I've been hitting my head on the wall all day hoping I would get special abilities. The only ability I seem to have gained is being able to bleed out of my ears.
I am a musical savant.- I fell off the roof of our house when I was 2 years old. This should have killed me but I suffered a severe brain injury that resulted in me being able to go to a musical instrument and play it. This happened after I got out of hospital months later - not stagger out of a swimming pool. At 2, I would hear a song and was able to play it on the piano. I taught myself to play ukulele, guitar, trumpet, saxophone, flute, clarinet, drums and violin - over the years. I could also do mathematical calculations in my head. Watching this guy I can see that he is fully aware of fingering - that's something that is taught. People who play piano by ear do not do this. I don't believe he is genuine.
I had the pleasure of meeting him today, randomly… and from the time he walked up I could feel his incredible energy. He is a SUPER genuine nice guy. Just meeting and speaking to him made a big impact on the energy. Had no idea about his experience until well after speaking to him. I love that he’s found his purpose and is sharing his gifts and experience for good! ❤ much love, Derek! Hope we cross paths again!
Met this guy in real life a couple times now, live about 40 minutes from his home town. He is arrogant beyond belief. Sad to see such a wonderful gift squandered on such childish petulance :( If he doesn't get his way he threatens people with a "media frenzy" because "people like him" and he's "popular". It was painful to witness when I have such high hopes for human ascension.
@@altosmusiclab2248 he put his opinion of a person on the internet. From the looks of it, the guy in the video does seem pretty arrogant and egotistical
Wow, a lot of haters here. Certainly hard to figure this business out for me. But someone must enjoy his playing- if he has access to a Bosendorfer. He plays in an interesting manner- not Ludwig's third movement- but in a lovely way. He wants to try and make the world better? Fine, I applaud him for that goal. For the folks who say he's just arpeggiating chords... are you better at improvising. Making anything sound good and original is not easy for me.
I'm just surprised by some of the "mean spirited" comments here. I just can't understand the negativity from some people. I found Derek's story so inspirational and uplifting. I love the fact that he's such a "giving" person as well. Best wishes to him.
exactly - thank you for your kind comment. I was beginning to give up hope for human kindness. Derek IS a very giving person. He is very loving and caring and his family and friends are his #1 priority. I don't care what everyone here says, he is definitely not arrogant. He would help anyone in need!!
Christine C I agree that a lot of the comments are mean spirited. But he is a very arrogant narcissistic person. He is 'hand picked' etc etc. Really? He was picked to bump his head? The story is nice. But the main character is the one who is disappointing to humanity.
You are only seeing one side of him. He isn't arrogant. He truly is a very sweet and loving person. Have any of you ever heard the phrase, "don't judge a book by it's cover"? You see one thing and think he's a bad person. You don't know him to be able to judge him. Because I can honestly tell you that he is far from arrogant and narcissistic!! He's not at all like you are reading from just a video or 2!
that what you call negative is just people giving critic notes on his musical performence, which is extremely bad. As a person this man can be very kind but his the socalled claimed savant is just not true. Perhaps he should have studied the real meaning of savant instead of piano lessons which he evidently had when he was younger. the story does appear very insincere. People nowdays do practically everything to get views or attention on social media. There are indeed a lot of negative people in the world but you are perhaps also a bit naive so to speak. No offense intended, just remarking
So he can play arpeggios. Never before seen. I don't completely disregard the possibility of his synesthesia from a brain accident but he is far from a prodigy or even less a prodigious savant. He just seems like an arrogant and egoistic person. It just seems like he's amazing because he just so happens to play arpeggios decently well which looks impressive but isn't entirely all that difficult (at least looking at what he's playing. Some arpeggios are very difficult like etude in C major Op 10 No 1). TLDR: ok with the piano. Not a prodigy
Yeah and what does being able to read a note and playing the piano have anything to do with each other. Just cuz u can read doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to play the piano technically. And not knowing anything about music but seeing the notes is an oxymoron
So I just watched Polanski's "The Pianist" for the first time last night with my uncle. Somehow I found my way to discovering this guy and we were immediately frustrated by the complete absence of videos of him playing. Regardless of that the only really interesting footage would have been of him playing immediately after the accident as at this point he has had years of practice... My theory is simple: The man has created this false narrative with incentives deriving from financial gain and ego-boosting. He probably makes far more money from going around telling this "heart-warming" and "incredible" tale to people who, in their absolute defense, are eager to lap up. The problem is he is taking advantage of humanity's desire for these sorts of tales. And to see footage of him saying he had absolutely no musical experience and then to find out he in fact played guitar and had a "rock band" in high school seems like a pretty important omission of an essential fact to understanding how, if at all this is plausible. If he were honest I would, of course be more inclined to believe him. Unfortunately humanity is historically incredibly quick to sacrifice ethics for finance.
Another theory could be that as he recovered from the concussion, his mind went back to normal. That's what happened in an experiment where a man had electromagnetic pulses run through the left side of his brain and the right had to over compensate, so he became a savant in counting large amounts of dots, but it went away in an hour.
I was a patient of Gerardo Zavala sr the brain surgeon and I can play debussy doctor gradus ad parnassum after I was a patient of Sanjay misra named ken deleon and I was a court filer who sold a house and was injured by a crazy person. There is a nurse named Carrie Wolf in San antonio who was trying to kill me after I had a brain injury before I made a recording of me playing multiple instruments and I was a music composer in 2006 who had a brain injury at the San Antonio orthopedic group and my composition was performed at UT Austin where I also played the piano and Carrie wolf is lying for no reason about this.
People on here debunk this guy after watching a 12 minute video, but keep in mind there's an expert in savant syndrome - Dr. Darold Treffert - essentially vouching that this guy Derek Amato is indeed a savant. Of everyone on here "debunking" Derek Amato, many are saying he's "full of himself" and the like. But step back and think about that for a second. You are disagreeing with the opinion of an expert - someone who spent years in school and then decades focusing his life around a small, select set of subjects, basically studying them likely every single day. In this case, that set of subjects includes savant syndrome. So Dr. Treffert has spent probably 50+ years studying this stuff (he's in his 80s). You - the people debunking Mr. Amato - probably spent all of the 12 minutes of this video "studying" Mr. Amato and his piano skills. The more studious of you likely took an extra hour or so to Google around and find some extra sources in various news articles or online forum discussions (which I can only pray are at least marginally more enlightening than the load of pseudo-intellectual bullhonky that tends to fill scientifically focused RUclips videos such as, arguably, this one). So any of you debunking Mr. Amato spent probably spent less time than the length of the movie Rainman "studying" Mr. Amato's condition and his piano skills. From this small amount of research, you then concluded that he is a fraud. This conclusion goes directly in the face of Dr. Treffert, who has spent decades studying savant syndrome, and who vouches for Derek Amato. Please, explain to me why I should believe you over Dr. Treffert here? And Derek Amato is the one who is full of himself? Lol, yeah right.
