child progidy

[pianoplayer51]

I heard this wonderful little boy play piano today.  He was perhaps only age 8.   He was very good and playing very complicated classical music completely from memory.

I spoke to his parents and the mother told me that he started learning at the age of 2 

Is it possible for a 2 year old to have enough stamina to learn a complicated instrument?   Most 2 year olds are learning to speak, let alone learn to play an instrument.  Most 2 year olds want to play, so how is it possible to get a child so young to sit at the piano and learn it?

I think he will go very far.  He seemed to like playing and his mother said perhaps one day he will be a professional concert pianist.

The child played one piece of Chopin and then straight away played something else and then a third piece of Beethoven.   All completely from memory as concert pianists do. 

I might add that this was not a concert, I was in a church and they walked in to have a look around and the boy just sat down at the piano and started playing.

I think he was a progidy.   

[stravinskylover]

What specific pieces did he play? It wouldn't really be fair to call him a prodigy if he was playing one of the easier waltzes of Chopin, especially since he has been learning for six years already. At least in my opinion.

[pianoplayer51]

not sure but the parents said what the composers were.   

[joplinfreak]

Was he playing re-mastered pieces? For example I could get away playing Chopin's Rain Drop Prelude with out even making an octave and still make it sound good. 8 year olds don't have fully developed hands to allow them to make complicated chords, which leads me to think he's playing simple pieces. Either that or he modified them to suit his hand size (always a possibility). One must make a distinction between prodigy and very good. A lot of people assume that I naturally picked up playing, when in reality I was determined enough to PRACTICE 2-3 hours a day. Prodigy? Very possible, not many people can do what he's doing at that age. Very Good? Much more likely. Regardless I admire the fact that he is playing a musical instrument with skill at that age.

[pianoplayer51]

Lang Lang was a child Progidy was he not?