natural talent

Actually I don't agree with either question....

Lack of it can be overcome, so your not screwed

There are lots of people with natural talent who never follow thru and are surpassed by people with more determination.

Scott

I agree with Scott, the question itself is kinda misleading. There's no denying that there are folks like Prince, who has tremendous talent and was able to play dozens of instruments by age 16 or so. But there are all kinds of factors besides just talent.

Whenever I see the question of "Are you screwed if you don't have natural talent?", what that says to me is "Trying to achieve this is really hard, should I keep doing it or give up?"

I've been playing guitar for a bit over fifteen years, I wanted to be a rock star when I picked it up. In that time I've never made any money or fame from playing music, but there's no way I'd consider it a waste of time. Playing guitar and making is music is part of who I am and gives me a lot of pleasure.

So whether I had "natural talent" or whether I've just been fooling myself for all that time I still wouldn't trade it for anything.

Jeff

im not sayin i want to give up u miss under stand i think natrual talent is an EXCUSE for why people cant do things some people may have it but i hate it being used as a excuse ''i cant learn this cuz i dont have natrul talent T_T'' basicly it is a mith people with almost no talent have got famous .

it's not so cut and dried as "i have talent, so i rock" or "i dont have talent, so i suck."

and when has "i dont have natural talent so i don't do it, period" ever been used as an excuse??? if you're making excuses as to why you can't do something, then all the talent in the world won't overcome that. people who makes excuses about something really don't want to do it in the first place.

whatever point you are making is so incredibly skewed it's ridiculous

I'm not voting this one, because the truth is in the middle.

I have two kids. They have had every musical advantage... I'm a pro guitarists, their mother was a concert pianist. I've spent tens of thousands of dollars letting them pursue their musical interests.

Older boy went to classical music - French horn. Had natural talent - I've never heard him play a bad note, from day 1. Could sight read anything, transpose at sight to any key, etc. Youngest member of the county symphony (ever - he was still in grammar school!), studied with a member of the Chicago Symphony, invited to perform at Carnegie Hall at the age of 16.

Younger boy wanted to play drums. I showed him a bit, got him a private teacher... but I had my doubts. He really didn't show much promise, or any 'natural' sense of rhythm. But without any 'talent', I couldn't keep him away from his drums - he's the kid I had to yell at to stop practicing and do his homework/go to bed/whatever.

Well guess what...

Older son doesn't play anymore. Younger son got his first pro gig at age 14, and has perfomed with me on a pro jazz date. He now doubles on bass and guitar, is learning piano, and is talking about taking up sax. He wants to be a recording engineer, and can whip off more industry facts of the top of his head than I've ever learned. He's lining up people to produce already.

Guess who my money's on now to make it in music?

Talent is a great thing, and some people have it. But desire, discipline, and determination trumps everything - in music and in life.

but the key there noteboat is that people do have talent. there are people who possess the uncanny ability to just do it with no prompting. SowterG is trying to push the idea that it simply doesn't exist.

oh, it does exist. It just doesn't matter :)

Actually I don't agree with either question....

Lack of it can be overcome, so your not screwed

There are lots of people with natural talent who never follow thru and are surpassed by people with more determination.

Scott

I have to agree with Scott. What he said was very well put and very true. so like Notebaot i would say it's somewhere in the middle. so i didn't vote either.

Yes I agree that a natural talent may help you and maybe make an instrument or whatever your doing seem easier to you. But practice makes perfect and no matter how much natural talent you have, if you don't practice as often as the one who does, then guess who will excell!

If there is no such thing as natural talent, how do you explain the savants? These people, though completely unable to function in an everyday life, suddenly begin to play the piano or violin (or any other instrument) and can play those instruments perfectly, with no lessons, and with an abstract idea of what that instrument actually is. Explanation: Natural Talent

And, I think your choice of options is WAY too narrow. I don't believe that you're going to find too many people here who completely agree with either statement. There are too many shades of grey that you haven't even considered.

I can't vote either because both options are false.

No such thing as natural talent - FALSE - Of course there is.

You're screwed without it - FALSE - You just have to work harder.

That's a good point Electrablue, I had completely forgotten until you mention it but I knew this kid who could pick up any instrument and play it perfect like a pro and never had a lesson. But even though people said he was talented, and he was, he was also a genious. did i spell that right? lol and way he had an extremelly high IQ and but was very musically inclined. the funny thing about it is he is working in a college makeing maybe 50 a year. I thought for sure he would be on a record label making millions. but it was never his goal.

There was a thread a while back where this same subject came up and I made the statement at that time that there was no such thing as natural talent. I did so to make a point (which was lost!) and my point has already been stated by Noteboat: It doesn't matter. Makes no difference at all. People don't make it on talent. The talented people have to work less hard so it doesn't matter as much to them and that's why they stop. If you're given something you don't value it as much as if you had to work at it.

Talent does matter, a talented person with drive will go further than an untalented one with drive, it's just people who have it easy will often give up just as easy as it can seem less important.
I was always more acadmically intelligent than most of my friends and family, yet I'm the one without the degree or high flying career!!

as with many things in life, there is probably a normal distribution of talent and a normal distribution of desire.