Doctors are just like the rest of us. They can be wrong, they can be duped, they can be gullible, they can fall in love with their own work. It happens. Personally I have heard doctors say all manner of nonsense. A practicing physician once told me a dog's mouth is sterile. It licks its ass, eats catshit, and has a sterile mouth? I'm not saying he is wrong, necessarily, but his credentials only carry him so far.
Hes smart in the medical field not the musical field. Anyone with a touch of intelligence in music knows his playing is mediocre at best and he's pretending to be the next Mozart
Derek - you were amazing before your accident. The boom released your full potentiel. A man, a prodigy found by miracle, and you have taken that further. Bless your spirit and feeling for making music and helping others.
8:07 "…so I'm hearing this beautiful symphony during our conversation. At the same time, I'm working. And I can't catch it all. I can't capture it all because it's impossible for me to- to grab a violin, a cello, a piano, like acoustic guitar, a bass guitar, and a percussion instrument and do it all at once." ...but… 6:57 "And the fun part about when I'm doing these is- especially when it's like a first piece I ever played is- is- my- my mind allows me to do it in reverse or actually backwards the whole piece". This seems to present a conflict with the inability to specifically score sections that would be part of the 'beautiful symphony' he hears in his head all of the time. However, this guy's supposed musical experience seems to be some sort of dissociative, far-reaching reaction from bumping his head… so I guess it might be plausible.
SimpleKicksBot If you look closely, you'll notice that he is wearing a martial arts outfit, indicating his main childhood activity at the time. According to the photo alone, there was a piano in his home, but he was taking martial arts rather than playing it.
Nah, I grew up with a piano in the house always, and only my mother and younger sister played it (and took lessons). I played trumpet and then guitar but no piano, although I have no doubt there were plenty of pictures taken of me in front of it. I wish I had taken piano lessons though.
8 лет назад+1
Every time you hear a savant you just know it's not the complexity of their piece it's the feel that that bring to it
I wish I could talk to somebody about this. after a brain injury I all of a sudden become musical. bought guitar. got 2 now. I didn't just start playing led zeppelin right away, but I can play pretty good for 4 months in and i'm obsessed with music now.
My brother is like this. On his first guitar lesson his teacher said every now and again l get one. I first notice d when he tuned my guitar . But he didn't know how. Then on the first guitar lesson he just walked it. Even the music. He Already knew how to read it . And play it. Then got a didgeridoo nailed it in 2 weeks, Then started jazz funk. Then broke his neck and back. Nothing since.
Lol that dude isnt even a savant you bafoon. hes a disabled person who spent his life on what he loves and now hes good at it. if he heard you say he got all that from no work hed fucking WIIGGGGG out on you.
Well, I'm no savant, neither a musician, but I can do arpeggios on the piano. Anyway, I practice here and there. If his story is true and he never touched a piano before and started playing like that, then it really is amazing.
That is beautiful! I love this! Thank you for sharing! Woohoo! We have sooooo much wonderful potential within us and I intend to find all of mine! I love you!
How do we not know that this guy just had an accident and was secretly taking piano lessons for years and used the two to self-proclaim himself a savant to boost his own ego?
Because he wasn't. I know him and this story is TRUE. If you don't believe it or if you have a problem with it, why do you waste your time bashing him? That is part of the problem with this world today. Everyone is always looking for a way to cut someone else down instead of build them up. Derek is a genuine sweetheart if you know him. Do your research or maybe go to his website and contact him. He is not lying. How many people would seriously take lessons and they go public saying that they have had this happen to them. Don't you think the piano teacher would step forward and say something? He did play guitar before, so he had musical knowledge. But I know how to play a couple instruments (or used to anyway) but the piano is beyond me. I do not have the coordination.
My opinion is that you have such a pitiful life that you spend your time trying to find the fault in others instead of looking in the mirror to see what your own issues are. You have no reason to come on here to accuse anyone of anything. If you don't like the story, ignore it. Is it hurting you in any way? I doubt it! So move on and go pick on someone who truly is deserving of your criticism! I suppose you think Obama is the best president ever, don't you! Don't bother contacting me again, because no matter what petty things you try to say about Derek, he and I are friends from middle school, so you won't change my mind. I don't know why people like you think you always have to "prove" that someone is lying. Why can't you be happy that he has found this talent? Nope, you have to try to belittle him and be rude about it.
I sensed he is sincere. And disappointed in the comments. So glad to find this video, as I sometimes hear whole instrumental music pieces like Derek describes. Yes, this is very possible and people commenting here doubtingly unfortunately don't have any internal frame of reference (consciousness) to see this is indeed may at least be possible. And watching the video, he doesn't at all strike me as arrogant.
@@Banst20 "dude trust me its real" thats literally all we're hearing from people who say this is real. And if it is, he isn't a prodigy just because he can play arpeggios decently well considering that's pretty much all we hear from this video
So does he know what he's playing like what chords he's playing scales? Because obviously he's just running up and down the minor scale and playing chords with his left . Or does he just play what he thinks good
Is better to be blind ,,,with the two eyes, you can't see the full picture................I totally believe Derek.... I can feel the energy...... ..he does not need to prove what he can do.............I believe is a legend....trust me.......I share the same experience.......one man can change the world.................we don't need to be noticed by any organisation ....that's a gift from God.
Wow! I read through some of the messages on this page and I am suprised how people can not believe that this can happen. Rather than thinking that there might be also a lot of capabilities being dormant within all us so many call this man a liar-((. At least for me it is not the first time that I see someone having an accident and then all over sudden he or she has a capacity that he or she was not aware of before. Really not the first time...Being invisible and untouchable doesn't mean it doesn't exist! All of us have abilities that are dormant, all of us have come here on Earth many times and every time with a new mission and new achievements and therefore new capacities. Nothing so strange about that.
