NorCal teen says he now plays 117 instruments with plans to learn more

Wednesday, December 7, 2022
ELK GROVE, Calif. (KGO) -- A Northern California teen is gaining national attention for his musical abilities.

Neil Nayyar, 17, of Elk Grove, said he can play 117 instruments.

Nayyar said his parents noticed his musical talent after he took a free drum class when he was six years old.

"After one drum lesson, I was playing the drums like an old pro," Nayyar said. "I was like, 'How did I do this?' My parents and my drum teacher were shocked and after that, my parents decided to give me another instrument, which was the guitar, and after learning the guitar, I (went) to inspiration to learn more instruments. I felt like I just wanted to keep going."

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He certainly did that.

Nayyar said he played 44 instruments by the age of 12 and 107 by the age of 13.

And he's just getting started.

"I do have dreams of collaborating with famous musicians, including Adele, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, even Cold Play, Imagine Dragons, One Republic," the teen said.

He has a book out about the musical instruments he plays and has his own website.

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