The Dark Truth of Being a Prodigy 

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Chloe Chua is probably not a prodigy, at least not anymore. She practices 5 hours a day. Her outstanding talent is her understanding of music and her seeming lack of nervousness but she has to practice a lot. She also has a great sense of humour and plays videogames in her free time. I think she has had a healthy upbringing. She chose herself to become a solo violinist. Her parents didn’t push her.

Great video! I would add that prodigies are not just kids who can be trained to play the hardest pieces at a young age, but also kids that demonstrate a musical maturity beyond their age. If you close your eyes and they sound like they are 30, where in reality they are 10, that's a prodigy to me!

...man..... i just turned 14 and got my violin. I sometimes feel like trash when i watch younger people play better than me, but it also makes me want to practice more..

I feel like I have quite the opposite experience of the child prodigy. I didn't start taking viola lessons until I was around 15, and it was really hard seeing everyone else my age play way better. It was really hard, frustrating work, but I'm going to music school now. It would have been so much easier if I had started earlier, but I'm honestly grateful that I was able to discover my passion by myself and use that as motivation, and that I can see how far I've come.

I went to Chloe’s concert last year! Her Mozart 3 interpretation was AMAZING ✨🫶🏻🔥

These artists were so lucky to have the opportunity to use their talent and develop their skills and most importantly show them to the world. Some prodigies have never been, are not and will never be seen simply because of where they're born in and their originality.

My favorite part is that I started playing the violin at 15, so I don't tend to compare myself to prodigies that much 😅😅😅

ViolinMechanic, this was a SICK thumbnail. And video. Keep up the good work. It’s the first time I am knowing your channel and I subscribed even though I am not a violin player (but I really like classical music)

I started violin a year ago. Seeing all of these like 5 year olds being able to play pieces that I could never kinda makes me want to give up but it I just try to make sure I practice. I'm going into grade 2 hopefully in the Summer.

The book "If only you knew" is an interesting read on this. Autobiography by David Garrett (violin prodigy in his childhood).

I skipped the intro of midori and thought you were saying Chloe Chua played for Reagan. I was like, "Wow, Ling Ling really can bend the space and time continuum." 😂

Thanks for the informing video! As much as I love Chloe’s Bruch, I admire how much she’s put on the line, same for other prodigies like Hilary and Midori. :)

“If you want to be a prodigy”. As per your own definition, that’s not how it works whether in music or sports. You are a prodigy or you’re not and no amount of work can change that. You can become one of the greatest soloists in the world without being a prodigy though, so you don’t have to be a prodigy to reach the top. Ray Chen says he’s not a prodigy. So if we work very hard, it’s possible to get to that level. It will just be much harder than for a prodigy.

Your editing has really improved, a lot! I was here when you posted one of your old videos and dangggg the editingg! Keep it up!

There is no such a thing as a prodigy. Most of those kids start very young at 3-5 years old and practice every day at least 4 hours to 7 hours per day. One thing I have noticed is that most of those "prodigies" have the resources to pay for daily violin lessons and/or have parents or closed relatives with musical backgrounds. Most have one or both parents who play the violin or piano or any other instrument. For instance, Mozart's father was not only a music teacher, he was a musician who played the violin, and the piano. he was also a composer. The same thing with Bach, most of his family were recognized musicians and composers. Most recently, Chloe Chua 's mother is a music teacher. Don't get me wrong they were the best of the best and talented and worked hard and practiced and practiced for hours, but they had the influence, the help at their finger tips, and a good marketing. That's it. I can give them the credit, but not the merit as prodigies.

