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Someone sent me this link, apparently she's 5. I say it's a bit sad because all of us here know how much work is required to play guitar well, I would be tempted to think that she does not do much of anything else which is not much of a childhood. Also I could say that it's a bit sad because she can play better than I can
RE: Impressive, strange, maybe a bit sad (in reply to cosimojack)
quote:
I have a 5 year old and it's hard to imagine him or any of his friends building the necessary hand strength and coordination to play like this.
Hmmm....I'm actually a bit suspicious of this now. Isn't there a condition called "dwarfism"? The kid could maybe be 10 or 11 and just dressed up as an infant.
Also her arms seem disproportionally "long" for a kid of 5...
Also when did she start playing in order to get that technique and ability to play more or less flawlessly under "live" conditions with cameras and an audience?
Add to that the strength and coordination of both hands and a sort of maturity in the playing that would be quite outstanding in a 10 year old, but absolutely astonishing in a 5 year old.
cheers,
Ron
Apologies to all if my suspicions are unjustified.
RE: Impressive, strange, maybe a bit sad (in reply to Ron.M)
Not even John Williams or PDL were playing when they were 5. They were around 7. At 5, it's very difficult to have that kind of strength to play in my opinion. I guess she is without a doubt an exception.
RE: Impressive, strange, maybe a bit sad (in reply to jg7238)
quote:
Not even John Williams or PDL were playing when they were 5. They were around 7.
John says in the documentary that he used to think that he had started at around 7, but found out later that he started when he was 4.
I don't know how old PdL was when he started, but he has said that as a kid surrounded by flamenco he already knew all the music and just had to find out where it was on the guitar.
RE: Impressive, strange, maybe a bit sad (in reply to edguerin)
quote:
So they own her?
No Ed,
I think she does it for the love of Kim Jong, part God, part Leader and Benefactor of his people and to show that N.Korea is the best country in the world to be part of...
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
RE: Impressive, strange, maybe a bit sad (in reply to jg7238)
quote:
Not even John Williams or PDL were playing when they were 5. They were around 7. At 5, it's very difficult to have that kind of strength to play in my opinion. I guess she is without a doubt an exception.
It's generally accepted that Sabicas started when he was five. Mario Escudero at six. Pepe Romero says he started when he was two, but that's hard to believe. If John Williams says he started at four I wouldn't doubt it, since his father, Len Williams, was a teacher of classical guitar. So was Celedonio Romero, but four is not two.
But I agree with JG - I've had many prospective five year old students, and after talking to the child and a little playing test, I told the parents of every single one that the child was simply not ready.
On the other hand, every child is individual, and of course there are the circumstances – family, ambience, inherent desire, physical ability and development, etc., so it's hard to make a blanket statement.
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Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Impressive, strange, maybe a bit sad (in reply to Ron.M)
quote:
The kid could maybe be 10 or 11 and just dressed up as an infant.
Considering her race and putting her on the petite side of that, I would guess 8-10 years old. Which would give her maybe 3-4 years of intense instruction behind her, and by rote I suspect.
RE: Impressive, strange, maybe a bit sad (in reply to Escribano)
quote:
Considering her race and putting her on the petite side of that, I would guess 8-10 years old. Which would give her maybe 3-4 years of intense instruction behind her, and by rote I suspect.
Yep I would go for that, it would make more sense to me. It reminds me of the specialized training in the USSR back in the days, I suppose there is some good in socialist regimes. The USSR had the athletes, Cuba the doctors and North Korea, tiny guitarists (and soldiers).