What is natural talent?

[sidereal]

Heh... [img]smile.gif[/img] Wasn't there someone in the early days of Jethro Tull who just couldn't play? I forget who, maybe the bassist, Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond? I think they had to tie a string from a cowbell to his leg so he could play in time. (if someone knows the real story of what I'm butchering, please help) [img]smile.gif[/img]

The point is, he went on to be a great musician, as I recall the moral of the story. Arena tours, multiple albums. Definitely gotta give him credit for having natural talent.

I like what Benny said. I just finished reading a well-regarded book written by a book editor about writers. She said the best of them seem to have an effortlessness to what they do, as if God were working through them. I'm not a religious person, but this seems to be a common theme for naturally creative people. We've all probably experienced a heightened sense of effortlessness. Whether it's divine or not, I have no idea. But it's probably a combination of natural ability, mental focus, a *will* to execute certain things, and a background in proper training.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ July 03, 2003 07:31 PM: Message edited by: sidereal ]</font>

[matricks]

Wow, thanks for all the great responses to my question! Go i on vacation and come back and have all this great input to read! Everyone makes very good points. I guess my thinking is there is an "X-factor" that everyone mentions. Whether it be "natural talent" or your enviroment, your mentality or focus or just your work ethic. I guess any one of those could be the "X-factor" or the "X-factor" could be a combination of some or all of those factors. Oh, that book "Creating Minds" is a good book indeed, i picked it up and checked it out. Another good book which also has a little to do with this is "The Inner Game of Tennis". Thanks again for all the great input!

[woodshed]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by sidereal:
the best of them seem to have an effortlessness to what they do, as if God were working through them. [ July 03, 2003 07:31 PM: Message edited by: sidereal ]</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

Side,

I have a son that is considered extremely gifted (mensa level) my wife and I get blown away because everything academic comes easy for him (A?s on tests without homework/study) But, this only goes so far because these types of people have to be driven in area of interest. Meaning, I can?t shove a guitar in front of him and expect him to be awesome out of the box. If he was interested he could pick it up faster then the average joe because the way his clock ticks.

I have always attributed the better musicians with the ability to learn or do things as my son does. But, that thing for whatever it is has to interest the person first. I come from a long line of musicians in my family yet my son digs music but not the playing of it.

Cheers

dw