# It's feakin' elder abuse!



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Title is credited to @John Reilly (Thanks again for the very meaningful laugh)

This is a thread dedicated to amazing young musicians (under ~16 years of age) .

*Please post whatever impresses (depresses?) you.
Any instrument, any genre.*


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)




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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

dam kids!! *#*(


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)




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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

this kid is only 11, amazing


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

I think the same thing every time I see one of these videos. First, it’s unbelievable and some people must just have a natural ability to do this in a way others can’t (obviously this is also the result of an incredible amount of practice and hard work.too ). Secondly, and I think more interestingly, it’s amazing how you never hear of these child virtuosos ever again. What I mean is, so few of them go on to write any music of any fame or notoriety. It’s almost like the ability to technically play the instrument doesn’t translate over into a gift of writing music.

I don’t intend this post to be read in a nasty way. Hell, I can’t play technically well AND I can’t write anything anyone wants to listen to! It just strikes me as really interesting that the technically proficient child doesn’t translate over into a significant ‘musical contribution’ more often or more directly.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

traynor_garnet said:


> Secondly, and I think more interestingly, it’s amazing how you never hear of these child virtuosos ever again. What I mean is, so few of them go on to write any music of any fame or notoriety.


Joey Alexander is still moving forward. Apparently, he wrote and arranged this.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

My take on this, also not intended n a nasty way.

These child prodigies seem to (pretty consistently) be able to play the notes and get all the little details more or less right, but there just seems to be a lack of feeling or depth to the playing. It’s almost as if playing the notes just right is the goal rather than trying to convey an emotion. Perhaps it’s simply because they’re children and don’t yet have the life experience. They haven’t had the highs and lows that occur as the years pass. Music isn’t just a series of notes in a particular order. There’s SO much more to it than that. I’ve heard some players that can convey more in a single note than some that can play blindingly fast but never stir an emotion in the listener.

That being said, I still appreciate the time and effort it takes to actually sit down and learn the notes on the page. I certainly don’t have the patience or concentration to do that.

Anyhow, that’s my feeling on the matter. I’m sure others may disagree.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

JBFairthorne said:


> My take on this, also not intended n a nasty way.
> 
> These child prodigies seem to (pretty consistently) be able to play the notes and get all the little details more or less right, but there just seems to be a lack of feeling or depth to the playing. It’s almost as if playing the notes just right is the goal rather than trying to convey an emotion. Perhaps it’s simply because they’re children and don’t yet have the life experience. They haven’t had the highs and lows that occur as the years pass. Music isn’t just a series of notes in a particular order. There’s SO much more to it than that. I’ve heard some players that can convey more in a single note than some that can play blindingly fast but never stir an emotion in the listener.
> 
> ...


While I agree with you on this regarding a number of the kids on Youtube, in this thread I've just listened to 2 pretty masterful compositions. The first one with the kid on the acoustic and the other being that Joey Alexander. Those 2 examples are pretty high level composition skills at that young age. But those are a couple of outliers compared to some of the ones I think you're referring to.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

This kid played Carnegie Hall at 8. That's his neighbors kid digging the tune he wrote!


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

greco said:


> Joey Alexander is still moving forward. Apparently, he wrote and arranged this.


Pretty amazing indeed. All I meant was that for somebody to be SO far ahead of anyone else even near his/her age, you would think his/her trajectory would take them to another universe. The playing in this video is world class and crazy for such a young kid, but will he actually get 'better' as he ages? Selfishly, I hope so because I want truly talented people to create things I could never imagine. If I had to bet, however, I bet he will do awesome things but they will be only incrementally better and the gap between him and his peers will diminish. 

Hope I'm wrong, because I am not going to create anything truly new.
TG


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

This girl started playing when she was 6 1/2. In this video she's 15. That's 2015.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I've posted this before.
At the time of the video the singer was 11, the drummer was 14 & the bass player 16.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

^^ From a concept album of theirs. I get a bit of a Nevermore feel/influence out of it.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

This child brings me tears of joy!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Hamstrung said:


> This child brings me tears of joy!


ever since my little girl started drumming I find a new appreciation for these types of videos


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Okay--some to them are probably over 16, but not all of them.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)




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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)




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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)




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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)




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## Eric Reesor (Jan 26, 2020)

Children will always aspire to please their parents regardless of their commitment to the music and indeed all arts and science. The ones who have a talent for work do the best. Then the pressure to please others kicks in as does the realities of "professional entertainment" as a way of making a living. God rest Michael Jackson and the countless others who were burdened with their talent as child.


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