Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Is this possible to have musical talent such as this?

Hey! I just made some popcorn, shut up!

oohh my.

Only now? I made mine as soon as I saw the post right after my very first reply!

But I've finished my popcorn and am now sick. But I don't know if it's because of this thread or eating too much popcorn.

To answer the original question directly, I agree with the earlier posters who said that, no, the August Rush situation is not possible.

Remember that while ordinary people have some innate musical literacy, this is because music uses hardware that our brains have naturally. Almost certainly this hardware was developed originally for recognizing, understanding, and producing vocalizations (among them languages). This is hard-wired and non-arbitrary.

The piano keyboard, the guitar, and sheet music are arbitrary in fundamental and important ways, and so cannot be grasped immediately, and must be learned.

Just think about an interval of a major third. Sometimes it is an interval from a white key to another white key, sometimes from a black to white, sometimes from white to black, sometimes black to black.

Sheet music is way too arbitrary, like a written language, to be learned quickly. The idea of someone sitting down and playing something from sheet like in the described scene is in the realm of magical fantasy. It's like a person who's never heard English before walking into a room and speaking fluently.

The reason it seems plausible to people who don't know anything about music is because they don't know anything about music. Strangely, it may seem plausible to people who know music extremely well, only because to them the system is so well learned that it is second nature.

I agree with the others who say Brooke has nothing to prove. If she plays well, she isn't being truthful about the amount of time she's studied. If she doesn't play well, what satisfaction can that bring anyone?

Also lets not forget that our music system is our music system. The 12-note octave is just one of many systems. (but the only right and logical one haha :p)

Some of us still have a job (I know, you're probably still a student). I just got home.

He's a hard working cashier, leave the poor man alone

Victor, I actually don't work there anymore so I should update that. I quit because my summer became too busy to have a job.

I still accompany at a catholic church, but I won't be able to once I go to college. Hopefully I can find a church job at college.

Well, I have the fingering all correct, and the speed is gradually building up.

Brooke, I'd advise you to just ignore him, he's clearly trolling and you shouldn't have to deal with people like him.

Just play whatever you want, practise hard, practise intelligently and you'll become a fine pianist. My only advice would be to echo the sentiments around here, and say that you should start with easier pieces before tackling these pieces, and try to play stuff by baroque and classical composers to be a well-rounded musician.

Yeah, I know that I should. However, I got it to speed. I'll show him what I have.

Why do you want to moderator to lock it, Ethan?

This thread has negative energy coming from more than one source. I'm sorry I entered into it a few posts ago.

Back to the 'ignore' thread for me!

I think the OP's reaction to your posting that vid of the little girl playing the Ballade, as an example of potential Juilliard material (in another thread), and subsequent disregard of you, speaks volumes . I understand how you feel; but this is a pretty good troll show!

I actually was interested so I saw the movie yesterday. It was pretty bad imo! Definitely a girl movie. Also its weird in movies like this it seems to be directed at people who love music, however everything music related was so terribly wrong. I do however understand the whole Brooke debacle now, its highly likely to be just some teenage boy/girl who feels average and sees a movie like this and wants to be special like that fictous person. I really wasn't surprised to see Julliard so well presented in the movie, and there being over 3 threads with question's of Brooke about Julliard. Movie's like this can have bad effects. Also especially as a guitar player I can say the movie was wrong about every.. single.. thing of the guitar playing. Most hilarious was that without being able to know what notes were and staves and bars, he suddenly starts writing music...

Hang around here long enough and you'll realize at least once a year we get a thread from a teenager making extraordinary claims about their talent, while the adults are skeptical and a challenge is made to put up or shut up.

Maybe the OP will be the exception to the rule and become the first person to post vindicating videos, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Some of us are still waiting for Mr. Kitty to post his performance of the first 24 Chopin etudes.

Yes, but RonaldSteinway has set the bar too low.

And anyone can find a friend who can actually play. Do we really want to get into absurd video deconstructions if and when one actually shows up?

Sometimes these teens mature into contributing members here. This requires some socialization to the give and take, the language, the etiquette, and the ethos of board. But often they just disappear once the initial entertainment value wears thin.

It's pretty sad imo...as I'm a teenager

As are Debussy20, OrangeSodaKing and many others. They (and you) are productive members here because they can carry on a mature conversation geared toward common goals of learning and sharing knowledge.

Here's what troubles me. A 14-year-old disabled girl goes online, gets enough people upset at her that her thread is 14 pages and counting, and gives the world enough info to actually find her (real name, location, name of piano teacher). PianoWorld has had some loonies on here; god knows where else on the Internet she's going and raising the curiosity of more dangerous creeps.