Entertainment
10-year-old astonishes orchestra teacher when he shreds Eddie Van Halen's 'Eruption' on guitar
His teacher asked if he could play for the class, and when he did – everyone was blown away.
Ashley Fike
07.07.21

Learning to play any musical instrument is challenging. It takes time and dedication to master your craft. And the guitar is one of the more difficult instruments to learn how to play.

Once in a while, a young soul comes along who was meant to shred.

Sometimes, the rock gods decide to wake up and bestow a few of their blessings to the current generation of musicians.

The world needs it. You and I need it.

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That was the case with this 10-year-old boy, who blew away his teacher and the audience with a truly complex tune.

He takes the stage with his electric guitar and plays a classic Van Halen song like a true pro, leaving the whole room speechless.

This blew me away—he was born to be a rockstar!

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Garret Podgorski was a 10-year-old prodigy who stole the show at school by playing “Eruption” by Van Halen.

At the time of the video, Podgorski had been playing the guitar for just two years when his orchestra teacher realized he had something special.

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The teacher originally had the young man playing the bass, until she came across a YouTube video of him playing the guitar and was awe-struck by his talent.

How nice of her to let this kid showcase his insane talents during the show!

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After seeing the video, she knew Podgorski had a special gift that the world needed to hear.

So at the orchestra strings concert back in 2012, the teacher asked him to showcase his abilities and he left the crowd stunned.

A young, nervous Podgorski takes the stage and proceeds to play the difficult Van Halen song in this jaw-dropping performance.

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The other kids in the orchestra look on in disbelief as his electric guitar takes control of the room.

He rips through the riffs of the Van Halen song like it’s nothing, practically lighting a fire to the frets on the blue guitar.

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Podgorski uses the whammy bar on his electric guitar to create some beautiful distortion that perfectly mimics the legendary song.

People in the audience can’t help but cheer, as they know they are witnessing something profound.

The 10-year-old plays “Eruption” flawlessly while adding his own twists and musical genius.

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He creates sounds that only the best guitar players can manage, using both hands on the neck of the guitar to get a unique pitch.

I can’t believe he had only been playing the guitar for two years at this point, as this takes most people decades to master!

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Podgorski plays the Van Halen song without skipping a beat, and the audience is enthralled by his impressive skills.

His teacher was right to be dumbfounded by his playing, as people like him come around once in a lifetime.

When Podgorski finishes the song, the crowd lets out a massive cheer for the young prodigy.

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The modest 10-year-old smiles while he pulls his guitar strap off of his neck, he hasn’t quite got used to the praise he’s receiving.

A now 18-year-old Podgorski has a YouTube Channel with over 5,000 subscribers where he uploads phenomenal guitar solos.

Users on YouTube went crazy for the video of Podgorski playing Van Halen as a kid.

Millions have viewed the display put on by this musically-inclined boy.

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Over 6.5 million people watched the video of Podgorski playing “Eruption,” with 34,000 hitting the like button.

Thousands of users also left comments for the talented kid, and many were shocked that he could play like that at such a young age.

Caleb Lim says,

“Imagine being a bored parent waiting for them to start playing Bach, then some kid rocks up with an electric to destroy van Halen”

While another viewer went,

“shout out to that teacher for noticing his passion and allowing him to express it even though it goes against what they do in class”

It’s always great to see amazing guitar pieces, but when it comes from a child it’s that much better.

You’ll find it hard to believe he’s only 10 years old when you watch him play in the video below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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