A man who suffered concussion after diving into a shallow pool has made a seemingly improbable discovery: it made him a musical genius.

Derek Amato, from Denver, Colorado, is just one of 30 people in the entire world suffering from Acquired Savant Syndrome, where people display profound abilities after suffering head trauma.

After years of failed jobs and homelessness, the 40-year-old is now enjoying a career in music and can play eight instruments - despite never having a lesson in his life.

He has now recounted the startling moment he felt drawn to a friend's piano after the October 2006 accident and immediately began playing.

'It was one of those moments when you just knew,' he told Matt Lauer on the Today show. 'It was just drawing me to it.'

Amato, who can not read music, explained that he knew what to play as he could see black and white squares in his head that triggered his fingers to move.

'That's my notation,' he said. 'When those black and white squares are going, that's what my hands do. I'm convinced it's all for a reason and it's my job to do it right.'

Amato, who is recording his second album, plays eight instruments he could not play before, as well as brushing up on his guitar skills, which he described as being a '2.5 out of 10' before the accident.

In October 2006, he was partying with friends when he jumped into the pool and hit his head. 'I remember the panic set in that I knew I hurt myself,' he said. 'I knew it was something bad.'

In a post for the Wisconsin Medical Society, he added: 'As I dove into the swimming pool, I remember coming up out of the water complaining that my ears were bleeding.'

'As I looked to my friends for explanation, I recall their lips moving but without sound. As I touched my ears to check for bleeding, I realised there was no blood, and I couldn't hear anything at all.'

After collapsing, Amato was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with a serious concussion. Doctors also found he had a permanent 35 percent loss of hearing, as well as memory loss.

But, Amato told the Today show, this is a small price to pay for what he can do now. 'The headaches and the loss of hearing are the price tag for this gift,' he said. 'I'd like it to stay.'

(Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)