Musical talent seems to be one of those elusive, almost mystical and ethereal types of talent, that people who don’t perceive themselves to have any musical talent seem to just stand in awe of. On many occasions I have had people become just be in awe of me when I have told them that I play and teach the piano.
Here’s the truth of the matter – the concept of raw talent is very overrated, unless the talent is so large that it makes them a musical prodigy. I personally don’t consider myself to be particularly talented just because I can play the piano. I’m as good as I am, due to all the hours over many years that I learned and practiced. It may seem impressive from another person’s perspective who only sees the end result here. I can tell you that there were many times I got annoyed and frustrated because what I was trying to work on was not working at all. I have shed tears over the years because of all of the challenges and difficulties that I went through.
So if I didn’t really have much musical talent, then what was it that set me apart from others? The answer is actually very simple. It is persistence and work. I have gained the skills to play the piano well and to then teach music because I was persistent in my efforts and I worked hard. I practiced regularly even when I wasn’t in the mood. I experienced piano lessons that were not fun because they were difficult. I even had my mother tell me that she didn’t think I would be a very good music/piano teacher. I persisted, I learned and I worked. That is the so called secret of my success – not a concept of being talented.
If you have the desire and dedication to put in the effort to learn to play the piano then you have enough ‘talent’. It doesn’t matter if your circumstances are perfect. No-one’s circumstances are perfect. You have to decide whether your circumstances or difficulties are insurmountable or not. You have to decide whether you are going to put in the work or not.
In my opinion, one definition of talent should be – the decision to learn and work on a particular skill until their goal has been achieved.
I will leave you with a story that I heard years ago. I don’t know whether it is true or not, but it makes a very good point:
The famous Israeli violinist Yehudi Menhuin had travelled to the United States and was in New York to give a concert. There was a local woman who had won some sort of competition to meet the violinist and was clearly a huge fan. When she did meet him at the concert venue, she stated “I would have given my life to play as well as you”, as a way of expressing how much she admired his music. Yehudi Menhuin replied; “Madam, I did.”
The take away of this story is that even the greats had to work hard at their ‘talent’.