I did it. I gave in and now I feel like shit. I told myself I'd never watch those damn prodigies playing their Chopin to the note, and here I am, complaining on the internet on it. I'm self-indulging, whiny, and a generally loathsome person now. They have natural talent, a talent that they continually improve on. It doesn't affect me for anything.
I know this is a rant, but I need to vent before I watch more videos.
As that old adage goes: "Remember, no matter how good you are at whatever you do, there will always be some Asian kid out there who does it better."
Ah, talent, the concept that I just love to despise. A perfect excuse for any mediocre teacher not to improve themselves.
No. Such. Thing. As Cinder said, aside from minor physical differences, like having freakishly long/flexible fingers, which can be worked around or, for that matter, lead to unique technical variations, it's mostly soul-crushing amounts of practice. Nobody starts good.
Also, while people have different goals, technical skill does not a musician make. It's kinda like breathing - you need to be able to breathe to continue living, but having the biggest lung capacity does not make you win at life. It enables you to do certain things others cannot pull off - in this case, endurance sports, for example - but someone who applies his lesser ability better can still beat you soundly.
I actually discovered just yesterday that a successful contemporary jazz pianist and composer over here started to learn the piano at
seventeen. Not the most impressive age. On the other hand you have, say, that guitarist from Winger, who is a crazy good technically... but is still remembered as a guy from fucking
Winger.