The Indian American Kid Who Plays 44 Musical Instruments

By Little India Desk | January 26, 2018

12-year-old Neil Nayyar knows his way around 44 musical instruments, a feat that earned him Assist Foundation’s world record for being the “Youngest to Play Maximum Musical Instruments.”

Pan flute, piano, American Indian flute, bulbul tarang, clarinet, ukulele, bansuri, African djembe, Australian didgeridoo, mandolin, harmonica diatonic, and more recently, shehnai, Nayyar has been playing them all. The 12 year old from Elk Grove, California speaks to Little India about what it takes to be musical prodigy

As you play 44 instruments, how do you allot your practice hours for each one of them? Do you practice only a certain instrument in one day?

I practice for 6 hours. I look at my strength and weaknesses on each instrument and then I decide  the time it is going to take. Some instruments like Sitar, Guitar, Saraswati Veena, Trumpet and Clarinet need more time. Some instruments, since I am at an advanced level, take less time to practice.

I do not have option of practicing only one instrument in one day. Practice is most important thing for any musician. Otherwise, the quality of music suffers. My slogan is “practice makes music to shine.”

Which one is your favourite instrument to play?

For me, each instrument is a favorite. Each instrument has its own importance in the piece of music where it is going to be used and has its own character in the music. The only instrument which I feel I get lost when I play it is Sitar. The sound of the sitar is so unique — more so than any other string instrument.

I have read you have 12 music teachers —  and seven of them are local. How do you find teachers for the more obscure instruments?

As music education is coming online, it is getting easier to find teachers worldwide. I do take Skype lessons from teachers in countries like China and Italy for the more obscure instruments. If I find the teacher is not available, then there are people who are on Youtube who share their knowledge in videos. I learn from the videos. Recently, I picked up one classical instrument Shehnai. It was very hard to find a teacher online. Luckily, I found one teacher from India who is willing to teach.

What are your future plans?

I have already gotten a  world record with title “Youngest to Play Maximum Musical Instruments”. I am adding 56 more instruments to make it 100 so I can create another record before I turn 13. In  the next 5 years, I am sure I will be going for Music Degree. After that, I want to work for movie industries like Hollywood or Bollywood.

Apart from music, is there another hobby you enjoy?

I likes to read books, painting and building Lego. My favourite books are On My Way To A Happy Life  written by Deepak Chopra, Incredible You! 10 Ways to Let Your Greatness Shine Through by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and You Were Made to Make a Difference by Max Lucado. I am also into Martial Arts; I will have Black Belt in Kung Fu  in 2019. I also learn Gymnastics and variety of Dances, such as  Bollywood, Tap, Break dance, Tahitian, Punjabi Bhangra, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical and Hip Hop. I have been learning these styles for five years.

I hear you are home-schooled. Do you have a favourite subject while studying?

I am in Online Schooling K-8, which is offered through Elk Grove Unified School District. I love math, science and of course, music.

What is your most favourite song — Bollywood or otherwise?

From Bollywood, my most favorite songs are Kal Ho Na Ho, Chandan Sa Badan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Swag Se Swagat. I am a fan of Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan movies and love watching their movies/songs. In the western music, I love the Beatles. I sing their songs too.

Talk about your musical journey. I believe it began with your first drum class.

Well, my music journey started when I was in the womb of my mom. My father had read in a book that playing music to the baby while in the womb was going to impact heart and soul of the baby in future. He used to play Mozart’s music to her womb.

My parents even bought little kid’s drumset from Toysrus when I was one-year-old. I did not take interest in the drumset then.

When I was five years old, my parents took me to free class offered through Consumnes Park and Recreation (CSD ELK GROVE). I played it so well — from first beat, I hit on snare drum. Everyone was amazed. While I was taking drum classes, my parents bought me a piano, guitar, and then flute.

How does it feel– being a musical prodigy? I hear a lot of the instruments you taught yourself to play by the ear.

I feel joyful and blessed. I see myself in the ocean of music where there is no boundary, where I can grow as much I can and keep evolving.

When I started my music journey at school, I was taught to play by reading music sheets. After a year, I started to hear notes of music in my head and  started to write the music on sheets. Now, I am very good in playing by ear as well as by reading the music notation.  Playing by reading is equally important to me when I play in concerts or with other musicians.