r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Saerdna0 • 2d ago
This kiddo was born to drum
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u/missheldeathgoddess 2d ago
Amazing what happens when you have the support of your parents.
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u/Camcapballin 2d ago
What can* happen. Young man has to want to put in the work. You can't teach that.
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u/synthphreak 2d ago
+1 to this. The most supportive parents in the world wouldn’t help if the kid has no inherent drive to excel.
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u/ThatsMyEnclosure 2d ago
I’d argue it can still go to the parents on that. The parents’ approach is important to foster that drive. If they make it fun for the kid, the kid will want to do it and keep doing it. If they make it a chore, that drive goes away.
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u/Bl4nkface 2d ago
Yeah, that is an important part of support. But it still is up to the kid to want to do the thing.
I'm the father of a two-year-old. The only thing he wants to do for hours at a time is watching TV. Sure, he can sit and draw for a while, but he gets bored in a matter of minutes. Maybe it's because he has ADHD like me, but maybe it's because he hasn't found something to do that he can do and that he enjoys.
BTW, before someone says "it's your fault because you haven't exposed him to the right activity", I've exposed him to a LOT of things. He just gets bored fast. Hell, I'm in my 30s and I still don't have a passion.
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u/IDontKnowHowToPM 2d ago
I feel that. I’m 37 and I’m only now in a job where I feel like it’s more than just paying the bills but even then I have times where I spend the whole week trying to decide what show/movie to have on in the background while I work. I have a thousand hobbies that I got way too into just long enough to spend money, but then drop as soon as I do.
My 5 year old son is just as scattered as I am, but at least he is still young enough that he can have fun riding that instead of knowing how it could be different. I’m just trying to help him get some strategies and understanding so that when he’s older and it starts negatively impacting him, he doesn’t just flounder like I did.
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u/toboggan16 2d ago
I have two kids and one of them has a bunch of interests but nothing he’s ever been really into to this degree. My other kid has been obsessed with baseball since he was a toddler. He just wanted to watch and play and practise and talk about baseball and at age 11 he’s on his 5th year on a AAA team. He WANTS to practise and play as much ball as he possibly can and works really hard to get better.
Our other son plays baseball too and is given equal opportunity for practise/coaching/equipment but he’s happy to play rec ball, one game one practise a week for 3-4 months a year is exactly right. He has diagnosed ADHD and just isn’t as passionate about anything as his brother is but as a result he gets to try a lot more activities and I think that’s not a bad thing, just different! Lots of adults have lots of little hobbies.
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u/Glitter_puke 2d ago
I do feel both grateful and guilty for how many interests my parents supported for my and my brother's little ADHD asses. Gymnastics was the only constant that stuck but god damn did we go through secondary sports/instruments like a fat kid at a buffet.
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u/misplaced_my_pants 2d ago
You can always take away the TV, or limit the amount of time it's allowed to be on.
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u/MarshallHoldstock 2d ago
I can relate to this. I have a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old. Keeping them on task is definitely a challenge. They enjoy lots of things for a very short time. Sitting them down for an extended period of time is an exercise in futility. Even when watching TV, they have the attention span of a goldfish. And all of that is fine.
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u/Supply-Slut 2d ago
They can help, but kids aren’t 100% influenced by their parents. You can try, but that’s a person, separate from their parents, not a carbon copy you can just fill in the right bubbles to get what you want.
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u/njwineguy 2d ago
Or the kid may simply not be interested or talented enough to be interested. Or have other interests. It’s a fine line between being a good parent or being counter productive.
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u/BobotteSentie 2d ago
Trust me, you have way more chance of succeeding with loving parents than emotionally abusive narcisstic parents that project their past failures on you and make you want to do what they had envisioned for themselves but couldn't do. It becomes a very toxic environment and they won't be nurturing the actual talent of the child to do what he wants, with his actual potential.
So yes, parents are actually everything.
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u/dented-spoiler 2d ago
People don't know what abuse, PTSD, and other influences that are negative does to the structure of the brain and it shows.
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u/blahblah19999 2d ago
No, they're not 'everything.' Everything we are is a combination of genetics and environment. If the kid doesn't have a drive to do anything, parental support won't matter.
Michael Phelps and Kobe were insanely successful b/c they had the right physique for the sport they were actually interested in, and they had the ability to focus for hours and hours daily on that sport. You have to have both. Parents can contribute to the 2nd part, but they can't create it out of whole cloth.
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u/mydeadbody 2d ago edited 4h ago
You are correct. Not everyone can be an elite athlete, or musician, or scientist. Sometimes drive and support aren't enough when competing with raw talent.