I believe that the injury is true, and that he woke up with a passion for piano, but he's just a really bad pianist lol. Every random people who plays another instrument (which is the case for him, he said that he played guitar before his brain injury) can play what he plays on the piano with 1 week of training...
The second childhood photo they showed had a piano in it. I would bet money on him having played as a child. No one can just play piano with no reference towards the fundamentals. That would imply that there was an untapped congenial trait within his brain which was uploaded with all the technical know how of piano playing. Ludicrous... I believe he had an inspiring moment and decided to practice his ass off day in and day out...or not practice that much. I look at this as a man who, after sustaining a concussion, decided to change his passions and interests... that's it. Cool story though.
also he said himself. His fingers could not keep up with his brain. Meaning he most likely started hearing a conglomerate of tunes that he has heard throughout his life in a distorted fashion, which he then mapped out with the pitches on the piano. I doubt he had "extraordinary piano abilities", but rather an improved ability to relate pitches within his head to pitches on a piano. It's not like he sat down on the piano and started shredding. He just gained a stronger ear. I hate how people inflate circumstances like this to seem like so much more than they actually are...
I knew this guy was a fraud just from the title. I'm pretty sure real savants don't go around claiming to be a savant in the first place. He plays ok, but there's no feeling, just one note after the other.
It would definitely be amazing to have "powers" like his, though it's important to remember that Derek was really lucky, just like how Peter Parker had to be at the right place and the right time with the right spider in order to become Spiderman. Please stay safe and keep smiling! :)
To those commenting that he's a fraud, etc. I encourage you to watch the BBC's documentary Incredible Medicine tomorrow (08/03/2017) evening 9pm GMT. I daresay it'll turn up elsewhere shortly afterwards. Anyway, Derek is featured on tomorrow's episode, and, having already seen it, it's well worth watching. He's obviously not classically trained, but he is medically studied for the changes that have occurred within his brain in the wake of his accident.
Even if he did become better at the piano and developed a synesthesia of some sort (plausible), he is not at all prodigious savant. He's a mediocre player who hypes himself up as the next chopin
Except for all the insulting people in the comment section that don't believe this is true I can not find any real article or evidence online that debunk this.
It's important one day to learn how to think for yourself without needing someone else to tell you everything. Otherwise you'll fall for anything. This being strong evidence of so.
Alright. Yesterday I stubbed my toe and im able to play extremely hard pieces on the piano with my feet and I am comparable to that of Mozart despite me being deaf and able to only do it in my sleep. No article disproving me anywhere in the internet so it must be true right?
@@Lucas-sk5lu I did find this video that suggests his story could be true. ruclips.net/video/wcPzTr-BbAA/видео.html . Can you point me to a good video about a similar stubbed toe story ;)
Steve Jobs's foster parents were saying exactly the same thing to Steve..that he is special.. every day the same story ..you can see what kind of narcissist he became. This guy also feels very special. It is always a poison of the personality to feel very special..
This is not savant. And the pianoplaying is not that great at all. I noticed he keeps repeating just the same show-off pianoplaying of not longer than 10 seconds. The rest is just footage with action-poses. It does not appear sincere.
I don't think you understand what savant syndrome is. The ability to play without lesson is the gift not the ability to play the piano like a pro musician without lessons. Their are different levels to the condition.
@@myisha7833 Yes but the problem is that his so-called "piano skills" can be learned by any random people in just 2 days ... Especially if you have already played another instrument, which is his case (he said in another interview that he played guitar before his injury). This guy is not a musical genius :/
He had to have known the basics like hand placement, notes and basic theory. A bump on his head may have caused some talent but there has to be some kinda basic work done
Miku Hatsune Piano It doesn't make sense to me either as a musician, but science has taught me to not always believe my senses and to keep an open mind. I'm no neuroscientist, but you'd be very surprised of the power that the human brain posses.
Mike2174 It's something your brain never learned though, I mean would any type of freak accident make it so that I can dunk a basketball hoop all of a sudden? very unlikely
vanquish Dunking is based off of athleticism. Your brain could possibly make you a skilled 3 point shooter or something, but you would never master it unless you practiced. He probably practiced a bit too. We don't completely know everything about music, but it's possible his brain rewired and granted him perfect pitch. I'm not saying a brain injury could turn you into Beethoven, but it could probably grant you his ear (before deafness lol). This guy isn't even amazing, but I imagine if you been listening to music for 30+ years of your life then all of a sudden have perfect pitch, it shouldn't be too hard to learn where all of the notes are on a piano, you could learn that in 10 minutes my friend, but the perfect pitch is what pushes it ahead. He would still have to work on relative pitch, but I'm sure perfect pitch makes that a lot easier to learn too.
Mike2174 It's mind blowing, I know as ridiculous as my example was you need the ACTUAL body to be able to achieve a dunk, but what's crazy to me is what if it's all just a certain set of brain circuits that given the chance to activate could suddenly allow my body to do it? we would never know...
Howcome he just happened to have a piano in his home? - and never played it before? - he most ceartainly could play the piano BEFORE his accident - and he is NOT playing good, no feeling - no, i am not buying this story...i think he is making up a story to get fame.,.he is a better storyteller than pianoplayer,,,
I believe we have the ability to tune into a Universal source of knowledge. The great mathematician Ramanujan claimed he received his complex equations from the “Goddess”. I’m a composer ... not a savant because I had to study. But I often compose in a trance state. And months later when I run across the score in my piles of music, quite often I don’t recognize it as mine at all. It’s a very strange feeling because sometimes a piece will be startlingly beautiful and i don’t remember composing it. I believe “inspiration” is a gift we’re given when we lay our ego and sense of self aside and merge with some vast pool of consciousness. It’s an ecstatic connection!
I read he dabbled a bit with guitar before the trauma but wasn't much of a guitar player but after the accident he turned into quite a piano player. My question is did he also become an excellent guitarist too? I mean that was his choice of instruments before so why not that too?
Reminds of the old tube TV's you'd smack on the side to start working again but in his case his TV came back working better than ever...Gotta think everyone has a dormant miracle that needs a proverbial slap...
dayum... that's man is a genius... i hear great symphonies in my head for over 15 years. yes, i'm a musician, yes, i'm so bad to at sleast transcribe those things. even i can't play one part, because i'm forgotting whole thing when i'm leaving theta state. he plays it while being wake and sees sheet. this guy is genius.
Ok I have watched about eight of yr videos and have heard yr spiel that many times and all I have seen or heard is talking heads with a total of about 2 minutes - if that - of music, if you want to be taken seriously you should get around to playing something, dv'd.
