Y'all can stop practicing now...

[fronobulax]

Article here (and I don't think it is behind a paywall). It cites a recent study that claims musical talent is largely genetic. It suggests that if you don't have the genes then practice will only take you so far.

Luckily most of us do not aspire to master the guitar in a professionally meaningful way

 

[Scratch]

At long last, I have an excuse!!!

 

[walrus]

Exactly!

walrus

 

[rampside]

Hmmmmm....at the rate I practice, I may never find out the extent of the gene pool.

 

[jeffcoop]

Article here (and I don't think it is behind a paywall). It cites a recent study that claims musical talent is largely genetic. It suggests that if you don't have the genes then practice will only take you so far.

My forty years of experience stand as proof positive of this proposition (and in my case have not taken me very far at all). Won't stop me, though.

 

[Bikerdoc]

Whewwwwwwwwwww. I thought it was just me and not those who came before me.

Peace

 

[Westerly Wood]

Practice would get in the way of me playing my D25.

 

[jcwu]

then practice will only take you so far.

Yes, but I am one to believe, unless you are pursuing a career in the craft, that "so far" is often "far enough".

 

[guildman63]

But if I stop practicing I will have to explain to my wife why I have so much guitar and don't use any of them. Considering how much I get on her to get rid of her useless clutter that will take away my leverage, and we can't have that. Excuse me while I keep practicing. :tongue:

 

[adorshki]

I don't believe a word of it.
I wanted to play so badly that I sacrificed a great many hours practicing, that could have been more productively spent in the pursuit of girls, or an education, or even a job.
And now I play quite badly indeed, thank you.

 

[Christopher Cozad]

"Practising music without the right genes to back that practice up is indeed useless."

Useless? Utter nonsense. But a great excuse to get out of practicing..."Mom, you *know* I just don't have the genes!"

:highly_amused:

 

[davismanLV]

Agree with Christopher on this one. My practicing can't be useless, when you consider the overall outcome. It makes me happy. Not famous, or rich, or extremely good at the guitar.... but I'll take happy. I'll take it any day..... :encouragement:

 

[charliea]

(Way) back in college I was courting my wife-to-be. She had a Goya classical guitar she was having trouble tuning, so asked if I could help. I took her chord book, tuned the guitar, spent 15 minutes learning how to do a C, F and G7, then hammered out a pretty decent Wildwood Flower. I had never touched a guitar before and, after that one, not again for almost 40 years. She said a four-letter word, put the guitar in her closet, and never again went near it, probably saving both herself and those around her endless misery. After lo those many years I decided to start playing a 12-string. I had never touched one, or seen one played except by Pete Seeger in a mid-60's concert. I did some research, ordered a Guild on the internet, got a book, and started playing (kinda), and (very) gradually improving, though it hasn't been that many years. I'm not Leo Kottke, but I can certainly plunk a tune and accompany a song. To this day, I've never touched a 6-string acoustic guitar.

I could do that stuff because I was born to it. My trigonometry stinks. I can't draw a straight line, much less an attractive picture. And, Art? Ho, ho. Foreign languages elude me. Never could memorize, and I was always a mediocre student. But, I can play stringed instruments and croak a tune. Go figure.

 

[jeffcoop]

Agree with Christopher on this one. My practicing can't be useless, when you consider the overall outcome. It makes me happy. Not famous, or rich, or extremely good at the guitar.... but I'll take happy. I'll take it any day..... :encouragement:

Exactly!

 

[mario1956]

"Practising music without the right genes to back that practice up is indeed useless."

Useless? Utter nonsense. But a great excuse to get out of practicing..."Mom, you *know* I just don't have the genes!"

:highly_amused:

Ha!! I especially like this partial quote of the article.....

"practising the violin a chore, this may be the study’s most useful result. When asked by their teachers why they have not practised during the previous week, they can now blame their genes."

I think practice is a chore but have the gene. Maybe I should be thankful that I don't have to practice too much even if the head dude in my band says we have to......OK I'm a slacker.....FINE!!!!

 

[griehund]

Article here (and I don't think it is behind a paywall). It cites a recent study that claims musical talent is largely genetic. It suggests that if you don't have the genes then practice will only take you so far.

Luckily most of us do not aspire to master the guitar in a professionally meaningful way

The question remains: how far is "so far"? And then, everything is relative. Compared to Clapton, I inhale big time. But, compared to a deaf, dumb, armless, circus clown I'm pretty darned good if I must say so myself.

 

[Scratch]

I played 12-strings expressly for almost 20 years and, like Charlea, got fairly competent; although I limited my self to various strumming techniques and (very) basic-pattern finger picking. I gained enough confidence and just enough playing ability to play out and landed a regular gig in a restaurant a few years ago. It was a blast and then I decided to tackle the six string guitar with gusto. It was then I learned what a crappy player I am, compared to most.

Instead of gigging out, I now limit my playing, for the most part, to my songwriting hobby, or keeping me company around a campfire during our travels. Still determined to get better, but it is, indeed, frustrating much of the time... Regardless, I can't think of a better retirement hobby.

 

[charliea]

I played 12-strings expressly for almost 20 years and, like Charlea, got fairly competent; although I limited my self to various strumming techniques and (very) basic-pattern finger picking. I gained enough confidence and just enough playing ability to play out and landed a regular gig in a restaurant a few years ago. It was a blast and then I decided to tackle the six string guitar with gusto. It was then I learned what a crappy player I am, compared to most.

Instead of gigging out, I now limit my playing, for the most part, to my songwriting hobby, or keeping me company around a campfire during our travels. Still determined to get better, but it is, indeed, frustrating much of the time... Regardless, I can't think of a better retirement hobby.

You know, there's a million really competent guitar technicians out there. I've said before that every one-horse town has at least two guitar instructors. Guys who can flat pick, guys who can finger pick, guys who can nose pick.... Artists, however, are few and far between. I believe the secret to success is twofold: first, concentrate on the whole package rather than technical proficiency, and second, stick with a 12-string guitar because it covers all your (my) dumb mistakes. There. The secret is now out!

 

[Los Angeles]

The problem with these studies is that creativity is not considered. My genetics and various other environmental factors gave me ADD. My condition predisposes me to hate rote memorization, regimented practice and repetition. Asking me to learn a Beatles song is like asking me to do my taxes - it instantly sends me into an anxiety attack. I just can't get through it.

I don't have the discipline to learn my scales or build a repertoire of standards. So that would make me a bad musician, right?

Creativity is the key here. The guitar - and music in general - is not PRACTICE. I'm not trying to acheive some kind of perfection like the the phrase "practice makes perfect". I'm PLAYING the guitar. I'm not working the guitar or practicing the guitar. I'm playing the guitar the way a kid plays with dolls. I'm activating my imagination to create sounds. Sometimes it's a repetition of something I've done before. Sometimes it's frustrating - the old writer's block rut.

I'm thinking that maybe this is why so many kids who would never EVER become a master at classical violin (lack of discipline, lack of virtuosity) went on become some of the greatest folk, pop, or rock musicians of all time.

I swear Lou Reed knew maybe 6 chords total. But his creative genius had no ceiling. Unfortunately, there's no test for imagination and creativity. You can't quantify it.

 

[crank]

Hmm. There is this thing called talent that everyone has always known about. People have different talents and differing degrees of talent and we have all always know this irregardless of anyone's study. I think I am an decent player. I will never be as good as some and will always be better than others. So?