Mama Diaries

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Fast Fingers

My son is an expert video game player. Probably because he's had lots of practice. He found a new app for his iPad - a piano app. All you have to do is touch some dots on a screen as they roll by, and it's like you're playing a tune on the piano.

"Mama," he called. "Come here and check this out!"

I watched as he played the Imagine Dragons tune,  Demons. He played it perfectly, without missing a note.

"Do you want to try?" he asked when he was done.

I laughed. "Dude, I stink at video games. Are you sure you want me to try this?"

He nodded and gave the iPad to me. The dots started rolling. My old eyeballs could barely see those things. So I just touched the screen to the beat in my head.

"Mama," my son said. "You're missing a ton of notes!"

"Yeah, so?"

"And you're going way too fast!"

I shrugged and kept going.

At the end of the game, I had 361 points.

"Mama, that's pathetic!" my son said. "I would've had at least 1600 points!"

"Sorry, dude," I said. "Mama has fast fingers, but slow eyeballs!"

(I bet if he had given me the real piano music, and I had played it on a real piano, I would've got every note and blown him right out of the water!)

Before I go, I'd like to give a huge thank you to  Alex Cavanaugh for mentioning the release of my new book, Ten Zany Birds, on his blog!

34 comments:

  1. You're welcome!
    Big difference between a game and a real instrument. I bet you would've blown him out of the water as well.

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    1. I've had very little practice playing video games, so of course I stink. Playing the piano, on the other hand . . . I've had years of practice!

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  2. ah, that day when your heir calls you pathetic... didn't think it would come so soon :)

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    1. Ah, yes. It looks like he going over to the dark side. ;0)

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  3. I can only echo Alex's comment... musical Battleship!

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    1. My boy will always win on the video game version!

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  4. This reminds me of my oldest nephew. He always wants to play video games and everything is somehow related to a video game...like a picture of an Asian woman with a straw hat on her head apparently looks like a dude on Mortal Kombat.

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    1. Yes. I can understand that. Video games are all these kids seem to have in their heads.

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  5. It's a new musical instrument! Well, maybe this'll get him interested in making music on the real thing.

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    1. One can only hope. I've been trying to teach him for years.

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  6. I used to be fast at video games, but not anymore. I remember collecting those points...they were everything back then.

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    1. I never got into video games. I guess I was too busy doing other things.

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  7. I understand Sherry... my 12 year old gives me the pathetic look when I don't pick things up quickly ... she just rolls her eyes and says oh mama... I just laugh ♡

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    1. Just wait until she's old and doesn't pick things up quickly any more!

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  8. I'd be the same way. I can't keep track of all those dots, either. I hope it leads him to want to try the real piano one day.

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    1. He can play a little. I've tried giving him lessons. It goes well for a while, but then it peeters out. Half the problem is I'm out teaching, and not home working with him every day.

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  9. I'll stick to my piano. I wouldn't be good at a game.

    Love,
    Janie

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  10. I too stink at video games, my nephew use to tell me that I was too slow. Congrats on your book release. Love the title- Ten Zany Birds.

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    1. If I try to follow my eyes, I'm too slow, too.

      Thanks for the congrats!

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  11. I was expecting you to blow him out of the water on the game as well and then genuinely ask "Did I do well? I can't tell."

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    1. Haha! That would've been good. Perhaps if my 40+ year old eyeballs were only 20 something, I'd have more of a chance. ;0)

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  12. Would love to see the two of you find a composition that was in the game & that you had music to, and see if two of you could play together.

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    1. That would be cool. I think I'm going to try to find the sheet music to the Imagine Dragons tune. I wouldn't mind learning how to play it on the piano. (The real one.)

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  13. Maybe he'll want to explore actual music next

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    1. I told him if he ever got serious about learning an instrument, he'd be really good, because he has excellent eye-hand coordination.

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  14. That dexterity must come from somewhere...hmmmm...does anyone in the family have excellent manual dexterity? (insert happy smirk)

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  15. Fast fingers, slow eyeballs. Funny, girl.

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  16. You're right. It takes way more talent to navigate around a keyboard than to press dots on a screen.

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  17. I'm the worst at playing those games. I think your score is remarkable. Tell you son you have a cheering squad out here based on it.:-)

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  18. Hahaha! I love how you've described your slow eyeballs, Sherry! I love gaming too & used to own all the different play stations in my home. Not for my son, but for myself rather. Lol! Happy weekend, dear! xoxo

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