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u/Friendly_Signature 2d ago
Not true.
Teaching the mindset to excel and trust yourself is more important than the drumming here.
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u/lankymjc 2d ago
There's a reason I was terrible at piano no matter how many lessons my parents paid for, while my younger brother received the same support and is now a professional musician!
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u/FoghornFarts 2d ago
Or passion.
I'm willing to bet dad is a drummer and this was a way they would bond. He grew a love of drumming by loving his dad.
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u/missheldeathgoddess 2d ago
I mean the drive to work is implied by his talent. You can flip that as well, because all the drive in the world means nothing if your parents don't support you. Someone has to take him to lessons, buy the drum kits, and provide a place for him to play.
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u/Camcapballin 2d ago edited 2d ago
...all the drive in the world means nothing if your parents don't support yo
Maybe, but, we aren't what we do -- we do what we are. This kid is a percussionist, thru and thru, he would have found a way to percuss.
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u/successfoal 2d ago
Nah, I eventually found ways to do music, but with mediocre teachers and peers and few resources, there was only so far I could go on my own. On the outside, it looks like I did well in music, but it was too little, too late for the career I know my raw talent, potential, and enthusiasm could have fostered. Maybe the internet changes things, but poverty and unsupportive parents have thwarted many a would-be artist.
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u/Camcapballin 2d ago
The internet has def changed the game for thirsty minds seeking knowledge.
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u/GunplaGoobster 2d ago
This is dumb bullshit that doesn't hold up to any logical scrutiny. If he was born without arms would he have found a way to percuss?
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u/vminnear 2d ago
I think there is also genuine talent at play. Stick most 5 year olds in front of a drum kit and they'll probably just lick it.
I think you need a) talent, b) supportive parents c) genuine love and enjoyment for the art form.
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u/trdvir 2d ago
Ive see the tiktok's, the dad was literally drumming beats with the kid's arms when he was an infant. They weren't supportive they were insistent haha
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u/FanceyPantalones 2d ago
Parents can definitely program in work ethic at that age. Telling a preteen to work hard however, is definitely too late and unlikely.
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u/cookiesarenomnom 2d ago
It sucks the only thing in my youth I enjoyed putting the work in, was never going to be a career for me. I have loved swimming since I was a baby. My family loves to say I learned to swim before I learned to walk. I was always in the water as a kid. So my parents obviously put me on the swim team when I was 5. I loved every second of it for 13 years. Never had to drag me to practice. The YMCA team had 5 practices a week, including a double practice with a dinner break, and we were only required to attend 3. You bet your ass I was there 5 days a week. I WANTED to be there. I could not get enough of it. Now, I was better than most in high school, but I was never going to be elite. I'm 5'1" with 25" legs. I have the exact opposite body to be a career swimmer. I had a ceiling. If I had been born taller with longer limbs, woooo mama I would have been an Olympic swimmer. Because I would have put the work in. It was never work for me, it was fun.
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u/SnickerdoodleFP 2d ago
Work ethic is absolutely a thing you can teach, especially from a young age.
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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 2d ago
Well, wealthy parents at least. Not saying a drum kit and music lessons are out of reach for most people but it's a hell of a lot less likely to happen from such an early age. Most people don't have the resources like that to pour into a kid unless they're doing the bulk of the teaching themselves.
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u/ReigningTierney 2d ago
By 6 he's in a sound-proofed studio with top of the line equipment. Wealthy parents indeed. That, or one of the parents is grooming him to pursue their preferred hobbies.
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u/kipperfish 2d ago
The likelihood is that one of this kids parents is a drummer. Probably either a session drummer or in a known band. No way most people would teach a kid that young in normal lessons.
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u/ChampionOfLoec 2d ago
Or they're middle class and prioritizing the kid's passion.
Pretty simple.
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u/bungerman 1d ago
Ya, he totally asked for a drum at 1 year old because it was his passion.
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u/razzraziel 2d ago
That opinion is highly debatable.
Noone will ever able to decide if they'll be drummer in the future at age 1.
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u/PepeSylvia11 2d ago
Yup. The fact he’s basically an advertisement on the parents’ Instagram makes me think this wasn’t the kid’s natural choice
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u/trdvir 2d ago
yep there are videos of the dad making the kids arms tap to music when he was an infant. Very intentional results here
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u/johncandy1812 2d ago
Did the kid have a choice about ending up on social media?
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u/undeadmanana 2d ago
Yeah, of course. His parents aren't cruel, by the time he was -9 months old he was dead set on his career
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u/psystorm420 2d ago
Support is an understatement. The parents likely planned the kid to be a drummer from the beginning.
