Is Talent Learned Or Inherited?
- The Cambridge English Dictionary’s definition of talent: Someone who has a natural ability or aptitude to be good at something. When I hear/watch a talented individual, which usually relates to sports, the arts, and specifically music, I often wonder about my limited talent. Yes, I was a decent athlete (Cody: no comments, please), and have a marginal business aptitude, but real talent has escaped me.
I have had a busy week, the weather is mind-altering as it has been in the upper 90’s in central Africa Florida for the last three weeks, and in light of all the negative news (Maui, Ukraine, Covid-19 strains back again) I wanted this week’s post to be positive and highlight real talent. So…in no particular order, here is a quick review of some very talented people. Comments and disagreements are welcome. 🙂
- Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, bass synth, singing bass, fuzz bass, electric piano, acoustic piano, Minimoog, Polymoog, ARP String Ensemble, ARP Pro Soloist, Oberheim Four Voice, clavinet, drums, syndrums, water drums, slapsticks, bongos, congas, finger cymbals, wind chimes, orchestral bells, woodblocks, brush trap, tree bell, hand claps, and finger snaps.
This is the instrument listing from Prince’s first album, For You. Significant, as Prince performed all vocal lines and played all twenty-seven instruments on the album. The amount of creativity, vision, songwriting, and arrangement skills from Prince is bar none and he was well-recognized for the quality of his playing rather than the quantity of instruments used. For my money, the most talented musician in the last fifty years. Enjoy the video below which highlights Prince’s top ten hits. Just talented people.
- A painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer, Leonardo da Vinci was perhaps the most diversely talented person to have ever lived. His estimated IQ scores range from 180 to 220 (note: Albert Einstein’s IQ was 160, and the average American’s IQ is 97, ranking 29th worldwide). By the way, da Vinci received no formal education but did apply his creativity to numerous fields, including painting, architecture, engineering, and to the study of human anatomy. Just talented people.
- Daryl’s House is a fantastic show. Daryl Hall hosts the show at his ranch and invites various artists to his home to talk about their careers, try out the cooking, and most importantly jam to a Daryl Hall and John Oates song. This is Cee Lo Green, thirteen years ago, accompanied by Daryl Hall and band, covering I Can’t Go For That. Just talented people.
- If I have to introduce Usain Bolt to all of you…well, I’ll just stop. My admiration for Usain Bolt does not stem from him being the fastest human on the planet. It stems from this simple but motivating statement in this video. A great message to all of us. Just talented people.
- Led by the vocals of Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, the bass of John Entwistle, and the incredible drumming of Keith Moon, The Who may have been a top-five band to watch live. In this gig, on a 1969 version of the ‘Tom Jones Show’, we watch and listen to the awesome song, Pinball Wizard. Just talented people.
- Dave Grohl. Formerly the drummer with Nirvana, and now the front man for the band Foo Fighters, Grohl is known worldwide for his pure talent. Obviously, the apple does not fall far from the tree as Grohl and his daughter Violet cover Adele’s When We Were Young. Just talented people.
- Last week I went into detail about Lionel Messi’s arrival and his contract with Major League Soccer and Inter Miami. Many pundits have expressed their concerns that Messi has come to the U.S. to take his money without taking his role and responsibility seriously. Fact check: Messi has already scored eight goals in his first five games with Inter Miami, and anyone who thinks he is not taking playing in Major League Soccer seriously is very wrong. Have you ever tried to play beach soccer or volleyball? How about training in a sand pit? Just talented people.
- Robbie Robertson, who led the Canadian-American group the Band to rock prominence in the 1970s and worked extensively with Bob Dylan and Martin Scorsese, passed away last week at the age of eighty. Robertson was a great musician and songwriter, and was elected to both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Just talented people.