I've looked for her on KZread to see how she's doing now. She's not only a pianist. She plays the violin very well and performs her own concerti. Now, how many young musicians are doing that? Or even not so young ones? That's a lot of talent. If that's not a prodigy... Anyway, she's a very talented young musician!

The only people worthy of criticising of this young lady are people who can pull four notes out of a hat and do the same that she has done.

@TheDusty1920

21 күн бұрын

She changed the notes, which defeats the whole purpose

Children can compose music...if they are geniuses like Alma. 1/3 of W A Mozart's catalog was written when he was under 18yo. Alma composed her 1st full scale opera at age 10.

@jedpittman6739

3 ай бұрын

yes, i saw the original. she is clearly talented.

love your take on the concept of the prodigy, and it's something I've been considering for a long time. Along with the concept of "gifted" Everything you said about pianos and classical music theory being human conventions that are taught and learnt... so true. There are people and children who learn easier and faster. Usually they have very "encouraging" parents too and in themselves a strong motivation to learn and practise. Very interesting.

Love these videos , so funny how I’m just as synical when it comes to prodigies 😂

People think of Classical music as something written on paper by dead composers a few hundred years ago playing off the score. People have always perform music off the script improvising as they perform. A few hundred years ago in the Baroque, it was common to add ornaments to the music... not something that was written on paper first but as you perform. A well known example of Classical improvisation was during Bach's visit to Prussia. The Emperor Fred the Great who was a flute player played about 20 random notes and Bach improvised an entire set of variations starting with the opening Prelude: "Musical Offerings" BWV 1079. And you have Schubert Impromptu. Today the music is on paper and people would read off the script. A few hundred years ago, Schubert would be performing a composition that he invented on the spot before writing it down and send to a publisher. Today people associate improvise music with the genre Jazz & Blues or something that isn't associated with Classical music or sounds Classical. Alma Deutscher has proven otherwise. It's possible to create something original that sounds like Mozart or Beethoven.

OH! MY! GOSH! THIS IS GOOD CONTENT!

This was super interesting!

Nice video this is awesome!

Here's her latest 4-note creation if you care to do another reaction/analysis: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iIqNrbOon8_IfZc.html

@sophiamcl

2 ай бұрын

This one is jaw dropping to me, such warmth, sweetness and beauty. When she makes this into a "proper piece" as she promised in the comments, I hope she released it as sheeet music.

INTRESTING

Hey matthew! I just wanted to ask you to play the fire dance of luna in piano, cause it's extremely hard (fire dance of luna is a choir piece)

oh my gosh this is good content

Whether or not one considers that the word 'prodigy' should be applied, Composing a violin concerto at age 9, a full length opera at 10 and a piano concerto at 12 (and performing both concertos herself) is pretty amazing. As for evoking emotion in the listener, consider the opening of her 'Siren Sounds Waltz' !

Amazing and I'm struggling to play Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter just the right hand melody part fluently without mistakes and pausing to find next note for days now, here this kid just comes up with something far more complex and plays it faultlessly. Lovely to have talent. Or maybe I need to find a new hobby. 😂

@mwhossaini

9 ай бұрын

Keep going buddy you'll get there 😊

Alma is very talented. I find the concept of child prodigy's a bit unfair because it takes away the same recognition from adults. Don't get me wrong, it is always amazing to see a kid perform a sonata and everyone goes "wow such a talented child". But if an adult sits down and plays the same sonata with the same experience as the kid, no one is impressed because we have this expectation that you are an adult and you should be good already 😂 Great video.

@sophiamcl

2 ай бұрын

I'd be impressed!

ØH! MY! GØSH! THIS IS GØØD CØNTENT!

She learned music through *Partimenti* You should look it up, really awesome method

I really enjoy the KZread video of Alma conducting her piece, Waltz of the Sirens, at Carnegie Hall. As for her changing the notes her, on her channel she admits she was nervous about being on 60 minutes and accidentally changed one of the notes. Refusing to acknowledge she’s a prodigy really begs the question of whether this guy thinks ANYONE can be a prodigy. In the meantime, she’s become the youngest composer since Mozart to conduct her own opera. But sure, not a child prodigy. 🙄

@Strawberryfreak

3 ай бұрын

He has a very INTERESTING take on what a prodigy is.

notice how he played everything she did even better

@cowflick1180

11 ай бұрын

Well yea hes like 5 times her age

@LetoAtreides82

11 ай бұрын

Some people have a misconception of the term 'prodigy.' A lot of people mistakenly think prodigies can play just as well as professionals. They don't, prodigies simply play significantly better than the average child of their age but that advantage gets smaller as smaller as they get closer to adulthood. Only a rare few prodigies eventually become virtuosos (Mozart, Beethoven, Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlson) while some prodigies burn out and quit. The girl in this video is Alma Deutscher this was when she was 12 she has gotten much better now and has already written some piano concertos. I think Matthew's wrong she was a prodigy and has become a great pianist and composer and she's just 18 so she can still improve even more.

