Natural talent
Natural talent is something you should be glad you DON'T have!
Are you shocked by that statement?
When I hear someone gushing about how someone is so naturally talented, etc., etc., I just want to throw up. It's not talent that makes a great musician!!
Here's why I feel that way...
- So-called talent, natural or otherwise, doesn't really exist. People don't see the hard work that goes into achievement. To credit success to "natural talent" is almost insulting.
- It's possible that someone is in a great environment to achieve success. For example, Tiger Woods grew up in a family where he was encouraged to play golf. Do you think he would have been a great golfer if his parents had discouraged him from playing? Obviously, no.
- Positive environment lays the groundwork for achievement. Next comes the hard work. Without that, nothing can happen. No matter how smart, how talented, or how wealthy someone is, without work everything else is irrelevant.
- What about luck? What about good looks? What about being born into a family with money, contacts, prestige, etc., etc.?
Yes, those things can go a long way toward making someone successful, but the work still has to be put in.
What if John F. Kennedy had decided he didn't want to go into politics? His family connections and wealth wouldn't have mattered at all. He would never have been elected President.
So what's my point?
If you want to achieve success as a flutist, just practice. Don't give up. You can be a fine musician no matter who you are.
Goal setting...
Having said that, what about setting goals? Should you feel that as long as you practice a lot, you can be the principal flutist in the New York Philharmonic?
Well, goals are great, but they must be set with a huge reality check.
Figure out how good you have to be in order to play the flute in a major orchestra. It's very, very good.
Next, realize how few opportunities like that ever open up.
Temper your goals with reality.
Sure, you can become a very good flutist, good enough to be a flutist in a big orchestra. But the opportunity to do so may not present itself.
If that goal doesn't come about, though, something else will. Your hard work is not lost. Make your own opportunities!
Greg Pattillo...
A great example of someone who did this is Greg Pattillo.
Greg is a classically-trained flutist who received bachelor's and master's degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Things weren't going well for him as a flutist, so he started playing on the streets of New York City, where he developed beat boxing.
Now he's a sensation in the flute world! Talk about creating your own opportunities! Should we credit this to natural talent or hard work?
Read more about Greg Pattillo here.
And, yes, he's making all those sounds all by himself.
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