Is It Talent Or Just Hard Work? What It Takes To Succeed and Sustain
When we look at a talented individual, there are a series of reactions that get evoked. After the initial shock and wonder have subsided, we start to analyze this individual and his talent more critically. Most of us have the opinion that over and above the ‘innate’ talent that he or she was born with, there were two other aspects that brought him success. One is that he was blessed with luck and the second is that it must have taken him endless hours of practice to deliver the final product with such finesse and perfection.
The question has almost forever plagued everyone bothered with achieving success. And achieving success in the music world is also no exception. Whenever we hear a fabulous song or hear some mind-boggling guitar or sax, we immediately conclude that the player or singer has immense amount of talent. But the question still remains – is it talent or just hard work that went behind the success?
There is really no right or wrong answer to this perennial and also highly debatable question. There are of course, several musicians who are born with some distinct abilities and these ‘innate’ talents are further honed with the support of parents, teachers, and friends and so on. However, it is also not uncommon to find highly ‘talented’ musicians, no matter which genre they belong, decaying and going into oblivion quicker than they imagined.
So the moot question is: is having talent all that is required? Of course, it matters. But then, if there is some inherent love for an instrument and music in general there are plenty of examples where the individual was perhaps not born with the talent but decided to pursue this interest much later. We hear about writers who take up writing when they are in their ‘40s or even later, only to become a top-selling writer of all times! Similarly, there are countless number of bassists, guitarists, singers, saxophonists and other cadres of musicians who have picked up their first instrument in their late ‘20s or even ‘30s and have shined their way through to become household names.
Talent is a catalyst to achieve fame and fortune in music. This is an undisputed fact. But only talent has never worked for anyone. You also need perseverance and the dedication to give further shape to the talent, to hone it and to perfect your chosen art. If you study the biography of any reputed star – no matter what kind of music you have in mind – you would always find that even the most seasoned and acclaimed musician still spends hours in practicing his form of music. Practice brings out that rare perfection which remains hidden if you just have talent. Talent only pushes you to the rightful place – to remain there, you need practice and hard work.
Talent makes it easier for you to read and understand notes, chords, pick up new styles but only practice and that also dedicated and single-minded devotion to the art form can help you achieve a sustainable place in the sun.
If you are a musician and looking for band space in Brooklyn or Queens to practice,
contact Empire Rehearsal Studios for more information.