I feel like people who truly excel at their instrument are predisposed or have been meticulously guided (likely both) to moving their playing apparatus in the most efficient ways so as to produce top tier tone, consistent rhythm and overall fluency. So their practice to most looks a lot like playing. And they’re primed for success. The rest of us practice technique to the best of our ability in hopes to be able to crack the code of true beauty and expression thru music, instead of our bones lol. Keep going brotha, I am. 😊

They built a hotel near my house when I was 5 with a piano, I would listen to Chopin and Beethoven at home and go back and play what I heard - eventually I was taken in to free lessons, offered in the future-my uni paid, and was bought a piano by a European at the hotel missing a few fingers- despite growing up extremely poor / in a messed up place; and though, because of this- I got sent away for 5 years, came back and could not motivate my old teacher to maintain interest after missing a couple lessons.. Writing this from the shelter. Life has been very up and down. The ups were extremes, the lows as well - but I still play - I needed someone to tell me what I am not doing, how I didn’t play well- affirmation’s only made me fall into self imitation, I played the same way because I knew I’d get the reaction I wanted, improvement would have come from knowing sooner how to do better other than rampantly - I still feel as creatively inclined, still make music daily - but I regret missing such a development in life, I want to be playing Gaspard De Le Nuit rn. I still play at that hotel- almost every day now that I am back in the same city - 3-6 hr a day - I really need a teacher smh.

Never jealous, just full of admiration and wonder that a chosen few have dedicated their lives to become so darn good at something the rest of us could never achieve

I probably wasn't a prodigy but I completely understand what they're going through. I started playing the piano at the age of 6 and everything came very naturally to me. I barely practiced but somehow I made it. Won a contest at age 8 and continued studying until age 14. But around 11-12 things started to become really hard and I had to put in a lot of work, which I wasn't used to. Took me a lot of time to enjoy playing again. At the time my interest in piano was fading, I got into computer science instead and consistently won many programming competitions. It also came very naturally with very little practice. And guess what? A few years passed and I was no longer the best. The people who put in the work became the best. At least that led me to a good career in software engineering but I never got the habit of working hard and always followed the easy path.

Probably one of the darkest parts of being a "prodigy" is if you are already well-known and there's no backing out. I technically call myself a "prodigy". Though I am not well-known, and I will stay to be unknown, since music isn't really my passion. My young, bored self just decided to learn the piano for no reason, until it became an addiction.

And this is why I consciously decided against actively becoming what you would consider a 'child prodigy' when I was at that age. Thank you for bringing attention to these things.

I guess I could be considered a child prodigy, although I'm a teenager now. I finished all my trinity exams both on piano and violin by the age of 12, and scored a distinction in both. I've played at two opera houses, won competitions, and was recently labelled "Most Promising Young Musician" of my city. I remember when I was about 7-11 I wanted to quit my violin SO BADLY. To the point where I would yell and cry at my mum for not letting me quit. I hated every bit of music practise, hated classical music (still hate it to this day) and hated the way my music sounded. Playing at high levels as a young child is hard, and I can kinda empathise with these kids.

I play and love violin, but carpal tunnel in both of my hands forced me to pace my practicing and adopt new habits like stretching and stuff. I am so glad that happened to me, because I would feel horrible thinking that I could be better, if I just practiced more and more. But carpal tunnel put an end to all that, and I realize I'm good at so many other things, I don't have to be great at violin. I just have to enjoy the music that I can make.

No turning back...for the greater good. 😅 great video

I started at 21 years old, it's been 6 years and I think I am not bad, I see my skill cultivated slowly but surely, of course I can't aspire to become a soloist but it's a lot of fun and I feel fulfiled.

I wish more “prodigy producing” parents would choose less common instruments or even encourage their kids to be prodigy composers nowdays. Too many violins and pianos and it’s kind of boring. The new music composition field has really been falling out of popular culture for the past 50 years and we need people to get media attention and bring new composition and obscure instruments back into the spotlight

I wished that the US public schools started music instruments programs at all levels. We spent money on our daughter's piano and violn lessons starting at 4 years old and all the way to her 12th grade. She received scholarship money few times. However she was recruited to an engineering academy for her 9th grade. Her heart was with music but she chose to be an engineer. She is enjoying working in computer games. My daughter credited classical music training for her current job.

Prodigy is one in a million. If gifted that special talent, I'd be sure to make good use of it!

Love your videos 👍🏾

Haha you are so light to say this dark truth

I wish all kids and adult the best. If one failed to be a prodigy, there is no hope of success to those who cannot figure out how to overcome obstacles. Not sure why someone like to play violin if it hurt oneself. Cheer to those is positive and excellent to their skill.