@yunawong8119

9 ай бұрын

I mean he is a grown man.

@pjbpiano

5 ай бұрын

​@@yunawong8119, it is because he is a better musician and he is shooting a prerecorded video. It is very different doing it live.

@ryanwillings6392

4 ай бұрын

You guys are silly. She headlines in symphony all over the world. He doesn’t. Don’t be that dumb

Hey, could you do a review on animenz's unravel? I really liked that cover :)

unlocked: pianists infinity

Prodigy is a derrivite of prodigious an adjective defined by Merriam -Webster; pro·​di·​gious prə-ˈdi-jəs Synonyms of prodigious 1 : causing amazement or wonder 2. extraordinary in bulk, quantity, or degree : ENORMOUS 3. resembling or befitting a prodigy : STRANGE, UNUSUAL obsolete : being an omen : PORTENTOUS Typically a child prodigy is one who exhibits talents beyond their age. In Alma's case she composes music beyond the scope of her age; she has composed many variations, sonatas and an Opera (she wrote it a 8, it was produced in Vienna when she was 11) her music has been played by professional symphonies around the world. I would say she fit the definition of the word, don't you?

@matticawood

Ай бұрын

I think thats a fair assessment to make based on the definition. However I would say based upon the definition it would suggest that everyone is a prodigy at something? I think my argument is more based on whether the word prodigy is actually meaningfully distinguishable from someone that has worked hard all their childhood at one discipline, because it often appears to be a title given to arbitrarily call someone “skilful compared to others their age”, when in reality, anyone can become skilful compared to others their age in a particular discipline given enough time, dedication and single mindedness. In which case, does the word prodigy imply some innate skill? - because I don’t believe that such a thing exists for playing an instrument or music generally, because it is a combination of many skills and you would need to have innate skill in many different things simultaneously 😊

She played it classically b/c her 1st language--as it's been said--is 18th Century music.

Dude! The beard makes you look like Nicholas Cage. It's a good look for you. Keep it on!

Emotions are not the result of experience, we are all born with a bundle of emotions. Anger, love, jealousy, empathy, we all have it. Life may exaggerate some of them and suppress others. Unfortunately, this type of talent is of little importance in our times. In two years, Alma will no longer be heard about. It's not her fault, but that's a separate topic. Greetings to all creatures.

I didn’t talked and nów im there

It’s called a sequence

If you don't think child prodigies exist, listen to Chloe Chua ;) It might change your opinion

@schrodingerscat1863

5 ай бұрын

She is one of the few I would actually say is a prodigy, even at a very young age she had a lot of emotion in her performances and in interviews she seemed to have a real maturity in her understanding of the music she played. There are plenty of others that are technically proficient and that can seem almost magical at a young age but I wouldn't say it is nothing more than proficiency gained from the kind of obsession with playing an instrument some children have.

I'm inclined to give her a pass on altering the "b" given the astounding result, not least in one so young.

I'll bet there is a reincarnation aspect to all this...

Please do a breakdown of some Yanni songs

The dig your content. However, the ONLY reason I disagree with some of your findings is based on my research of this specific young lady and what it means to be a prodigy. Through clinical psychologist Ellen Winner, (PhD,) all a prodigy is is a child before a certain age doing things at an adult level. The cut off age is 10. She started playing piano and violin at age three, however, she wrote her first opera at age 10 for other formally/classically trained musicians to perform. And, she wrote variation on Mozart pieces. That makes her a textbook case. You ARE correct about how she's able to have a firm grasp on music theory in order to perform such improvisations. As I'm a humble jazz and rock improviser between both guitar and piano, I process theory in the background to determine what I'm able to do over backing tracks and if I'm accompanying myself on piano - what devices I CAN use to improvise over a song.

