Explaining why prodigies are different

[N E Y]

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The topic of the prodigy always fascinates people, but are prodigies really different or are they just.....well read on!



Having taught a few prodigies - boys and girls- how to play guitar I have some things to explain to help readers understand them a little better.

They all needed some degree of help. In fact much more so than people think! They all have superior physical intelligence , but not nearly as much as believed by laypeople. They still need technical guidance and lots of it!.....The difference being: They listen and pay attention and focus with amazing intensity...invariably! and they know how to discriminate good from bad advice very fast due to their specialized intelligence. They are much more aware of their bodies than normal people who live either in their heads all the time , or submerged in an emotional morass all the time.

Most normal students don't listen very well or very often. Period! They also are -in most cases- not even aware that they are not listening or focusing. Their ego says " I want the end result right now!" " I want to be like so and so right now". The prodigy loves the act of playing at any level. The prodigy loves to practice...at any level.


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Prodigies know the simple truth about what normal people call enormously "complex" music and "simple" music. They also know that there is-in reality- no such thing in reality as "simple" "easy" or complex"...Those are just appearances on the surface.Prodigies are not about superficialities when it comes to music itself. They can see easily through glib mental machinations and purposeless intellectualizing when it does not apply . Everything musical is tremendously demanding if done right and truthfully instead of superficially and vapidly and they know it.

They know they ARE music. In this way one CAN play by ear very easily and very spontaneously. They know the place and function of music theory exactly. They are not in awe of it. They are in awe of music! The real thing! Many musicians cannot dare to do that simple act of sheer courage and faith: Trust yourself and your Love of playing and music. The prodigy and any true artist has no "issues" with accepting and performing that simple act of devotion and trust.




One of these prodigies did get injured with tendonitis for the same reasons that happen to GP readers: Bad physical habits and excessive -and self-imposed- practicing with no breaks. They are of a much more subtle nature than bad habits of most players and the consequences happen when much higher playing levels are attained, as compared to a common player who gets in trouble at a far lower level of ability.


One thing that needs to be stated, and that gets completely glossed over when talking about prodigies is that they practice hours a day!....They work for it, abundant natural talent notwithstanding...One hour for them is like 5 or 8 hours for a normal child, because they are much more mentally efficient and focussed and aware the details at hand. but people prefer to ignore this entirely and attribute their playing ability to talent at birth only....or to some magic power that only they have.

We know very well why people (adults) preffer to do that instead of facing the truth of course. The prodigy. instead, faces the truth,and he/she faces it with a headstart called natural talent . but he/she works very hard for it. The capacity for focus and drive are remarkable indeed, but so is the factor everyone prefers not to admit : They work so hard and they LOVE playing music..They do not like music . Instead..they Love to play The normal person likes to state that they love to play, when they merely like to play. Love, is an often misapplied and even misunderstood word..in music and in life!

They do not have the self-entitlement or the common arrogant presumptions to instant playing skill that limit most adults and makes them quit the instrument, or the relative lack of Love that " normal people" have for playing music.


These are a few of the common traits of the prodigies I have taught, both boys and girls.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ney_mello
http://www.youtube.com/user/NeyMelloOfficial?
http://bit.ly/aSUSw6
http://www.musicarts.com/Stores/Store.a ... 320&mode=1
http://www.facebook.com/pages/NEY-MELLO/8702485599
http://www.myspace.com/neymello
http://www.twitter.com/NeyMelloGuitar

[jordan_majel]

Awesome stuff, very interesting. Thanks Ney.

[Jamie]

Excellent piece Ney! I love it. It is all so true.

I love that last part about working so hard. I really think people don't get this. Yes, these folks are talented, but they do nothing all day but think about their love, music, and be with it. It is exactly like a romance novel, except it is one person, and music.

This is why when I started playing, I lied to my teacher about how much I practiced. I told him I was practicing 2 hours a day instead of 5 ( I was just getting started, it soon became more). I knew if anybody went about it the way I did, they would get damn good damn fast. I knew that then, and I was only 14!

I am going to put this article in my blog and tweet it, thanks Ney!

[guitar66]

Great essay, Ney!

I have always been interested in the meaning of the words "talent", "genius", and "prodigy". They convey a kind of mystery or magic reserved for very few, yet I realize in the current era those terms are abused in order to sell something or someone.

As far as I can tell everyone has a spark of genius inside of them, but not everyone listens to it, or is aware that it is there at all. Perhaps this is where intelligence is needed, to be clear-headed enough to trust what one thinks and feels. Reading Emerson's essays, especially Self Reliance, can awaken the intelligence needed to trust that what one is doing may be right after all.

If someone wants to reach their potential in any activity, practicing long hours is a necessity. I can't see how else one can expect to know they went as far as they could go if they did not practice as far as they could go. And like you said, love comes into play, because if I don't love what I am doing, why would I want to practice at it so much?

The critical things are : finding what one loves to do; deciding to seriously pursue that love; having the trust and faith to work hard at it over a long period of time; enjoy the journey.

[N E Y]

Thanks Jamie,

I hope it helps others to get a bit more aware of these matters.

Ney

[N E Y]

Yes James,

I have also found that love not only comes into play, but is the only reason one can attain greatness at anything. By "greatness' I mean complete unity with the activity which empowers the artist to produce works of timeless value and life-changing power.. Greatness is a state of being and to attain it all that is necessary is pure love. If love is experienced all that is needed will be given. All the qualities will be there at birth to make the development possible.

Without pure love one can only go a far as cold brilliance and impressive excellence. Greatness requires one to go all the way.... Nevertheless...without true Love one is completely incapacitated to go all the way.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ney_mello
http://www.youtube.com/user/NeyMelloOfficial?
http://bit.ly/aSUSw6
http://www.musicarts.com/Stores/Store.a ... 320&mode=1
http://www.facebook.com/pages/NEY-MELLO/8702485599
http://www.myspace.com/neymello
http://www.twitter.com/NeyMelloGuitar

[N E Y]

There are some interesting questions posed by Millen, a noted GP reader from Bulgaria about some points on this article.

You can read my replies here:
NOTE: most of the replies are found scrolling down right after the article ends.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved& ... 7949338526

[luvmybase]

I am always interested in learning more about prodigies. I would like to know how these prodigies come to be prodigies. Do each of us possibly have some area of our life that we could be considered prodigy-like or is it just certain people? It is true that each person has different strengths and weaknesses. Where do prodigies fit into these categories?

[N E Y]

I am always interested in learning more about prodigies. I would like to know how these prodigies come to be prodigies. Do each of us possibly have some area of our life that we could be considered prodigy-like or is it just certain people? It is true that each person has different strengths and weaknesses. Where do prodigies fit into these categories?

Did you read my article above?

It is just certain people. Anyone with very high level physical intelligence and top concentration ability can do it but most don't care nearly enough to do it. Only very few care enough. Most people do not know the meaning of devotion and caring for anything but their family. That is the average normal human experience. So it is not comprehensible to them that some rare people can care just as much about art.