Rock Band. Several of the songs you play feature the Fab Four in rather unusual outfits. "I Am the Walrus" is particularly troublesome as the animated John, Paul, George, and Ringo dance around in animal costumes. So why not wear a space suit to play for an adoring crowd? So I blame the Beatles for the crazy inspiration.

By which I don't mean to say that I did not get in on the act. There are no pictures of me with the helmet (I wasn't allowed a turn) but I was playing guitar while Jacob played the violin.

It's a nifty trick to play a violin with no strings!

Here's a video of the kids in action: