Does natural talent really exist

We have all seen someone play so well and so fluidly that it will
inevitably make someone say “that guy/girl just has it, they are just
naturally gifted”. I want to tell you that they are naturally talented,
natural talent did play a big role in their being so good but what does
natural talent really mean?

Lets take a look at three the possible reasons why Natural Talent or
being ‘Naturally Gifted’ is true:

1) They just work harder than everyone else – In the instant
gratification world we live today, many people simply don’t invest the
time that it takes in getting great results. They try for a little bit and
when they don’t get the big payoff they were expecting, they give up. If
you took a look at the habits of people that were highly successful, in
this case musicians, you’ll always find someone that put in the time
that others weren’t willing to put in.

2) Doing the little things (aka the dirty work) – Chances are that the
guitar player you’re talking about has spent a lot of time working on all,
not some, not most, ALL of the little things that add up to being a great
guitar player. There are many little things that need to be worked on
and this guy/girl did them all. Its not glamorous but if you want to be
great, its necessary.

3) Never Giving Up – This may sound cliche’ but its true. These
musicians never gave up. It isn’t that they didn’t have challenges, they
did, it isn’t that there weren’t frustrations, there were. They ignored the
voice in their heads that said “There is no way you’ll ever be able to do
this, its too hard”. They set goals and didn’t stop until they were
reached, even if it took longer than they initially thought. I’ve seen
countless times where people give in to that voice and stop
themselves because they think its too hard. Don’t fall for it, to quote
Admiral Akbar in Return of the Jedi “Its a trap!”.

So the next time you think about giving up, don’t. Stop listening to that
voice that tells you that you won’t be able to play guitar. The truth is
that you can, the only thing stopping you and your thoughts. There is a
such a thing as natural talent and you can learn to have it. There is no
limit to how great you can be. The first thing you have to do is to
convince yourself and then go out and do it!

Byron Marks

Byron Marks teaches guitar lessons in Manchester, New Hampshire
where he teaches students that range in age from 9 to 62 years old.
Byron is a driven, passionate teacher who in completely dedicated to
helping his students reach all of their guitar playing goals.