***** For those of us who are heard of hearing, the background music makes it very difficult to hear what is being said. So silence, or VERY low background music, may allow you to reach a wider audience.
I guess bumping his head and making him a 'savant' also made him a shameless braggart. Personally, if I were an injury induced savant, I would be embarrassed that I had no real natural talent. How do I know this? Because I became, for a lack of a better word, a savant in molecular biology after a neurological accident. I can see protein formation and can construct proteins in an instant. I can beat any super computer in protein formation and have been approached by university professors to go further. But I refused. But note. I still required a basic foundation of molecular understanding. It's just that everything clicked with me and I took it from there. Speaking from personal experience, real savants would rather never be known for their abilities. So, what do I do for a living? Definitely not anything related to molecular biology. But it is in the biological sciences. At a very pedestrian, but personally and financially rewarding, level. That is real intelligence.
If you read more about him or listen to other interviews he does not consider himself to be a good piano player, he admits on one NPR interview that he cannot play twinkle, twinkle little star. He cannot read music and admits it. Ou r brain is a complicated organ and I believe this happened to him . Read more about him
I don't see it. I've met people who have never taken classes and do way more than this. all he's doing is a chord pattern broken into arpeggios. anyone can learn to do this within a week. now Derek Paravicini, he is real, yes he has taken classes since he was small, but what i find impressive is his ability to listen to a piece for the first time and repeat it with accuracy, its for ever stored in his head. thats insane. but Amato, fake. besides, he claims to be Gods gift to the world, people with gifts don't share that information, they are humble, and afraid of not fitting in, all they want is to be normal. this guy is fake.
Yes I am a classical pianist. I have no idea how to improvise or play jazz but I have manage to fool tons of people into thinking I play jazz as well by just breaking 7th chords into arpeggios and playing random note within the chords harmony. What this guy is doing I can teach anyone in a week. The piano is continuous patterns which allows for hands to move up and down the registry pretty easy, easily impressing people who have never sat down at a piano.
@Matthew Barnes yur full of yourself just like he is. He is not a savant at best he's a good player. I can't speak for whether or not he actually acquired musical ability through is accident but I can speak for is his ability which is not savant level. I've seen him play now quite a bit to determine that. That's the only thing that bothers me about his story that the label Savant does not fit they're real piano savants out there that can play some amazing piano who had to be trained to get to that level even with them being savants. He shows nor prodigies level skills at all jus good to very good sill level. If he did aquire this through his accident than awesome but he is def not a savant.
@Matthew Barnes An "exoplanetary scientist", insulting random strangers on youtube with your mum jokes. Do you know how ridiculous this actually is? Grow up, man.
i need to hear the first few minutes of what he played on that piano, so taking him at his word, that's the baseline. then, i need to hear him now. strange, he's not even a crappy prosperous producer, making worse chart topping music, which should be a walk on the beach.
after viewing few comments below , seems everyone here knows this guy very well ( I'm wondering if all of u are related , to have so much info/knowledge about him ) ........... Well, I don't ...... so I'll choose my own judgement ;))
This guy is boring and lacks talent -- no savant. For the real thing, check out Derek Pavavicini. He is a serious, inspired, incredibly talented musical savant. His music is beautiful. Such a joy to hear. you will sit in awe of his musical phrasing.
It's not about "dormant" capacity, oldie! It's all about plasticity of the brain! The brain tries to compensate the loss of many neurons by setting new networks. Sometimes those new networks reveal special skills, great talents like Derek Amato's as a matter of fact! IT'S ABOUT BRAIN PLASTICITY! Period.
To many of these sorts of things, I think: "he had a past life as a pianist." There's also room for a cross over spirit having come in when he was dying. The senses all get mixed together as those who've had near death experiences say they can also do in the beyond this life realm.
I've been hitting my head on the wall all day hoping I would get special abilities. The only ability I seem to have gained is being able to bleed out of my ears.
i can tell you're no savant by any means
Internet Police crazy
I am a musical savant.- I fell off the roof of our house when I was 2 years old. This should have killed me but I suffered a severe brain injury that resulted in me being able to go to a musical instrument and play it. This happened after I got out of hospital months later - not stagger out of a swimming pool. At 2, I would hear a song and was able to play it on the piano. I taught myself to play ukulele, guitar, trumpet, saxophone, flute, clarinet, drums and violin - over the years. I could also do mathematical calculations in my head. Watching this guy I can see that he is fully aware of fingering - that's something that is taught. People who play piano by ear do not do this. I don't believe he is genuine.
I disagree.
Almost as if people can go back to refine their technique…
I play by ear, never any lessons and his fingering looks like mine so I don't buy your logic of good fingerings equals fake video.
I hate how any video of this guy is just a bunch of talk. You can't even hear the music he's playing.
I had the pleasure of meeting him today, randomly… and from the time he walked up I could feel his incredible energy. He is a SUPER genuine nice guy. Just meeting and speaking to him made a big impact on the energy. Had no idea about his experience until well after speaking to him. I love that he’s found his purpose and is sharing his gifts and experience for good! ❤ much love, Derek! Hope we cross paths again!
Met this guy in real life a couple times now, live about 40 minutes from his home town. He is arrogant beyond belief. Sad to see such a wonderful gift squandered on such childish petulance :( If he doesn't get his way he threatens people with a "media frenzy" because "people like him" and he's "popular". It was painful to witness when I have such high hopes for human ascension.
Way to bully online! nice job asshole!
@Magnolia Donald It's possible his brain doesn't process emphaty
talent always comes with a price
@@altosmusiclab2248 he put his opinion of a person on the internet. From the looks of it, the guy in the video does seem pretty arrogant and egotistical
That’s because he’s actually a fraud
Wow, a lot of haters here. Certainly hard to figure this business out for me. But someone must enjoy his playing- if he has access to a Bosendorfer. He plays in an interesting manner- not Ludwig's third movement- but in a lovely way. He wants to try and make the world better? Fine, I applaud him for that goal. For the folks who say he's just arpeggiating chords... are you better at improvising. Making anything sound good and original is not easy for me.
I'm just surprised by some of the "mean spirited" comments here. I just can't understand the negativity from some people. I found Derek's story so inspirational and uplifting. I love the fact that he's such a "giving" person as well. Best wishes to him.
exactly - thank you for your kind comment. I was beginning to give up hope for human kindness. Derek IS a very giving person. He is very loving and caring and his family and friends are his #1 priority. I don't care what everyone here says, he is definitely not arrogant. He would help anyone in need!!
