Acquired skill or talent?

[stevemc]

I've never credited myself with having much talent for playing the guitar. Everything I can play comes from many hours of practice, nothing seems to come "natural". Then I read or hear about someone who is good player and practices 6, 7 or 8 hours a day. If I could spend that much time practicing, I think I'd be able to play well enough to be considered pretty talented!
So is it talent or an acquired skill?
SM

[tbondo]

It depends.....(which proves that I am qualified to be a consultant!!)....some folks seem to have more natural ability than others, but as Lee Trevino said, "the more I practice the luckier I get".....I believe that the more you practice, the better you get, the more you want to play, which is just like.....more practice!!!! I have no talent, almost no sense of time, and am tone deaf (or nearly)....after 30+ years, I'm a fair to decent guitarist.....but enough about me....how about you (global???)

[stevemc]

Mine is the age old problem of not being able to get in enough practice time on a consistent basis. My "talent" will always be limited by the amount of time I can spend on it. I am playing some things that I didn't imagine I'd ever be able to even a year ago, so it's fun to keep working at it when I can.
SM

[Aruthas]

I would lean toward the acquired skill theory. I am not a good guitarist, but I am learning some things fast because of other acquired skills. I have a good ear for tone and rhytm, developed by 30 years of singing, so I know when what I do on the guitar is not right. This kind of immediate feedback helps me learn faster.

[Bill Nichols (CaptBill)]

I am of the firm opinion that there is both natural talent and acquired skill.
I am at best a mediocre guitar player. What I am able to play is only due to a desire to play and time spent trying my best.

I have played with people who are very good and have worked very hard to become good and I have been fortunate enough to play with a few that are just naturally talented players.
For these naturaly talented players evrything just flows, it is an awe inspiring thing to see and hear.
I think the only people who have a shot at being a GREAT player are those with a natural talent.
I'm sure there must be a number of those great players among the members of this forum, I unfortunately will just never be one of them. There are some days that this really eats at me. Ooops I better stop before I need therapy.

But I still have Fun

[david_m]

Which came fist, the chicken or the egg? The talent versus acquired skill is the same argument.

Michael Jordan is probably the most talented basketball player of our generation (although I could easily argue the same for Dr. J). However, he's always been known as the hardest working member of his team. He always practices more effectively than anyone else. So is he so great from ability, or practice?

Certainly some people are much more musically gifted than others. Anyone who has ever heard Doyle Dykes or Don Ross can understand what I mean. But I firmly believe that a VAST majority of accomplished players got there because of dedication and work. All the talent in the world is useless if you don't excercise the natural ability.

Guitar is a funny instrument. It's easy to play, but devilishly hard to play well.

[Bill Nichols (CaptBill)]

Originally posted by david_m
Certainly some people are much more musically gifted than others. Anyone who has ever heard Doyle Dykes or Don Ross can understand what I mean. .

I think that was exactly the point I was trying to make.
Iguess I just didn't do it very well.

"All the talent in the world is useless if you don't excercise the
natural ability "

Once again that is what I was trying to say.
Some people have Natural Ability some (like me) don't.

I have gotten really bad at communicating my thoughts

[Lisa]

Guitar is a funny instrument. It's easy to play, but devilishly hard to play well.

Wow is that ever true. To get to the next level can sometimes be maddeningly difficult, but I think true determination is a quality that can supersede natural talent that is not fully cultivated.

But then I have to believe that or I would need therapy too

Lisa

[rocketman]

The biggest problem that I face is acquiring sufficient technique to push a new piece to where *I* am beginning to enjoy it. Once I am enjoying playing something new I will put the time into it, and I can fix the smudged and faked parts. The people I play for usually don't hear the problems I hear - but they do notice when it gets *better*.

[stevemc]

Hey rocketman, welcome to the forum!

Guess I better keep my "day job". Don't think I'll be going on tour any time soon!

