MINERVA, Ohio — Communication has never been Lucas Nigro's strong suit but he has found it easier to connect with others through music. 

“I’ve never had an easy time talking to people about things I feel and my emotions," Nigro said. “It’s easier to balance them in music, you know what I mean, you can write any sort of melody you want and it can be applied to anything.” 

The 18-year-old from Minerva has been playing instruments his whole life. 

“I’ve been playing piano since before I could remember," he said. "I’ve always just grown up with a piano by my side.” 

Nigro can play any song he hears but he can't read music. 

“I don’t know how my brain processes it,” Nigro said. “I couldn’t look at the notes on a sheet of paper and tell you what they are but if I can hear it I can identify all of the notes. I know all of the notes by ear, I just don’t know how to identify them on paper.” 

Nigro described his gift as both a blessing and a curse. 

“It’s a weird thing to work around. I can’t write my own tabs for my music,” he said. “I’ve always just picked up on songs that I like and just learned on the piano."

Nigro writes music and performs in his two-person band, Bella Capra. 

He is graduating from Minerva High School this year and has his sights set on a bigger city. 

“I’d like to go down to Nashville and see the music scene,” he said, 

Click here to watch Nigro's band 'Bella Capra' perform on YouTube.