Christine C I agree that a lot of the comments are mean spirited. But he is a very arrogant narcissistic person. He is 'hand picked' etc etc. Really? He was picked to bump his head?
The story is nice. But the main character is the one who is disappointing to humanity.
You are only seeing one side of him. He isn't arrogant. He truly is a very sweet and loving person. Have any of you ever heard the phrase, "don't judge a book by it's cover"? You see one thing and think he's a bad person. You don't know him to be able to judge him. Because I can honestly tell you that he is far from arrogant and narcissistic!! He's not at all like you are reading from just a video or 2!
Exactly, I totally agree!
that what you call negative is just people giving critic notes on his musical performence, which is extremely bad. As a person this man can be very kind but his the socalled claimed savant is just not true. Perhaps he should have studied the real meaning of savant instead of piano lessons which he evidently had when he was younger. the story does appear very insincere. People nowdays do practically everything to get views or attention on social media. There are indeed a lot of negative people in the world but you are perhaps also a bit naive so to speak. No offense intended, just remarking
So he can play arpeggios. Never before seen. I don't completely disregard the possibility of his synesthesia from a brain accident but he is far from a prodigy or even less a prodigious savant. He just seems like an arrogant and egoistic person. It just seems like he's amazing because he just so happens to play arpeggios decently well which looks impressive but isn't entirely all that difficult (at least looking at what he's playing. Some arpeggios are very difficult like etude in C major Op 10 No 1).
TLDR: ok with the piano. Not a prodigy
they're literally just arpeggios
Yes, the short 10 seconds of playing that you saw were arpeggios. Therefore, ALL of his playing is arpeggios, right?
Yeah and what does being able to read a note and playing the piano have anything to do with each other. Just cuz u can read doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to play the piano technically. And not knowing anything about music but seeing the notes is an oxymoron
So I just watched Polanski's "The Pianist" for the first time last night with my uncle. Somehow I found my way to discovering this guy and we were immediately frustrated by the complete absence of videos of him playing. Regardless of that the only really interesting footage would have been of him playing immediately after the accident as at this point he has had years of practice...
My theory is simple: The man has created this false narrative with incentives deriving from financial gain and ego-boosting. He probably makes far more money from going around telling this "heart-warming" and "incredible" tale to people who, in their absolute defense, are eager to lap up. The problem is he is taking advantage of humanity's desire for these sorts of tales. And to see footage of him saying he had absolutely no musical experience and then to find out he in fact played guitar and had a "rock band" in high school seems like a pretty important omission of an essential fact to understanding how, if at all this is plausible. If he were honest I would, of course be more inclined to believe him. Unfortunately humanity is historically incredibly quick to sacrifice ethics for finance.
Another theory could be that as he recovered from the concussion, his mind went back to normal. That's what happened in an experiment where a man had electromagnetic pulses run through the left side of his brain and the right had to over compensate, so he became a savant in counting large amounts of dots, but it went away in an hour.
finally brotha
thank you, i heard this story from my english teacher and immediately thought its just an illusion )
He contacts the adviser for a HOLLYWOOD MOVIE to understand what's going on? All that guy is about is finding a way into the media industry.
I was a patient of Gerardo Zavala sr the brain surgeon and I can play debussy doctor gradus ad parnassum after I was a patient of Sanjay misra named ken deleon and I was a court filer who sold a house and was injured by a crazy person. There is a nurse named Carrie Wolf in San antonio who was trying to kill me after I had a brain injury before I made a recording of me playing multiple instruments and I was a music composer in 2006 who had a brain injury at the San Antonio orthopedic group and my composition was performed at UT Austin where I also played the piano and Carrie wolf is lying for no reason about this.
in the deepest most respectful way and with no serious pun intended....this story "blows my mind"! I wish him the very sincerest blessings....xox
People on here debunk this guy after watching a 12 minute video, but keep in mind there's an expert in savant syndrome - Dr. Darold Treffert - essentially vouching that this guy Derek Amato is indeed a savant. Of everyone on here "debunking" Derek Amato, many are saying he's "full of himself" and the like. But step back and think about that for a second. You are disagreeing with the opinion of an expert - someone who spent years in school and then decades focusing his life around a small, select set of subjects, basically studying them likely every single day. In this case, that set of subjects includes savant syndrome. So Dr. Treffert has spent probably 50+ years studying this stuff (he's in his 80s). You - the people debunking Mr. Amato - probably spent all of the 12 minutes of this video "studying" Mr. Amato and his piano skills. The more studious of you likely took an extra hour or so to Google around and find some extra sources in various news articles or online forum discussions (which I can only pray are at least marginally more enlightening than the load of pseudo-intellectual bullhonky that tends to fill scientifically focused RUclips videos such as, arguably, this one). So any of you debunking Mr. Amato spent probably spent less time than the length of the movie Rainman "studying" Mr. Amato's condition and his piano skills. From this small amount of research, you then concluded that he is a fraud. This conclusion goes directly in the face of Dr. Treffert, who has spent decades studying savant syndrome, and who vouches for Derek Amato. Please, explain to me why I should believe you over Dr. Treffert here?
And Derek Amato is the one who is full of himself? Lol, yeah right.
Doctors are just like the rest of us. They can be wrong, they can be duped, they can be gullible, they can fall in love with their own work. It happens. Personally I have heard doctors say all manner of nonsense. A practicing physician once told me a dog's mouth is sterile. It licks its ass, eats catshit, and has a sterile mouth? I'm not saying he is wrong, necessarily, but his credentials only carry him so far.
Hes smart in the medical field not the musical field. Anyone with a touch of intelligence in music knows his playing is mediocre at best and he's pretending to be the next Mozart
he got his savant in forty
i'm 27 still there's hope
Derek - you were amazing before your accident. The boom released your full potentiel. A man, a prodigy found by miracle, and you have taken that further. Bless your spirit and feeling for making music and helping others.
8:07 "…so I'm hearing this beautiful symphony during our conversation. At the same time, I'm working. And I can't catch it all. I can't capture it all because it's impossible for me to- to grab a violin, a cello, a piano, like acoustic guitar, a bass guitar, and a percussion instrument and do it all at once."
...but…
6:57 "And the fun part about when I'm doing these is- especially when it's like a first piece I ever played is- is- my- my mind allows me to do it in reverse or actually backwards the whole piece".