I know that LangLang also have insurance on his hands. So I guess it's fairly normal. But then again in Vengrov's case I think I saw on his instagram that he's also marching into conducting? Makes sense. I think Yuja Wang is like that, she is also marching into conducting. I think this is the same for ballet dancers, with a wayyyyy shorter career span. Most of them graduate into a choreographer or master. And in some very great cases, they eventually transform into Artistic Director of ABT, like Susan Jaffe. (FYI Susan Jaffe danced her first Swan Lake Odette/Odile, a principal role, at age of 19. absolutely a prodigy.) But then again we also see lots of prodigies' tragic life stories. So it really is a case-by-case thingi.

I was not quite a child prodigy, but I was pretty close. I started playing piano at 9 years old and performed the first movement of Moonlight Sonata after less than a year of lessons (iirc 5 or 6 months). Preparing Alla Turka for a competition when I was 13 was a bit of a grind but not overly challenging at the time, and, despite the technical mastery I achieved, the judges tore apart my interpretation and did not appreciate my awkward/autistic stage presence. The sensation of effortlessness up to the point where raw talent ceased to be sufficient came with all sorts of psychological issues besides the obvious one of "wtf why is this so hard", e.g. friends and family members always writing off any technical achievement as not taking any effort or not accommodating my need to practice 4-6 hours a day. I was studying to become a professional pianist under a retired concert pianist who had toured Europe before marrying and immigrating to the US, but, when I was 15, I suffered a spiral fracture in my left ring finger in an accident in a martial arts class that completely derailed everything. The following years were some of the darkest I have ever experienced. I was unable to regain my former level of skill after two years of dedicated effort, gave up, and got a biotech degree that I have not used. I had a very torturous relationship with music for many years, focusing on dark and angry metal songs as I learned to play electric guitar (which felt almost effortless despite the countless hours of practice). I tried resuming my classical music ambitions 7 years ago with violin lessons after learning the basics autodidactically for 6 months, but I encountered hard limitations due to my irregular hand shape and gave up after a year. I resumed seriously practicing piano a few months ago and pulled my violin out of the closet at the beginning of last month; to my surprise, I found that I can now move my left hand in ways I couldn't 6 years ago. It has taken the equivalent of my entire life up to the point of the injury to recover from that one injury. Idk if I have the temerity at this point to attempt a career as a musician, but I hope to at least begin performing Mozart piano sonatas and Chopin's preludes and nocturnes, and maybe I'll finally be able to play both parts of Kreisler's Liebeslied this year. (My grandiose music goals are to play and record both parts of Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Dance Macabre, and Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy.) I am generally hopeful about it but also quite sensitive due to the psychological baggage; for example, I had a minor back injury at the beginning of this month that prevented me from practicing for weeks and got severely depressed during that time. Tldr is that talent has risks and the archons are evil.

Maybe it is natural abilities/talent that allow a prodigy to succeed for especially hard measures/pieces, but I also think that more importantly, it's having a extremely solid foundation (eg. bow hold, posture, tension, technique, scales, etc.)

i was deemed a prodigy as a child i had constant scholorships and concerts and got to play so many great concerts with famous musicians won competitions etc but then i was stuck i couldnt chose anything else this was all my life had been being forced to continue music from family and everyone around me even though i was so depressed and lost all motivation for it and now after years im trying so hard to find more of the love i had for music i used to its so draining to have everyone have huge expectations for you always

oh begitu... matur suksma😊

Thank you! Of course, I’m a little upset that I spend several hours a day on classes, but the result is as if I spend 10 minutes a week.

I wish my mother had taught me the violin earlier, now I could play more complex pieces... Because I really don't have a problem with pieces that should cost me with the time I've been playing.

Though i am not even a musician i always wanted to become one. “Admire them from a safe distance” that sentence changed my life view man.

Worth it

Hang on a second. I thought you said by the end I'd be GLAD I wasn't a prodigy! You tricked me!

At least where I live (India) there isn’t really any pressure to excel in music or anything creative, you’re basically forced to become a doctor or an engineer. My family kind of expects both from me; I’ve been singing since I was four and when I wanted to stop going to class my grandmother was very angry. I’m often jealous of the talent that prodigies have, but I personally don’t really want to be one. The pressure that comes with that would be too much for me, and I already take anxiety meds lol😅.

