Chas,

I just type blind like I play KB, I hope you choice in KB is better than mine.

Regards

Tony

shouldn't that be "too" polite? LOL

Another word way overused is "Artist" Whenever we're making a record in Nashville, whoever is singing the song is called the artist. So no matter how crappy his songs, or how badly he sings them, he's the artist.

I suppose every person has his own scales for measuring how much talent other people have. My standard is pretty high for others and for myself.

To me, there is a difference between talented and skilled. In my mind, talent has a lot to do with creating your own music. Not necessarily writing songs or composing, but just being able to play your own thoughts and having good thoughts to play. A classical violinist or pianist who can pull off the most amazing composition flawlessly is definitely highly skilled. But to me, not as talented as someone who might have less technique but has a musical mind of his own and can improvize well and play just the right thing at the right moment. Mozart was the talent, those who play his music are supremely skilled. Art Tatum never wrote any songs that I know of, but he was more than skilled, he was talented, because he made the songs he played his own. He brought his own ideas, sensibilities, thoughts, to the song he was playing; and they were good ideas.

Arrrrrgg! You got me. I'm gonna hafta get my wife to proof my posts. She's downright annoying when it comes to correcting grammar, spoken or written. Anyway, I'm probably good if Tony is the only one that reads them .

On the rest of it, I agree with you, Rory, except that there is no reason one can't be both talented AND skilled (like yourself, for instance ).

chas

I'm writing an academic book called "The Magic Manager". Basically, it's a history of extremely successful managers in a variety of fields who, in spite of lots of personal problems and, in some cases, violating every management principle known to man, were extremely successful. "It's Magic" , in some instances...not quantifiable.

Likewise, I worked in a duo with a guy named Preston Weber. He was a sight...overweight...had a twitch...bad hair dye job...never showed up for work on time...bad English...didn't know the correct lyrics to any songs. He was the highest paid, longest running, most successful entertainer Lexington ever saw. He made more than I made playing and holding a responsible corporate job. And, he was worth every penny. I sat beside him every night for years asking myself, "Why the hell are all these people here?"

Likewise, it may be that the best way to define at least an element of talent is, you guessed it, "Magic".

Russ (no talent) Lay

[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 07-02-2010).]

I recall an Academy Awards show, many years ago..I cannot remember which one exactly, but one of the performers on the night was Sammy Davis jnr.

Well the entertainment part of the show had production numbers, and glitzy, glamourous performances from several "artists", but about the middle of the night, Sammy Davis came on, just him and a pianist, nothing else....He totally brought the house down with a standing ovation as I recall...

I only quote that story, as I believe talent is that innate ability to capture people, enthrall them in whatever it is you are doing with even the simplest of performances, be it writing, playing, painting whatever.

Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, even Box Car Willie et al, could simply walk on stage, and just play and sing Mary Had A Little Lamb if they wanted to, totally by themselves, and they could spellbind an audience.

That's talent imho.

The only ones who reach the brilliant/genius/master, whatever, stage are those who then WORK at perfecting that talent.

Of course I place all of those people I mentioned above into that category, but there are many others. I think you get my drift on this..

Dennis

Well said, Dennis!

R.

Talent, what I don't have LOL and I know it, so the day job stays.

Some years ago I struck up an acquaintance with the late jazz pianist James Williams, from attending many of his Boston gigs at a place called the Starlight Roof atop an old Howard Johnson's motor lodge. One evening when my wife and I were in Greenwich Village we stopped at a jazz club called the Knickerbocker. There must have been all of 10 people in the club, James was playing a solo gig. On one of his breaks he sat and talked with us. I asked him whether he thought it was God given talent or hardwork. James was of the mindset that it was 90% hard work and 10% natural talent.
http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=1091230010

i absolutely agree with the last poster that normally talent is like 10% and hard work is 90%.

But i came across a pianist where the opposite is true. His name is Ben Tankard. You can google him or go on you tube. He was a very talented tuba player and an awesome basketball player. He was offered c 30 plus music scholarship and another 30 plus basketball scholarship . He took the basketball scholarship because that was most lucrative. He was at an NBA scouting camp and damaged his knee so badly it ended his basketball career immediately. He got so depressed he dropped out of college because he lost his scholarship. He was hungry and broke and out of desperation, he went to a southern church because he knew that they would offer a visitor a good southern fried chicken meal for free ! At the church he broke down at all the bad fortune he had encountered and what he thought was the rosy future that had been ahead for him in the NBA which now lay in tatters. A minister saw him and started to talk with him. The minister had never met him before but knew he was in the presence of someone that needed help. The minister felt moved to annoint Bens hands with oil and prayed over him and told him to go play the church piano in the corner. Ben had never played piano before. He was a very good tuba player but he was not and had never been apianist. He thought the minister was crazy but as an act of obedience he went over to the piano and started to play. And instantly he started to play like a professional jazz musician. I know it sounds crazy. But this is the guy.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNfvtOokcLM

Talent is when a musical performer of any sort has the ability to "MOVE THE AUDIENCE' by transending the music thru your soul into theirs.....nuff said!

In other words, YOU are talented!

nuff said=the final word, the one and only truth?

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Bo pen nyang.