This seems to present a conflict with the inability to specifically score sections that would be part of the 'beautiful symphony' he hears in his head all of the time. However, this guy's supposed musical experience seems to be some sort of dissociative, far-reaching reaction from bumping his head… so I guess it might be plausible.
This guy is pretending to be some creative mozart like genius. All he can do is play arpeggios up a keyboard. Far from genius
I slipped on a banana and now I can play the guitar
Never had piano lessons before his accident? The image at 5:03 says otherwise...
How so?
Smile TV Group I guess his parents just wanted to take a picture of him in front of a piano for no reason?
SimpleKicksBot If you look closely, you'll notice that he is wearing a martial arts outfit, indicating his main childhood activity at the time. According to the photo alone, there was a piano in his home, but he was taking martial arts rather than playing it.
Smile TV Group I bet.
Nah, I grew up with a piano in the house always, and only my mother and younger sister played it (and took lessons). I played trumpet and then guitar but no piano, although I have no doubt there were plenty of pictures taken of me in front of it. I wish I had taken piano lessons though.
Every time you hear a savant you just know it's not the complexity of their piece it's the feel that that bring to it
Dude think's he he Mozart or Chopin. I want Ben Stiller to parody him.
I wish I could talk to somebody about this. after a brain injury I all of a sudden become musical. bought guitar. got 2 now. I didn't just start playing led zeppelin right away, but I can play pretty good for 4 months in and i'm obsessed with music now.
It's called the placebo effect lol. Don't pretend that you need help because you are sooo good.
I bumped my head so many times and still can't play piano.
Is there any actual videos of him playing for more than 30 seconds?
I've searched for years .............. no
My brother is like this. On his first guitar lesson his teacher said every now and again l get one. I first notice d when he tuned my guitar . But he didn't know how. Then on the first guitar lesson he just walked it. Even the music. He Already knew how to read it . And play it. Then got a didgeridoo nailed it in 2 weeks, Then started jazz funk. Then broke his neck and back. Nothing since.
Derek Amato I believe in you all away from Kenya in East Africa.....where another legend is found......and many more....
For a real savant: Derek Paravicini
Leslie Lemke even more so
Vijval Nataraja I LOVE HIM! 🥰
I have watched every YT video on him and told everyone to do the same!
Factttts not this wanna be has barley footage
Lol that dude isnt even a savant you bafoon. hes a disabled person who spent his life on what he loves and now hes good at it. if he heard you say he got all that from no work hed fucking WIIGGGGG out on you.
You should tell him to get a launchpad because you can play every instrument on it if you want to.
Well, I'm no savant, neither a musician, but I can do arpeggios on the piano. Anyway, I practice here and there. If his story is true and he never touched a piano before and started playing like that, then it really is amazing.
I bumped my head once & it made me think this was real
I fall in my chair, now I can play the violin.
Never mind. I like this guy. I hope it happens to me too. March 1, 2022 USA Tuesday.
That is beautiful! I love this! Thank you for sharing! Woohoo! We have sooooo much wonderful potential within us and I intend to find all of mine! I love you!
So I'm an acquired savant have been since 2005. Who can I fully contact in the UK. I'm very secretive of my crazy skills.
I don't believe this story. He already knew how to play. In fact, he's not that good and every video of him hardly shows any playing.
+mi1964amigo His mom told him he was OMG so special OMG he is special....
If I kept my left hand wrist as low as his my teacher would have decapitated me.
How do we not know that this guy just had an accident and was secretly taking piano lessons for years and used the two to self-proclaim himself a savant to boost his own ego?
Because he wasn't. I know him and this story is TRUE. If you don't believe it or if you have a problem with it, why do you waste your time bashing him? That is part of the problem with this world today. Everyone is always looking for a way to cut someone else down instead of build them up. Derek is a genuine sweetheart if you know him. Do your research or maybe go to his website and contact him. He is not lying. How many people would seriously take lessons and they go public saying that they have had this happen to them. Don't you think the piano teacher would step forward and say something? He did play guitar before, so he had musical knowledge. But I know how to play a couple instruments (or used to anyway) but the piano is beyond me. I do not have the coordination.
My opinion is that you have such a pitiful life that you spend your time trying to find the fault in others instead of looking in the mirror to see what your own issues are. You have no reason to come on here to accuse anyone of anything. If you don't like the story, ignore it. Is it hurting you in any way? I doubt it! So move on and go pick on someone who truly is deserving of your criticism! I suppose you think Obama is the best president ever, don't you! Don't bother contacting me again, because no matter what petty things you try to say about Derek, he and I are friends from middle school, so you won't change my mind. I don't know why people like you think you always have to "prove" that someone is lying. Why can't you be happy that he has found this talent? Nope, you have to try to belittle him and be rude about it.
I sensed he is sincere. And disappointed in the comments. So glad to find this video, as I sometimes hear whole instrumental music pieces like Derek describes. Yes, this is very possible and people commenting here doubtingly unfortunately don't have any internal frame of reference (consciousness) to see this is indeed may at least be possible. And watching the video, he doesn't at all strike me as arrogant.
@@Banst20 "dude trust me its real" thats literally all we're hearing from people who say this is real. And if it is, he isn't a prodigy just because he can play arpeggios decently well considering that's pretty much all we hear from this video
Fascinating.
So does he know what he's playing like what chords he's playing scales? Because obviously he's just running up and down the minor scale and playing chords with his left . Or does he just play what he thinks good
amazing,,,,, love it
When I close my eyes no one can see me. I'm a savant :o
Is better to be blind ,,,with the two eyes, you can't see the full picture................I totally believe Derek.... I can feel the energy...... ..he does not need to prove what he can do.............I believe is a legend....trust me.......I share the same experience.......one man can change the world.................we don't need to be noticed by any organisation ....that's a gift from God.
Wow! I read through some of the messages on this page and I am suprised how people can not believe that this can happen. Rather than thinking that there might be also a lot of capabilities being dormant within all us so many call this man a liar-((. At least for me it is not the first time that I see someone having an accident and then all over sudden he or she has a capacity that he or she was not aware of before. Really not the first time...Being invisible and untouchable doesn't mean it doesn't exist! All of us have abilities that are dormant, all of us have come here on Earth many times and every time with a new mission and new achievements and therefore new capacities. Nothing so strange about that.
I don't think anybody here is saying they CAN'T happen. It's just that they ain't happening with this cat.