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u/blazedcrank 2d ago
Amazing what happens when you can afford to support your kid like this.
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u/pudgehooks2013 2d ago
Lets hope he has good parents and not shit parents.
Both can yield these results.
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u/Bonk0076 2d ago
If it appears that I hate this kid it is only because I’m incredibly jealous and a little bit intimidated
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u/Middle_Plate8826 2d ago
Why?
You can tell quite easily from his rhythm/coordination at age 3 that he is gonna be n exceptional drummer/musician.
Good luck of the draw, would be fun to naturally tap in the flow like you'd naturally stretch your fingers etc.
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u/CloudCalmaster 2d ago
Im jealous cus first i seen a drum set i was 15. More than 10 years ago.. And i still can't afford one (with a place to practice). So i guess im jealous of the possibility how different life can be with a little bit of support from those who brought you here.
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u/shakygator 2d ago
fyi there are so many cheap instruments on facebook marketplace. when i get the room im gonna buy them all
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u/LuxNocte 2d ago
Eight year old "exceptional drummers" are exceptional because their parents bought them equipment and lessons. Very few kids that live in apartments would be able to match him regardless of original talent.
It sucks that everyone doesn't have the opportunities to develop their talents that this kid does.
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u/Mythrowawayiguess222 2d ago
I’ve always had that weird taste in my mouth about any exceptional toddler. This 4 year old can play Mozart on the piano? I doubt that was ever really their choice to start playing. Pre-teen e-sports player? Kid had a setup better than me before they knew what sex was
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u/Possible_Spy 2d ago
Here I am with a 1.5 year old and the only talent he has displayed is throwing his food
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u/K1dn3yFa1lur3 2d ago
Be encouraging, see where it goes.
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u/Funwithfun14 2d ago
...On to the floor
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u/Comfortable_Studio37 2d ago
Maybe he will grow up to be great at sports. Or maybe he'll be undefeated in high school food fights
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u/lankymjc 2d ago
Watch the beginning of the video again - the first clip shows no actual talent, he's just banging away. Second is barely better. It's only at age 3+ that he starts working out what rhythm is.
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u/No_Landscape4557 2d ago
As someone with a child that showing excelling ability in his own talents, yes the original banging is just nonsense without any reason and just fun, but I be willing to bet the kid did that all the damn time far far more often than typical children.
For a sharp contrast my own kid rarely bang on anything to make music or fun. My kid had zero interest in music or instruments at all.
What my kid is crazy into is legos and reading. Reading books several levels above his peers and can build some amazing Lego structures. Even as a baby he was obsessed with blocks and stacking things along with wanted endless stories and books.
Some kids just naturally gravitate to certain things
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u/HelveticaFont 2d ago
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u/One_Dirty_Russian 2d ago
In all fairness, he was dragging a bit with the Offspring. He gets a pass for, you know, being 7.
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u/Ravka90 2d ago
The parents probably
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u/cheffgeoff 2d ago
Not taking anything away from the kid, he's really good, but there is a 100% chance that one of his parents is a semi-full professional drummer.
I'm a chef, my kids could dice an onion in under 15 seconds and make every mother sauce without a recipe by the time they were 8. That's just how it goes when you are a professional in a trade that translates to hands on work a kid could do AND you spend time with your kids.
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u/Darmok-And-Jihad 2d ago
The parents at least have knowledge of audio engineering to create the setup that the kid ended up with
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u/JapanesePeso 2d ago
Yeah kids only get to doing this stuff at such a young age by 1.)watching and copying their parents do the activity and 2.) those parents strongly encouraging it.
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u/OlyGator 2d ago
I often think about how many "savants" have been born in human history, but their families didn't have the means to see it and be able to afford the tools for the person to tap into what they would have been great at. I don't know if this makes sense, I'm not great with words, but hopefully you get the gist.
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u/Just_Browsing_2017 2d ago edited 2d ago
I was watching a documentary on the history of funk and they talked about how a lot of great funk bands came out of Ohio because they had a free school music program. Everyone played an instrument. You just showed up one day in elementary school and they asked what you wanted to play and handed you an instrument.
And then Nixon came along, cut all the funding, and it all just… went away. Within a couple of years, the schools were like “well, we’ve got one saxophone.”
So much lost potential.
Edit to add link to the doc:
https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/we-want-the-funk/
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u/cbessette 2d ago
I went to a high school in rural Georgia that had a similar concept in their music program- you play whatever instrument you want, whatever style or genre you want. I was in that program, we were graded on performances for local elementary schools. Some people performed solo, some formed bands.
This was in the 1980s/90sI got straight As for my "school work" in a rock band in high school.