@davidfryer9218

2 ай бұрын

She wrote her first opera Don Alonso the pirate at five, her second opera sweeper of dreams at seven, the first version of her opera Cinderella at eight, and then expanded that at age ten.

But she headlined in sympathy from San Diego to Vienna and you had a video on KZread. How do you reconcile that? The symphony world wide is dumb and you’re right? It’s a legitimate question. Especially when you’re questioning.

@matticawood

4 ай бұрын

Very easily…we want different things! I would very much not enjoy consistently “headlining in symphonies”…by which I assume you mean playing concertos? I have done this and I much prefer using my piano skills in other creative ways. She’s a great player, there’s no question about that and she has had success with what she has pursued because she has put in the time and plays great. The question was about whether or not she is a “prodigy” and if prodigies exist or whether she has put in a lot of time to learning the skill, not whether she is good or not.

Can you try playing Legends Never Die by League Of Legends?

First 4 notes are good for a fugue

It is possible to teach perfect pitch, read "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle. And if you think she was born with perfect pitch...wouldn't they indicate a prodigy?

I would agree, there is a big difference between a child that has attained technical proficiency with a decent grasp of music theory and a true prodigy. For me a prodigy is one who takes it a level higher and begins to show an understanding of how to evoke emotion in the audience. To be fair there are many adults that are unable to do that so it's a pretty high bar.

@pjbpiano

5 ай бұрын

You only think this because you do not realise that there are musical prodigies and there are technical prodigies and both are different things but are equally impressive. Just because you value musical prodigies more does not mean that technical prodigies are of somewhat less value or are not real prodigies.

@schrodingerscat1863

5 ай бұрын

@@pjbpiano Technical ability is something taught, musicality, although being possible to acquired normally takes many years of life experience. That is why I consider those with innate musicality something special. Any child can become technically proficient if they are hot housed enough.

@pjbpiano

5 ай бұрын

@@schrodingerscat1863, if you have taught anyone with a gifted ability with technique and see them surpass anything you can play in a matter of months, you will not simply say what you just said how you said it. There are kids in this world that can make their hands do things after just two or three tries. And the ability to make your fingers remember how to play things properly after an attempt or two is not taught.

@schrodingerscat1863

5 ай бұрын

@@pjbpiano A child that picks up techniques extremely quickly is gifted for sure but using the term prodigy is way too common. I would say there are many kids that have mastered techniques that are difficult but children can often become obsessed with playing and spend a lot of time on it becoming reasonably proficient very quickly, that doesn't make them prodigious.

@pjbpiano

5 ай бұрын

@@schrodingerscat1863, children do not do as you say. Most kids who tend to be proficient as kids either have one of two things: very strict parents that make them practice many hours on their technique till they can do something easily OR kids who can simply just do things easily and have to change teachers every few months because their progress is really fast with little effort. People like Franz Liszt, Martha Argerich and Yuja Wang fall into this category. They are child prodigies because they basically completed the whole of piano technique before they reached age ten.

ayo first comment and like

@emmanuelcucicea628

11 ай бұрын

Is this... the power of a PATATO?

I have perfect pitch and I would make it romantic.

Hmm...

first :)

iNTrEsTIng

7th Comment and 19th like Xd (no one asked)

I think your definition of a "prodigy" isn't correct, Mathew. A prodigy is just typically a young person with exceptional abilities in a given skill set. Any person who is young and quite a bit better than someone else at that age who is considered "good" at an activity, is a "prodigy".

@matticawood

4 ай бұрын

Would that not mean everyone is a prodigy in something?

@biggiesmalls7939

4 ай бұрын

@@matticawood Certainly not lol. Like you said in the video, sure some kids have an above average level of a given skillset, but that doesn't make them a prodigy. I definitely don't see kids often at the age of that girl that are THAT good at anything. I would say she pretty much fits the literal definition of prodigy. But, I like your videos a lot Matt, I just realized I haven't subbed, and I've binged so many of your videos lol. Just subbed now, keep up the great videos !

Helluva better than those soulless Chinese kids, where everything is 200mph, very interesting 🤔 Mmmmm

play rush e bet you cant!😒😒

@matticawood

11 ай бұрын

Find it in my KZread shorts 😊

Dude, get serious, this is not CREATION, it’s old, very old school improvisation. It’s only repeating patterns and conventions already learned. Back in the days, from the baroque era, up until the very first half of the 20th century, this kind of improvisation was thought in conservatory, mainly by the organ students. Typical sonata form as you say, but this is not creativity at all.