On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:06:08 -0300, nemesis wrote:

> Jim Henderson escreveu:
>> On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:50:49 -0300, nemesis wrote:
>> 
>>> They
>>> were downright forced by their parents to be prodigious child.
>> 
>> There also has been research recently (I heard about on the radio) that
>> also suggests that there is an innate ability, probably relating to the
>> way the brain processes sound.  If Mozart's brain hadn't worked the way
>> it did, he might've been a mediocre musician.
> 
> I'm not at all opposed to the view that people are born with innate
> skills.  The account by Liszt parents and professors is that the kid was
> simply in awe with the piano from a very early age and naturally went on
> to try it by himself, not as pressed on as Mozart.
> 
> In any case, innate skill just make it easier, not that trainining is
> not necessary.  Nor that someone lacking such innate skills will never
> be able to gain proficient mastery by training alone.

Well, that's hard to say.  One of the questions that is asked of 
comedians quite frequently (I've heard James Lipton ask it many times on 
Inside the Actor's Studio) is whether comedy is innate or can be 
learned.  The general consensus seems to be that there's something 
innate, and if you don't have it, you can't be an effective comedian.

Some might cite Beethoven as a counterexample, since he was deaf, but he 
wasn't always deaf.  He learned to play and compose music before he lost 
his hearing.

But the research in question wasn't just saying it was innate skill, but 
that there may be physiological reasons why a very talented musician can 
do what they do.

> also, I was trying to cheer up our friend... :P

Oh, yes, I understand that.  And having seen his playing, I think he has 
got some skill, but he also has this "instant gratification" need (my 
stepson has this, as does my wife, for that matter) that is really quite 
unrealistic for 99.999% of the population.  Not everyone is a Mozart, for 
most professional musicians, it only comes with a lot of work.  A Mozart 
or Lizst is extremely rare.

Jim

Post a reply to this message