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This California teen has mastered 107 musical instruments – and counting

ELK GROVE, Calif. — For Neil Nayyar, sound is his thing. It has been for most of his life. When KTXL first visited him in November 2017, his mastery of 44...
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ELK GROVE, Calif. -- For Neil Nayyar, sound is his thing. It has been for most of his life.

When KTXL first visited him in November 2017, his mastery of 44 instruments had earned him the Assist Foundation's world record for the youngest person with such a skill.

Less than two years later, 13,-year-old Nayaar now has 107 sound machines in his repertoire. He's mastered more instruments in 20 months than he had in his entire life when we first met him.

"It just happened," he said.

But it doesn't just happen.

It takes eight hours of practice a day,  two more than what his home school schedule included back in 2017. He also does research to figure out what he should learn next.

The 45th instrument was the shehnai, a woodwind instrument from India.

Much of what he plays now he shares with ancient musicians but he can always make them modern by learning songs like "My Heart Will Go On" or the "Game of Thrones" theme song on classical and international instruments.

Now, Nayyar is working on instrument number 108, showing no signs of slowing down.

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