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Joined: Aug 2009
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Probably like a lot of you I get emails from guitar tutors that I have signed up to online, and though a lot of the time I don't really look at what they are offering I do enjoy reading their promotional emails and get some advice that way.
Such as this,
..........................................................
if 22 years of teaching guitar has taught me one thing it's this...
Nothing can replace passion and practice.
Even talent can't touch passion.
I've taught naturally talented students in the past.
They pick up the skills faster and naturally feel more musical that others.
And us mere mortals can look upon this talent and think "if only that was me!!!" But here's the thing...
Even with all the talent in the world if your talents don't match your interests and passions then you won't want to play.
People say that if you "discover your hidden talents" then you'll naturally want to impress others and pursue that interest.
But life doesn't always work that way in my opinion.
I've known talented students who stop playing guitar all together just because they're not driven by a love for it.
So passion (loving it, whatever you want to call it) will always win over talent.
Because enjoying it means you'll keep playing and improve for the rest of your life.
I love music and guitar so as the years have passed naturally I have improved.
To the point that others would say I'm talented at playing guitar.
But it's just hard work and a love for what I do that got me this far.
It's nothing to do with talent.
Talent does exist. But without passion it's useless.
Keep on playing,
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Joined: Jun 2012
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Good lines, and I think we could apply them to much more.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Joined: Dec 2003
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That is so true.
I have had the identical situations with my students.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Joined: Dec 2002
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It's nothing to do with talent.
Talent does exist. But without passion it's useless. "Passion does exist, but without talent - it's a curse!" Like an itch which can not be scratched. Don't kid yourselves, without talent you will never realize full satisfaction playing a musical instrument. Take it from one who knows. 
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It's nothing to do with talent.
Talent does exist. But without passion it's useless. "Passion does exist, but without talent - it's a curse!" Like an itch which can not be scratched. Don't kid yourselves, without talent you will never realize full satisfaction playing a musical instrument. Take it from one who knows. Yep! I have a sweet old fiddle I bought in Santa Cruz many, many years ago. I thought, "How hard can it be?" Answer: Very, very hard! I tried and tried, practiced A LOT. Then practiced some more. Then put it away for years. Then got it out again 13 years ago and went to lessons. And more lessons. And practiced A LOT more. But I never crossed that line to even sound roughly passable. So, back in the closet it went. Some day my kids will sell it at my estate sale or trash it.  However, I DO put fiddle in many of my songs. And that fiddle is played by BIAB! But I do wish my passion and practice for playing the fiddle had been accompanied by some talent!
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Joined: Apr 2009
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Somehow, google must have figured out that I play guitar so yep...I get lots of "come on" offers to learn how to play that 6 string thing. I go to face book and am inundated with pushed ads and posts showing some 8 year old kid shredding something from one of Ozzy's big hits or playing something from Vai's catalog.... Should I burn my guitars now or should I go and practice my tapping and sweep picking techniques more? Natural scales, Phrygian scales, pentatonic scales, Lydian augmented scales, or how about fancy jazz chords that require 6 fingers to play? Should I buy that latest course that promises to show me "how to be the guitar player you've always dreamed of being?
Well, none of the above, actually. I like how I play, I enjoy how I play, and that's what matters. Yes I strive to be better and play with greater ease and professionalism..... but hey, when it all shakes out.... I enjoy what I'm doing.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Joined: Jul 2000
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Talent and passion is what turns empty notes into music.
You can teach almost anyone to play the notes. The talented and passionate person makes music. The ones without can only hope to become good technicians.
A good goal in life is to find out what you are talented and passionate about, and then pursue a career in that field.
My father gave me the gift of music, school taught both music and electronics, I chose a career in music. At one time, I quit full-time music to investigate what it is to be normal, and took a job as a Cable TV field engineer. I could do the job, but my heart wasn't in it, so I went back to music. One of the best decisions I ever made.
Oh, I don't have the luxuries the CATV salary would have provided me with. But I am enjoying my live much, much more that I would with all that luxury and the 40+ hour work week in a job I wasn't passionate about.
I work more than 40 hours a week now if I include practice, learning new songs, improving my skills, learning additional instruments, moving gear and gigging. But it's not like work, it's what I do.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Looking forward to seeing you do just that this Thursday, Notes!
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
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Looking forward to seeing you do just that this Thursday, Notes! I'm looking forward to it as well. It should be a lot of fun. The season is here we are gigging today (Wednesday), Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Monday and Tuesday off, then we start back on Wednesday. I love it. Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
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