Gifted Friend

[coopes]

Hi all, I have been reading  your forums for a few weeks now, mostly trying to find some advice for a friend I have (He wont post here) but I think he really is a prodigy in the making.  
I met him one day at his work where he sells piano’s. After he did his demonstration of the piano I was interested in, I asked him where he studied to be able to play so well. He then told me very modestly that he just messes about on the piano and has never actually had any training. Naturally I was intrigued and started to ask more questions and with each answer he gave me I was becoming more and more amazed at this unbelievable talent sitting before me.

He’s be playing 3 years
He’s never had lesson
He cant read A NOTE OF MUSIC (when he told me this I nearly fell over)

Now im no-where near his level of playing, and ive read all your post about anybody can hit the right notes ect….. But I know beautiful music when I hear it.  
I was no longer interested in the piano he was trying to sell me anymore, so I asked him if he would play some more for me- So he did.  He played Debussy’s Caire De Lune like I was listening to it on a CD. It was so beautiful it almost brought tears to my eyes. I asked him what else he plays “I duno…name somthin” he said. Ermmmm…. Rachmaninov “yeh no problem” he said. Prelude No.2 in C-sharp Minor, he made it sound like he could have played it in his sleep!  

I vist him a lot now I see him almost every week and no matter how good I tell him he is, he just laughs and says “Nah I jus mess around with it- nothin special”  

Someone please tell me this guy is gifted!!!! He plays all this by ear for God Sake HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE Has anyone here ever encountered anything like this before? He’s started  learning Chopin Revolutionary now and although its in the early stages it is shaping up rather nicely Give him another 3 or 4  months and no doubt it will be added to his repertoire.  

[monk]

Erm...

Am I right with this guess: You are female and have no boyfriend at this time?  (Or your current boyfriend is no longer interesting?)

Best Wishes,
Monk

[rlefebvr]

Erm...

Am I right with this guess: You are female and have no boyfriend at this time?  (Or your current boyfriend is no longer interesting?)

Best Wishes,
Monk

Man oh man....I almost peed on myself.

Too much....

You better pray she is not female or you are dead in the water.

[f0bul0us]

He seems to be shrugging you off an awful bit, maybe he's gay. Anyway, I'd say, what he can do is impressive, but not really a gift. That's just me though!

[coopes]

Erm...

Am I right with this guess: You are female and have no boyfriend at this time?  (Or your current boyfriend is no longer interesting?)

Best Wishes,
Monk

Ermm.... Am i right in this guess, you are a complete retard?

[xvimbi]

Ermm.... Am i right in this guess, you are a complete retard?

Good one!  
Coopes, as you have realized, the quality of the posts is sometimes abysmal.

[janice]

I'm going to assume that this is a serious post, so I will be the first one to give a serious answer.  Sadly, many non-pianists or early stage pianists are completely amazed that a person is able to play these pieces.  But any pianist who has worked hard for several years realizes that these pieces are not truly "difficult" (only in the fine-tuning of it) but rather they are "showy" pieces.

Calm down and quit being so amazed at your friend.  Just because he can play them after 3 years means nothing other than the fact that he can merely PLAY the notes, it doesn't mean that he is a MUSICIAN.  There is a world of a difference.  Just please take a pill and calm down, Coopes.  Don't get too excited over this.  It's really not that big of a deal to be able to do that.

[coopes]

Thanks Janice, but i think you are missing the point. I'm not actualy amazed that he can play these pieces in only 3years, I'm amazed that he can play them by ear! Perfectly without being able to read music or having any training or even knowing what the keys are! Im not an idiot and i do play the piano, i have done for many years! But i have never seen anybody who can just play any piece they want near perfect to the original by just listening to it!

[willcowskitz]

Calm down and quit being so amazed at your friend.  Just because he can play them after 3 years means nothing other than the fact that he can merely PLAY the notes, it doesn't mean that he is a MUSICIAN.  There is a world of a difference.

Did you miss something? Look what Coopes said:

"Now im no-where near his level of playing, and ive read all your post about anybody can hit the right notes ect….. But I know beautiful music when I hear it."



As for the matter itself, Daniel_piano (or something) made a good reply to this thread in another area, I believe (why post twice?  ).

[coopes]

Yeh sorry i'm new to this forum and was not sure which section this post would best fit so i just put it in both of them.

[xvimbi]

Thanks Janice, but i think you are missing the point. I'm not actualy amazed that he can play these pieces in only 3years, I'm amazed that he can play them by ear! Perfectly without being able to read music or having any training or even knowing what the keys are! Im not an idiot and i do play the piano, i have done for many years! But i have never seen anybody who can just play any piece they want near perfect to the original by just listening to it!

Blind people do it all the time!