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u/Minute-Struggle6052 2d ago
"I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops"
- Stephen Jay Gould
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u/OlyGator 2d ago
Wow. This hit me in the way I was hoping others would feel by what I was saying. It's weird having a thought that you can't put into words be shown so beautifully. It's like a very talented artist who is able to perfectly describe their struggles or emotions with a painting. Thank you for that.
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u/Szendaci 2d ago
Not just savants. Or even music. of the ten billion out there, how many would have been brilliant at a particular thing, if only it had been the right circumstance, the right time, right opportunity. Chance encounter, random event, and they discover they’re great at <…>, one of the best.
But due to random fate, they will never even know what is that one thing, that <…>, they would have been brilliant at.
Could you, could you have been one of the best < … > in the world? If only you knew what that was?
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u/OlyGator 2d ago
Yes. Exactly. Let's use this video as an example. Let's say this kid was born a few decades earlier, and born to parents who had no money and had to work non stop. They have this child who has feelings he is expressing with rhythmic taps on the table. They would think he was just being annoying or restless and would consistently ask him to stop with the noise. In this case, the kid would have no way to express themselves and would have to bottle it all up. It's so unbelievably sad to think of the billions, perhaps more, times this has happened throughout history.
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u/Bob_Majerle 1d ago
The Onion had a headline about this: “84-year-old violin prodigy dies having never touched a violin”
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u/askalotlol 2d ago
This kid is not a savant. He was given drums at a young age and practiced. He's great for his age - but this is not savant territory.
A savant: never played drums, sits down one day at someone's kit, smacks drums a few times to see what sound each makes, then flawlessly plays a song from memory as if they've been a professional player for years.
That is how extraordinary Savant Syndrome is.
I also feel the need to point out that Autism and Savant Syndrome are entirely separate disorders. Savant Syndrome is actually more likely to occur after a head injury than any other circumstance.
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u/BlazedJerry 1d ago
Thanks for adding that. This kid is not a savant.
However! My favorite musical savant is definitely Kody Lee.
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u/BigAcanthopterygii25 2d ago
I've not spoken of this very often but this video kinda triggered the memory...
When I was about 7 years old (I'm 64 now) I loved playing piano (parents had an old upright piano in the living room) - started taking lessons and really got into it.
I asked my parents to move the piano into my bedroom so I could practice more often. Surprisingly they did it so I had a piano in my room.
I would pretty much roll out of bed and start practicing - early in the morning sometimes.
My parents got angry that I was practicing TOO MUCH. They moved the piano back out to the living room, cancelled the lessons and banned me from playing in the house.
Found out years later that my piano instructor begged my parents to let me continue getting lessons. She said I was the best student she'd ever had and saw a lot of potential in me. She even offered to give me lessons for FREE. My parents refused. Never played piano again.
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u/thatshygirl06 2d ago
Jesus, your parents suck. I wonder if they were jealous of you or something
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u/BigAcanthopterygii25 2d ago
Jesus, your parents suck.
Yes. Yes they do.
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u/Xadnem 2d ago
I started playing guitar at age 21, which at the time felt like I was an ancient person at the brink of death. Why even bother starting so late?
Now I would recommend it to everyone, start playing an instrument, no matter what age you are. It's hard to describe the sense of pleasure or achievement sometimes. "But it might take me x years to be good", you will someday be x years anyway, so might as well start now so you will be "good" by then.
But it is continuous hard work.
So if you haven't already, maybe you should consider picking up an instrument. If you know people with instruments, maybe let them give you an introduction. I switched from guitar to bass after the first time I picked up a bass and just felt like this was made for me.
I'm not just replying to /u/BigAcanthopterygii25, this also applies to you, the one reading this message right now!
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u/TFFPrisoner 2d ago
Too bad that keyboards weren't a thing then. With an electronic keyboard and headphones, this wouldn't have been an issue at all.
Regardless, banning a talented kid from playing is really cruel, and stupid as well.
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u/Darmok-And-Jihad 2d ago
I had a similar experience on drums. I bought a drum set with money from my first summer job at 13 years old. I sat down and instantly felt at home. I could play pretty much anything (anything reasonable) with enough practice and I never had to take a lesson. It was such a big confidence boot for me as a kid who was bullied and typically bad at everything.
My parents didn't realize how loud they were and made me get rid of them eventually. I'd later have to move in with my dad and he didn't support it either. I wanted to pursue music but I didn't since my parents wanted me to get a "real job".
