The most amazing part is that he played the six-minute piece from memory after he heard it only three or four times. It’s a skill he still uses to entertain friends.
“When I hear music, I hear numbers,” said Fister, who’s had years of training and learning music theory. “Whether it’s the number in a chord progression or the number of notes on a scale, I can see them.”
Fister attributes his YouTube success to timing; the song appeared in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which came out around the time the video was posted. As the views accumulated, he quickly recognized the potential for using YouTube as a platform for sharing his music. Now he takes requests from viewers and uploads custom arrangements of pop songs as well as original compositions.
“I absolutely love playing music for people who enjoy listening to music,” he said. “I enjoy that more than playing music by myself, and I enjoy that a lot.”
He’s enjoyed playing the piano since the age of 7, when he began his classical music training. He’s also taken lessons from UD artist-in-residence Phillip Farris. Currently he is mentoring with LA film composer Ryan Shore via Skype, and hopes to gain entrance to the Berklee College of Music. He spends most of his time, however, writing and rewriting his own music.
“I’m always working on something new; it’s never a finished process. I think that’s related to my interest in improvisation — it’s a freedom of unique expression,” said Fister, a Cincinnati native, who has received a job offer from an L.A. studio. “I don’t have to play what someone else wrote. I can communicate my own emotions.”
Fister has many videos on YouTube.com. Go to the page and search his name.
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