As a pianist I would certainly say that the rigors one must endure to mechanically perfect difficult repertoire can test your sanity. On the other hand, I think geniuses in earlier eras, who were (on top of being able to flawlessly execute the most demanding repertoire) also spending time on composition and improvisation, managed to balance out the monotony of raw practise with the more creative aspects in music making. On the other hand, I only say this from the perspective of a pianist. I suppose wind, string, and other players who occupy more strictly performance-oriented roles, simply have it harder since they aren't nornally expected to be given the role of a composer, improviser, conductor, or arranger/producer/etc.

School was like this for me, didn't have to really put in any effort until college, so I never really "Learned" how to put in real effort, concentration and diligence. Not music though, gotta study for that stuff.

That's it. I really love piano, I started studying six months ago, but I had already studied keyboard for five years. I didn't like the keyboard, my goal was the piano and it became easier for me because I was already studying a similar instrument. The piano is my passion, my hobby and, even if I learn faster, I don't want to think of it as a burden or something that I need to be super-skilled at. I want to play because I like, because it fills me with joy.

The prodigy of Truth is the product of love and practice. ❤

I started on my instrument so late, there was no chance of me ever being a prodigy. But I did eventually finish grad school for performance on my instrument, albeit I no longer perform

Im hearing a Chopin nocturne in the background. Perfect for some emotional moments these prodigies had to went through 🤣

I get frustrated a lot now that I'm older because everything was so easy to come by, reading music and playing it. But now I struggle to keep tempo and have expression!! I doubt I was a "prodigy" but it felt a lot easier back then😂

I only just started watching but I'm hearing Brahms in the background, is it Hilary Hahn? - asking because one of my favourite things to do is to guess the soloist lol. While I'm at it, have you seen this interview with her where she talks about practicing as a kid and that she, unlike many others, did not feel like she missed out? If she did, she can simply do it now. And the crazy part is, i believe her 100% It always feels weird to directly adress a youtuber, like I'm entitled to your attention, so i hope this is okay haha

I’m so glad there is a video about this. I’ve watched to many that involve worshipping and idolizing child prodigies and 🫣😓 Great video- hope your channel grows even more 🙌🏽

I think that living a relatively normal life leads to experiences that can contribute to interpretation and expression of music. The isolation of the prodigies inhibits this. I have a theory that some people are blessed with an advanced cerebellum that can record muscle memory after one or two repetitions, rather than the 30+ that it takes for most people.

0:14 YoEun, who appeared a few seconds later, started at 2)))

What talent, what natural abilities!! Show me a child prodigy that doesn't have a parent pushing the planet their way or a manager/teacher. They're literally taught to make faces while playing. Almost everything a "talented" musician is capable of, can be taught to a child, and it is. Wether or not the kid has a natural predisposition for a craft is almost out od the question - a child prodigy is forged, not born

Violin is my life!!!!

I'm unsure if Mozart gave up by the end of his life - he was working on his requiem until he died. How are you backing up your claim?

Il me redonne le sourire celui-là...

Can someone tell me the piano piece playing in the background at 7:24?

I need my violin I can't live without my instrument its more important than food and water. Its my life and my career and my focus lastly my only friend.

What make of violin do you have?

Violin Mechanic is the best youtube channel by far(First)

What is the piano piece at 7:30?

Wow

My sister started violin at age 8 and went to Julliard every weekend at age 16. She practiced 4 hours a day from age 8 to avoid the chaos in our home. She said at age 50, "I didn't practice 4 hours a day to play in the pit." Apparently, she did, although she made it her career. Not everyone is a soloist.

Hi can someone please tell me what is the name of the piece at @7:20? I like it :)

I’m a “prodigy” in things like art and literature mainly thanks to my hyperphantasia and synesthesia, I hate having them so much even though it’s almost always considered a gift, my brother also has them and he’s also a prodigy. My mom has VERY high expectations when it comes to grades😭

Idk, but at least she sounding equal or even higher than most adult performers. She had an extended aura

What makes you a professional on this subject!