Bc he isnt like derrik parachivi a real sa savant piano player
I believe that the injury is true, and that he woke up with a passion for piano, but he's just a really bad pianist lol. Every random people who plays another instrument (which is the case for him, he said that he played guitar before his brain injury) can play what he plays on the piano with 1 week of training...
old man sounds like the dude from the 'SAW 'horror movies.
I wonder if he was this humble before the accident?
The second childhood photo they showed had a piano in it. I would bet money on him having played as a child. No one can just play piano with no reference towards the fundamentals. That would imply that there was an untapped congenial trait within his brain which was uploaded with all the technical know how of piano playing. Ludicrous... I believe he had an inspiring moment and decided to practice his ass off day in and day out...or not practice that much. I look at this as a man who, after sustaining a concussion, decided to change his passions and interests... that's it. Cool story though.
also he said himself. His fingers could not keep up with his brain. Meaning he most likely started hearing a conglomerate of tunes that he has heard throughout his life in a distorted fashion, which he then mapped out with the pitches on the piano. I doubt he had "extraordinary piano abilities", but rather an improved ability to relate pitches within his head to pitches on a piano. It's not like he sat down on the piano and started shredding. He just gained a stronger ear. I hate how people inflate circumstances like this to seem like so much more than they actually are...
Nolan Point also he looks like joe satriani
No
haha, no to you my friend
I knew this guy was a fraud just from the title. I'm pretty sure real savants don't go around claiming to be a savant in the first place. He plays ok, but there's no feeling, just one note after the other.
It would definitely be amazing to have "powers" like his, though it's important to remember that Derek was really lucky, just like how Peter Parker had to be at the right place and the right time with the right spider in order to become Spiderman. Please stay safe and keep smiling! :)
If this guy is legitimate, he talks like a liar.
To those commenting that he's a fraud, etc. I encourage you to watch the BBC's documentary Incredible Medicine tomorrow (08/03/2017) evening 9pm GMT. I daresay it'll turn up elsewhere shortly afterwards. Anyway, Derek is featured on tomorrow's episode, and, having already seen it, it's well worth watching. He's obviously not classically trained, but he is medically studied for the changes that have occurred within his brain in the wake of his accident.
Even if he did become better at the piano and developed a synesthesia of some sort (plausible), he is not at all prodigious savant. He's a mediocre player who hypes himself up as the next chopin
Except for all the insulting people in the comment section that don't believe this is true I can not find any real article or evidence online that debunk this.
It's important one day to learn how to think for yourself without needing someone else to tell you everything. Otherwise you'll fall for anything. This being strong evidence of so.
Alright. Yesterday I stubbed my toe and im able to play extremely hard pieces on the piano with my feet and I am comparable to that of Mozart despite me being deaf and able to only do it in my sleep. No article disproving me anywhere in the internet so it must be true right?
@@Lucas-sk5lu I did find this video that suggests his story could be true. ruclips.net/video/wcPzTr-BbAA/видео.html . Can you point me to a good video about a similar stubbed toe story ;)
Steve Jobs's foster parents were saying exactly the same thing to Steve..that he is special.. every day the same story ..you can see what kind of narcissist he became. This guy also feels very special. It is always a poison of the personality to feel very special..
Sloppy arpeggios on the piano
I enjoyed it
This is not savant. And the pianoplaying is not that great at all. I noticed he keeps repeating just the same show-off pianoplaying of not longer than 10 seconds. The rest is just footage with action-poses. It does not appear sincere.
I don't think you understand what savant syndrome is. The ability to play without lesson is the gift not the ability to play the piano like a pro musician without lessons. Their are different levels to the condition.
@@myisha7833 Yes but the problem is that his so-called "piano skills" can be learned by any random people in just 2 days ... Especially if you have already played another instrument, which is his case (he said in another interview that he played guitar before his injury). This guy is not a musical genius :/
He had to have known the basics like hand placement, notes and basic theory. A bump on his head may have caused some talent but there has to be some kinda basic work done
Miku Hatsune Piano It doesn't make sense to me either as a musician, but science has taught me to not always believe my senses and to keep an open mind. I'm no neuroscientist, but you'd be very surprised of the power that the human brain posses.
Mike2174 It's something your brain never learned though, I mean would any type of freak accident make it so that I can dunk a basketball hoop all of a sudden? very unlikely
vanquish
Dunking is based off of athleticism. Your brain could possibly make you a skilled 3 point shooter or something, but you would never master it unless you practiced. He probably practiced a bit too. We don't completely know everything about music, but it's possible his brain rewired and granted him perfect pitch. I'm not saying a brain injury could turn you into Beethoven, but it could probably grant you his ear (before deafness lol). This guy isn't even amazing, but I imagine if you been listening to music for 30+ years of your life then all of a sudden have perfect pitch, it shouldn't be too hard to learn where all of the notes are on a piano, you could learn that in 10 minutes my friend, but the perfect pitch is what pushes it ahead. He would still have to work on relative pitch, but I'm sure perfect pitch makes that a lot easier to learn too.
Mike2174 It's mind blowing, I know as ridiculous as my example was you need the ACTUAL body to be able to achieve a dunk, but what's crazy to me is what if it's all just a certain set of brain circuits that given the chance to activate could suddenly allow my body to do it? we would never know...
+Miku Hatsune Piano Arpegios are easy to each..thats all he is doing. He is an aquired con artist.
Howcome he just happened to have a piano in his home? - and never played it before? - he most ceartainly could play the piano BEFORE his accident - and he is NOT playing good, no feeling - no, i am not buying this story...i think he is making up a story to get fame.,.he is a better storyteller than pianoplayer,,,
I believe we have the ability to tune into a Universal source of knowledge. The great mathematician Ramanujan claimed he received his complex equations from the “Goddess”. I’m a composer ... not a savant because I had to study. But I often compose in a trance state. And months later when I run across the score in my piles of music, quite often I don’t recognize it as mine at all. It’s a very strange feeling because sometimes a piece will be startlingly beautiful and i don’t remember composing it.
I believe “inspiration” is a gift we’re given when we lay our ego and sense of self aside and merge with some vast pool of consciousness. It’s an ecstatic connection!
people just want to be this good without training. you can get way better than this without bumping your head but you have to practice
he still hasnt changed the area code he lives at...let alone the world lol
I read he dabbled a bit with guitar before the trauma but wasn't much of a guitar player but after the accident he turned into quite a piano player. My question is did he also become an excellent guitarist too? I mean that was his choice of instruments before so why not that too?