One thing I have notice, I'm sure you guys already know, but since I got my Taylor guitar in Nov. my ability took a jump because of the playability. Barred chords and some of the long stretches with the little finger are things I always had trouble with. These are much easier on the Taylor because the strings are so much easier to fret. Hey - new Taylor motto: Taylor Guitars - Be The Best You Can Be! hehe Too bad that ones already been used.
SM

[W5BLT]

I've heard it said that there are only 3 things that are needed to make a person a better guitar player. They are: Pracitice, Practice & Practice.

However, I would submit this. Many, many years ago, I had a very cheap guitar. Although, I tried and tried, I found it very difficult to play. I spent a substantial amount of time attempting to get it in tune. The action was so stiff, I was sure that it could repel bullets. Because of this, I spent hours with the steel strings cutting into my flesh. This led me to avoid my practice sessions and eventually, I quit all together.

Then recently, I found myself in a guitar store. Just for fun, I was trying a couple of guitars. First one, then another. I noted that either my fingers were stronger or the action was softer. Then, it happened. I saw a guitar that had a $3,100 price tag on it. I don't mind telling you, I **** near gagged. Who in their right mind would pay this much for a piece of wood? I decided to give it a try anyway. It was a Taylor 555. I could see it was time for a little research and saving.

I looked all around the WWW at every manufacture of acoustic guitars. One word kept popping up. Taylor. Then this forum came to my attention. It seems that nearly every other guitar on the market has 10 times the web sites, the Taylor owners were the most pronounced and knowledgable about their instruments.

Then, it happened. Bob Taylor jumped into the forum. I was totally impressed. The OWNER of the company answering my stupid questions? That's absolutely unheard of. The information on this forum was like gold to me. 99.99% of the people are more than willing to bend over backwards to help you in any way they can. My heartfelt thanks to them all.

Searching through the FOR SALE segment of TGF, I found a nice 355 that looked like I might be able to afford. I emailed the person and we made the sale. Well, it's in route right now and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting as the days/hours/seconds tick away.

So, that's my story. After 18 years of missing out on the good life, it's all about to start again. Is it "Acquired skill or talent"? Well, I think that there's a lot of skill and talent involved but without the right guitar, you're skill and talent won't count for much due the lack of interest.

Bob

[axememan]

some people have natural ability....not me,lol......but the more time you put in opens you up for the 'secrets to be revealed' thing........our band'YOU AINT HEARING ME RIGHT' starts our'CANT SING,CANT PLAY,UNWANTED ,UNPLUGGED WORLD TOUR'..........just kiddin,no need to be alarmed......you dont have to lock your doors and close your shutters!...seriously ,putting time in on the guitar overcomes alot of inability!so practice all ya can and plan on doing it for the rest of your life.......on a TAYLOR!

[stevemc]

W5BLT -
Thanks for sharing your story and congratulations on purchasing the 355, I'm sure you'll love it! I experienced the same thing many years ago with a cheap guitar. A good guitar sure makes a difference!
SM

Limited Talent + Taylor Guitar + Practice = Acquired Skill
Acquired Skill + Taylor Guitar + More Practice = Wow ! I actualy sound pretty good!!

[The berkshire]

I can remember reading a couple of things in guitar mags. One was an engineer comparing sessions with Eric Johnson and Stevie Ray Vaughn. He stated that when working with Eric it was a marathon session of tweeking everything down to checking every speaker for mic placement working and reworking the arraigements over and over until it was just right. In other words a lot of effort went into the music. With SRV he basically plugged his guitar into the amp and played and recorded in one take. He implied that both where great musicians but SRV was just a natural. I also read one time a Quote from Jerry Garcia saying that if he didn't practice for hours everyday he would lose his edge quickly. I agree with whoever said it that you can be a great player with a lot of hard work and some natural talent but the real great guitar players, the legends, seem to be naturally talented. Its almost as if it is being channelled directly from god to them. How many great guitarists have said they don't even know how to read music. For the rest of us a lot of practice and a good guitar definately helps alot.

[mapletrees]

Originally posted by tbondo
but as Lee Trevino said, "the more I practice the luckier I get".....

thought Gary Player said that.....

????????