Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud
..... No amount of training alone will make any person with normal intelligence a world class musician, song writer, author or mathematician, etc., without some "givens" meaning nature.

Sorry to drag out my psychology background but I do believe that sans the nature variable we can learn to write but will never be brilliant or whatever "skilled" means. Writing for me is somewhat akin to passing a kidney stone.


Interesting observations.

Agreed that one should have a natural inclination to want to play music and to create it to really excel at it.

I disagree in part with the first statement but with an asterisk (*) on the end. I've seen a number of videos of little kids... not even 5 years old who are amazing....but..... they look soulless as they play those technically difficult pieces of music. Straight faces, no smiles, no joy.... but they can put their fingers where they need to in order to play the song. Guitar, piano, drums.... doesn't matter. Some of them play guitars in a most amazing fashion, and the guitar is bigger than they are. That was the physical skill part.

* you can not train creativity to any significant degree...IMHO. That, you either are born with and have in you or.... you don't. That part has to be the "natural given" part as you mentioned. That's the part about creating a beautiful song from nothing, or a beautiful painting from nothing, or understanding that X-Y=ab.2

Skilled to me, is a person who has practiced and studied their craft whether it's painting, woodworking, architecture, mathematics, dance, music or some other unique thing.....to the point where someone who is observing that person do what they do thinks it must be easy since the person makes what they are doing appear so effortless. Of course that's just one definition of skilled. I'm sure Daniel Webster has a few other good ones.

Regarding writers of songs......Most of those folks who fit that description of being skilled would argue that it's not easy and it didn't happen overnight, but only through much practice and repetition and doing that creative writing thing over and over again.... as in the case of the person who has been writing lyrics and melodies for decades. The more you train to do that, the better your results tend to be and the easier it is to write better songs.

Personally, I perceive lyrics to be hard to write. However, once started, things often start flowing in what seems to be a supernatural way. But I often have to force myself to set down and get started. Sometimes I totally surprise myself at what I write. I like to take the lyrics someone has written and work on them vs starting the idea or song myself. Music? Well that's a different thing. That part to me seems to just come naturally. There's always music in my head. Always. Maybe that's a sign of mental illness, but so be it. I'm always hearing music in my mind.

anyway, there's another 2 cents... soon we'll have enough to make a nickle.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add 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.