At home, before going to bed, I usually play the piano with my son Oliver who just turned 5 years old. I have noticed his understanding for music and yesterday video taped a blind test for fun. The result is very well but I can only choose keys that he has played in his small pieces before (of course!). As you can see on the video, he likes the game a lot and even plays a trick on me in the end . If you have a well trained eye, you might notice his somewhat unusual behavior and he is diagnosed having HFA which means High Functioning Autism. But within that handicap, he also has special abilities and this is one of them. I hope he gets really interested as well which he is not really today. It is more like fun games for him.

That is amazing. He hits them right every time, without even having to try it out. Who knows where a talent like that may lead. He seems a bit excitable, perhaps because of being videotaped, but otherwise not so unusual for a 5-year old. The forearm cluster is very well executed (nice trick if you can do it )

He is usually excited but not as much as this time when he knew he would end up on a "film" as he puts it. He saw himself on the computer.

It is problematic to get his attention and concentration and I need to "prompt" him for what to do. But he he hits the right notes about every time (he hit one extra as you maybe noticed in the C-D-E pattern) and very exact and I can even play one note with each hand and he still makes it unless the notes are unknown to him. The two finger C-B was a bit evil done by me as he hardly reaches it. Another thing he does is that he really uses all his fingers.

He also likes classical music a lot but have very sensitive ears. He hates when people sing around him in false choirs as in yesterday's party when a friend of him turned 4. He sits with both hands pressed against the ears all the time. Looks very rude . We also tried to go to a cinema with him and even when he wore ear protection (same I have when I run the motor saw, real big ones), he was scared and dared only to sit outside the door and peek in.

I'll buy him his first piano book for Christmas and we'll what that could bring.

That is so cute. And amazing! I would guess that playing something back like 'Twinkle, twinkle is easy for him. Can he play back something different, like another short Mozart or Bach melody? My dad did this kind of thing with me when I was very little, too.

I'll give it a go for him tonight and see if he can pull something off without getting too excited. Would be the youngest member of the site for sure .

Robert, yesterday I watched the video and showed it to my wife. We were really touched and exhilarated by Oliver's talent. He looks especially thrilled when you challenge him with a bit more difficult stuff. Was the cluster a gimmick of his invention or he saw you doing it in the past?

Thanks. I will try to begin a more planned training with him next year. It depends on his maturity and interest how much he learns. If I only could get him as interested as he is in playing computer games...

About the cluster, it is his own invention but not new for this day. Sometimes when it is my turn to close my eyes, he goes on playing for 30 seconds. Not easy to imitate .

This is a very good way to encourage ear-training in children. I think I will try it with my young students. It's a fun way to really listen and reproduce what is heard. Thanks for the video.
Mozartiana