I don't think I'd call myself a prodigy but I'm 13 years old and I've performed with orchestra (as concertmaster not soloist ofc) and I've gotten a offer from my teacher to play in a professional orchestra for a concert and I still have a social life, go to school, and I have a lot of extracurricular activities like basketball (which is probably not good but anyways) football, and plenty of other things so I guess its not about being a prodigy its about scheduling and managing your time for other things :)

I wonder if prodigies can develop their nerves more naturally by being just simply being a prodigy. I would imagine there are still nerves when they perform, but I'm sure that they can manage it much more than those who weren't exposed to instruments at a young age.

and you want to be a youtube prodigy competition, just like in the olympics, we run to win the prize Many people are raised this way to be involved intensely.

Greatness involves a great deal of sacrifice. Look at what Jannik Sinner had to do to get to where he is today. It's not just music. Some are content with simple and happy life. Others want to leave their name behind to be remembered when they're long gone.

Dude Last Rose of Summer still traumatizes me to this day

I love SoHyun Ko so much

Training a kid to play Paganini is commendable, but real prodigies possess maturity beyond their years. Show me the same 8 year old playing a Brahms sonata,and there won’t be much to write home about. Josef Hassid, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Charles Castleman, Michael Rabin-these players were real prodigies because they had developed their own individual sound at an early age. Hilary Hahn as well

You should do a late prodigy. Late bloomer.

I’m pretty sure Anne Sophie Mutter said in an interview that she didn’t like practicing 😂

I was homeschooled and it helped me become...not a prodigy! 😂 But I'm happy!

All of those who are in absolute top of their field do need to work hard some day. Just very few will make it. As extremely talented friend of mine once said to me: "to be gifted is not enough there. others near the top are gifted too. Hard work is necessity when compiting with them". Good team around prodigy is also absolute necessity. In a long run psyche will collapse otherwise, life must be in good balance. Plan B must always be there for sure

Prodigy is not someone who do not practice anything and then can do it suddenly. But how fast can they understand, learned , and do it. So if Prodigy did a lot of practice, the distance with their peer Will be a whole lot far too.

I feel nearly the same way Midori feels, but for the piano.

Chloé is 🔥 Have you seen her latest PR pics!

Thats a nice looking violin what brand of water do you like to drink

I am too attached to my hobbies to give it all up to be a prodigy.

I just want to say that I've played the violin for over 5 years, and that if it hurts to play the violin, then you're likely doing something wrong. Unless you're playing for four hours straight and maybe you start to feel shoulder tension, you really should have any pain, especially in the wrist/hand.

Vengerov would not have been practicing outside at -35 temperatures as you suggest here. It might have been -35 outside but he would have been indoors in front of a warm fire.

good evening from malaysia dude :D

With regards to what he said about Mozart giving up, I don't think that's true. Mozart died because of an illness, although experts speculate about which disease it was that actually killed him. Julie Gill, Glasgow, Scotland.

So is it normal for conductors to have “anger issues?” Because they want to or because they have to? Confused on this dilemma.

Super talented kids are just wired up differently. There is a fine line between practise and obsession and that goes for both the child and the parents. How many get that right. With Mozart, obviously wrong but with many the parents main job is to stop their child obsessing and spend some time being a kid.

Don’t be jealous just stop procrastinating and start practicing at least 3 hours a day

My experience with home schooling is that it can be a disaster. You're right. It ruins the most important childhood experiences.

to comfortably play erlkonig, downsize to 3/4😭😭😭

🇨🇦👍

7:19 what is the piece name?

My nephew got to practice piano and violin since boyhood because of his father. Was he a prodigy ? l dont know, l only know he's a good boy obeys to his father. After years one day, my nephew played me a piece of Vivaldi's violin thru internet, it's not so good it's just ok, but l didnt said a word in return to him. ln fact, l didnt know what should l say. The boy only exercises his father's will.

Tha second piece is Erlkönig Schubert.

1:15 btw, now you can play this part!! 👍

I'm practicing 8 hours a day but I don't think I will play like them 🥺