A nine-year-old drumming sensation who has taught himself his favourite songs through watching YouTube videos of his idols is hoping to take the internet by storm.
Talented Sean Whiting uses the video platform to teach himself difficult tracks – even though he is only taught the basics at his half-hour weekly drumming class.
Sean, who films and edits all of his own videos, has covered famous tracks including ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and ‘Uptown Funk’ but is obsessed with rock tracks and spends his nights after school perfecting the complex beats.
His mother Layna Harding, 31, can’t believe how talented her son has become in just two years since he got his first drum set.
She said: “He started lessons two years ago because he wanted to get himself a drum set.
“They only teach him the basic bits and he literally learns the full songs through watching YouTube videos online.
“He loves Green Day, Nirvana and Sum 41 and watches videos of their drummers to work out how to play each song.
“Sean comes home from school and plays the drums every night – he lives for it.”
Sean’s father Andy Whiting, 33, taught him how to edit together videos to film his playing.
Since then, Sean has taken over the reigns himself, filming and editing all of the videos to put on his channel ‘The Derpy Drummer’.
He is hoping to follow in the footsteps of some of his favourite drummers including Nirvana’s Dave Grohl and Green Day’s Tré Cool – despite only having fifty hours of instruction in two years.
Andy, an electrician, believes the style of music Sean plays may be influenced by his own choices, although Layna is less keen on the genre.
She said: “He plays Green Day a lot which Andy really likes but I can’t say its my type of music.”
Sean’s first drum instructor, Steve Jannetta, said that he has the “most natural sense of rhythm of any student” he had ever taught.
Steve said: “He is a natural talent.
“He knows how to understand and read music incredibly well and can literally learn songs through watching other people play them.
“Sean is so good at copying the music because of his natural sense of rhythm and he seems to just inherit the music from around him.
“So many students learn an instrument without knowing why they want to learn but Sean is different, he has a natural rhythm and has the beat.
“He will definitely carry on in to the future and is more passionate and practices more than any of the other students I have ever taught.”
Layna, a retail worker, said Sean would love to be in a band but struggles to find anyone on his level at such a tender age.
She added: “This is his passion and he is desperate to be in a band.
“He has a few friends at school who play instruments like guitar but they can’t keep up with how fast he is.
“Sean even had to switch instructors because the last one said that he didn’t teach his favourite kind of music.
“The reaction to his videos from family and friends has been great despite only recently launching the channel.
“He is absolutely brilliant.”
Sean, from Bradford, West Yorks., loves YouTube and has taught himself his passion through hours of watching some of the best drummers in the world.
Layna added: “My partner taught him how to make the videos but since then he has taken control himself and knows exactly what he is doing.
“All kids want to be Youtubers now but he has actually used it to learn a skill.
“We are so proud of him.”
Sean even put his incredible drumming skills to use to raise £600 for Martin House hospice in a sponsored drumathon last October.
The event, which involved 26 students drumming in a 13 hour event, was held in aid of his sister Grace, 7, who sadly passed away in February after fighting a rare metabolic condition.
To watch Sean’s drumming skills visit: https://www.youtube.com/user/OptimusCrime841?app=desktop