You're not Savant!! His name is Aleksander.
Aaaaaaaaaay
Leslie Lemke even more so
Wonder how it would had turned out if he'd stumbled upon a violin instead of a piano......
I was a savant when i was 6 years old.
If he's so great then he should play Rachmaninoff's third with no problem
I’m gonna call bullshit on this one.
a beautiful and touching clip,i love it..
Reminds of the old tube TV's you'd smack on the side to start working again but in his case his TV came back working better than ever...Gotta think everyone has a dormant miracle that needs a proverbial slap...
dayum... that's man is a genius... i hear great symphonies in my head for over 15 years. yes, i'm a musician, yes, i'm so bad to at sleast transcribe those things. even i can't play one part, because i'm forgotting whole thing when i'm leaving theta state. he plays it while being wake and sees sheet. this guy is genius.
Ok I have watched about eight of yr videos and have heard yr spiel that many times and all I have seen or heard is talking heads with a total of about 2 minutes - if that - of music, if you want to be taken seriously you should get around to playing something, dv'd.
Hey Derek, great story thanks for sharing, you give me hope that I am not going insane!
Came here after Alfie's vlog
whats the background music @ 1:10?
A standard iMovie sample :) If you have a Mac you can find it in iMovie's music samples
*****
For those of us who are heard of hearing, the background music makes it very difficult to hear what is being said. So silence, or VERY low background music, may allow you to reach a wider audience.
+jip laan it sounds like Nokia Ringtone named Unia..But Till today I never acquired the full version of the ringtone
Don't hate 😎
I guess bumping his head and making him a 'savant' also made him a shameless braggart.
Personally, if I were an injury induced savant, I would be embarrassed that I had no real natural talent.
How do I know this? Because I became, for a lack of a better word, a savant in molecular biology after a neurological accident. I can see protein formation and can construct proteins in an instant. I can beat any super computer in protein formation and have been approached by university professors to go further. But I refused.
But note. I still required a basic foundation of molecular understanding. It's just that everything clicked with me and I took it from there.
Speaking from personal experience, real savants would rather never be known for their abilities.
So, what do I do for a living? Definitely not anything related to molecular biology. But it is in the biological sciences. At a very pedestrian, but personally and financially rewarding, level.
That is real intelligence.
I question this mans virtuosity
If you read more about him or listen to other interviews he does not consider himself to be a good piano player, he admits on one NPR interview that he cannot play twinkle, twinkle little star. He cannot read music and admits it. Ou r brain is a complicated organ and I believe this happened to him . Read more about him
328
wow after hearing his terrible music i became an acquired savant too
@10:54, I strongly disagree with this. We are much more than our brains.
I love how they mute his singing voice? wonder how good that is! LOOL
I GUESS IM NOT THE ONLY ONE
total BS, and the doc sounds like Jigsaw
You believe this?
This guy is so full of himself
WAIT..... 8:50 "i get to sleep on the streets with these kids that have no where to go"..... did he say that or am I hearing things?
that was a side effect of the accident. he says some silly shit from time to time
Kanye
genius is just a concussion away.
Turns out I know the other 49 savants!
Time to fall in a pool now
I don't see it. I've met people who have never taken classes and do way more than this. all he's doing is a chord pattern broken into arpeggios. anyone can learn to do this within a week. now Derek Paravicini, he is real, yes he has taken classes since he was small, but what i find impressive is his ability to listen to a piece for the first time and repeat it with accuracy, its for ever stored in his head. thats insane. but Amato, fake. besides, he claims to be Gods gift to the world, people with gifts don't share that information, they are humble, and afraid of not fitting in, all they want is to be normal. this guy is fake.
Yes I am a classical pianist. I have no idea how to improvise or play jazz but I have manage to fool tons of people into thinking I play jazz as well by just breaking 7th chords into arpeggios and playing random note within the chords harmony. What this guy is doing I can teach anyone in a week. The piano is continuous patterns which allows for hands to move up and down the registry pretty easy, easily impressing people who have never sat down at a piano.
+impromptu The whole thing is fake, not kinda fishy, he is stupid.
@Matthew Barnes 👊🏻🙏
@Matthew Barnes yur full of yourself just like he is. He is not a savant at best he's a good player. I can't speak for whether or not he actually acquired musical ability through is accident but I can speak for is his ability which is not savant level. I've seen him play now quite a bit to determine that. That's the only thing that bothers me about his story that the label Savant does not fit they're real piano savants out there that can play some amazing piano who had to be trained to get to that level even with them being savants. He shows nor prodigies level skills at all jus good to very good sill level. If he did aquire this through his accident than awesome but he is def not a savant.
@Matthew Barnes An "exoplanetary scientist", insulting random strangers on youtube with your mum jokes. Do you know how ridiculous this actually is? Grow up, man.
Onision + Talent = Derek
I want this guy to smack his head again
If by 'savant' you mean the ability to play on the level of John Tesh then ok.
i need to hear the first few minutes of what he played on that piano, so taking him at his word, that's the baseline. then, i need to hear him now. strange, he's not even a crappy prosperous producer, making worse chart topping music, which should be a walk on the beach.
after viewing few comments below , seems everyone here knows this guy very well ( I'm wondering if all of u are related , to have so much info/knowledge about him ) ........... Well, I don't ...... so I'll choose my own judgement ;))
This guy is boring and lacks talent -- no savant. For the real thing, check out Derek Pavavicini. He is a serious, inspired, incredibly talented musical savant. His music is beautiful. Such a joy to hear. you will sit in awe of his musical phrasing.
Totally agree, he is just playing a string of badly delivered arpeggios.
lot of talking and not playing
egomaniac
agreed.
Well they are asking questions about himself right? Wank.
Why are we such haters in this forum?
Leslie Lemke is the one true savant. This guy is a liar and a coward.
It's not about "dormant" capacity, oldie! It's all about plasticity of the brain! The brain tries to compensate the loss of many neurons by setting new networks. Sometimes those new networks reveal special skills, great talents like Derek Amato's as a matter of fact! IT'S ABOUT BRAIN PLASTICITY! Period.
To many of these sorts of things, I think: "he had a past life as a pianist." There's also room for a cross over spirit having come in when he was dying. The senses all get mixed together as those who've had near death experiences say they can also do in the beyond this life realm.