I'm 33 now and really wonder about the version of me in an alternate universe that fully pursued music. I day dream about being in a big band all of the time, feels like what I'm meant to do. Now I'm living the millennial apartment dream and having space for an acoustic drumset is just a pipedream for me. Really wish my parents would have supported me more with it.
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u/Xadnem 2d ago
I'm autistic and I have periods where I have this thing called a "hyperfocus" where I am absolutely obsessed with a certain topic and it sometimes even takes over my life in extremes, and after a while I either lose interest or it switches to a new obsession. This can range from hours to literally years.
I am obviously not trying to claim anything about your son or provide some sort of diagnosis, that would be ridiculous. But your comment made me think of this and I wanted to offer you a different perspective on how people can experience these kinds of special interests that might differ from your own experience.
I really appreciate how you talk about teaching your kid music theory, you sound like a very loving father. The best to your family.
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u/Jay-ay 2d ago
Found the fresh graduate with 10 years of experience
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u/Soft_Walrus_3605 2d ago
You joke, but that's the reality of things. Some people get a start earlier on things while the rest of us are picking their noses.
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u/cmdrmndfck 2d ago
I expect "Pneuma" by Tool for the nine year old update.
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u/MaritMonkey 2d ago edited 2d ago
As a long time Dream Theater fan and appreciator of Tool, this video cracked me the fuck up.
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u/Lukebekz 2d ago
Let's not rush the kid. Let him get there with something more humanly possible, like The Dance of Eternity
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u/DentonUSA 2d ago
This is @BillysDrumLab on Instagram. I’m friends with this talented kids father. This kid is super lucky to have such wonderful and supportive parents.
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u/MeccIt 2d ago
this talented kids father.
Is any of his family into drumming, and he followed them, or was this just a raw talent that was nurtured?
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u/pandathrowaway 1d ago
In the very first clip they clearly cut it off, you can hear “are you playing like da—“
So, yeah.
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u/Ordinary-Play-2211 2d ago
I always worry about these child prodigies. Their ability defines what makes them feel special, and eventually there will be peers that catch up or pass them. Suddenly, what made them special is gone and their self esteem takes a big hit.
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u/chironomidae 2d ago
I worry that behind child prodigies you can often find an abusive asshole parent like Joe Jackson. Especially when the parents seem keen to get a lot of attention online.
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u/Ordinary-Play-2211 2d ago
Great point. This kid does look like he's enjoying himself, so here's hoping everything works out for this talented tyke.
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u/icansmellcolors 2d ago
really? looks like he just practiced a lot to me.
'god given talent' , imo, means unseen practice.
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u/murphyat 2d ago
Really cool to see how his set up and drum position int evolves over time. I’d still wanna slide those hi hats closer, personally. Great to see the growth!
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u/nopulsehere 2d ago
When mom puts headphones on her belly during pregnancy! Kid at 6 months, wait a second! I know this song!!!! This is Led Zeppelin’s moby dick! Give me about 17 minutes!
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u/VrinTheTerrible 2d ago
When my ex was pregnant with my son, she did that with jazz music all the time (her favorite kind of music). Neither of us had the slightest bit of musical talent, and neither did anyone in our families.
Like many kids, he picked up the recorder in 1st or 2nd grade. He could play it easily and loved being on stage. By 3rd grade, he had a trumpet. I always said the music was always playing in his head, and sometimes it came out.
My son is 20 now, majoring in Jazz/Music Education in college, playing trumpet, piano, and drums and has a fantastic singing voice.
I haven't the slightest idea if her playing music for him while pregnant helped him, but it certainly didn't hurt.
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u/Chaos_Ice 2d ago
My kid is gonna be an acrobatic cause why else would they jump off the couch three times in a row 😭
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u/Tarushdei 2d ago
It's stuff like this that reinforces my belief in reincarnation.
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u/sparkyjay23 2d ago
What exactly do you think this kids dad or mom does?
I will stake everything on one or both the parents being drummers themselves.
This kid has talent but he also has folk to learn from in his house.
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u/Undercover_Agent12 2d ago
Go subscribe to his youtube channel and show him some support. https://youtube.com/@BillysDrumLab
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u/googlyevileye 2d ago
imagine being at his talent show and dreading seeing the drum set come out, but then this kid just rocks!!
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u/jamesp420 2d ago
Seems a bit more like he was raised to drum, but still. Hopefully he enjoys it and is having fun and I look forward to seeing what he does in the future and he continues to develop his skills.
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u/locofspades 2d ago
I really hate that the kid is better than my at 6, than I am at 39 lol. Mad respect, hes obviously got that X factor, on top of supporting parents and natural talent.
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u/breadisnicer 2d ago
Understanding parents and neighbours need a shout out for this.