Debunking The “I’m Not Musical” Myth
I would like to address a baseless belief that many people prescribe to when talking about musical talent:
“Musical talent is a gift you simply have or do not have.”
I’m going to tell you right now that this is simply untrue.
When you see your favorite musicians playing so effortlessly, it’s easy to think that music is a natural “gift” they were born with. You’re not necessarily wrong. Some people are more musically inclined than others, but what you may be forgetting are the countless hours of hard practice and effort that goes into playing and sounding good.
Unfortunately, TV shows like X-Factor and American Idol seem to only reinforce the idea that there are “born musicians” who deserve to be recognized as such, and everyone else is out of luck.
Do not get me wrong, I love watching these reality TV shows as much as anyone else. However, it is still important to remember that behind the scenes of these TV shows, a lot of practice and hard work goes into making everything look so effortless.
The truth is, music is a huge part of every culture and we all have it in us. You cannot escape it! It’s at the mall, on the streets, in commercials, in video games, on the radio, heck, it’s even in our elevators. We digest a lot of music in our everyday lives, even if we do not actively listen to it – we casually belt out some tunes in the car or shower or catch ourselves unknowingly tapping along to a song.
On your musical journey, you will – without a doubt – struggle with concepts like rhythm, dexterity, ear training, or theory at some point, but you have to trust that, with the required amount of effort, patience, and perseverance, you’ll be able to learn anything you set your mind to.
In some ways, learning music can be compared to training for sport. It takes time, dedication, and effort to train your body. How is it that many people run for health despite the fact that they know they will probably never be an Olympic runner? So what if you’re not going to be the next Jimi Hendrix or Paul McCartney?
So, are you musical?
Let us answer that for you… Of course you are.
