Dear Lemon, my son Ryan, aka Mando Flynn, aged 15, is an awesome mandolin player, and he usually plays with his eyes closed. Now, you can't see his beautiful denim blue eyes in this photo CLICK HERE, because he is wearing cool shades. You can, however, click on the audio file and hear him playing mandolin with his eyes closed. I bet you wouldn't kick him out of your parlor for closing his eyes.