So still no solid evidence that Mozart was completely untutored as you stated 357. At the age of five he knew how to write music, with no schooling at all. Despite driving influences in his life. What a utter moron you must be. I'll bet conversation round the dinner table in your house is a thing to behold.
If you really want to get into a name calling match you cancerous polyp on the anus of humanity then your more than welcome. Until then take your infantile drivel elsewhere. Fool

_________________
No no and no

What 62 Stratocaster? You are in a pissing match over a guitar that most likely does not exist.

Rule is- No pictures = no guitars! All the rest is opinion only mixed with a little BS!!

I think both of you are right and wrong. It's not all practice and it's not all natural talent. Very clearly it's both, and more.

Let's use Jimi as the example.

People are genetically predisposed to things, whether you like it or not. Jimi Hendrix wouldn't have been Jimi Hendrix if he was born with little sausage fingers. From what was coded in his DNA to the unique proportions of chemicals that flowed through his bloodstream (not counting LSD, etc), there are many factors of genetics that led to him being a great guitarist.

On the other hand, it's true that he was an incessant player and took his guitar everywhere. Practice had a lot to do with it, but like many people have said on this thread, you can't become the best guitarist of all time by just practicing. And some will be better than others after putting in the same amount of time and effort. It's true, we've all seen it.

What you're missing here is inspiration. The series of events that were his life and how he reacted to them are just as integral to his guitar playing as anything else. That's where style comes in.

Another example - improvisation. Many of the best guitarists are so good because they have learned how to "let go." How to stop thinking and just let the guitar do the talking. To be able to do this, you have to have tons of practice, so that you can be at the point where you can be soloing without even devoting brain space to it. Practice is the how, but inspiration is that what. What you choose to play when your mind shuts off comes from who you are, not how many hours you've logged with a strat.

There was a lot of talk about guitarists vs. songwriters here earlier. I agree there are distinctions to me made, but the line can be blurred. When improvising a solo, you're writing a song and being a guitarist at the same time, and you have to be good at both to be a great soloist.

_________________
1992 MIJ 70s RI Stratocaster Natural w/CS69s
1996 CIJ Jazzmaster Sunburst w/Jason Lollars
2001 Hot Rod Deluxe
2008 Mustang Bass CIJ
2008 Precision Bass FSR Natural Ash w/DiMarzios
2009 Telecaster, Callaham bridge & Bare Knuckle Pickups

It's evidence. Your problem is you are clearly in denial. Read the other posts of members and the consensus is that people have a predisposition to things in life. Hendrix had a predispostion. Mozart had a predisposition. Malmsteen had a predisposition. This predisposition is God-given talent boy. Or are you also denying the existence of God too?

I don't believe in God. What forum are we on again?

_________________
1992 MIJ 70s RI Stratocaster Natural w/CS69s
1996 CIJ Jazzmaster Sunburst w/Jason Lollars
2001 Hot Rod Deluxe
2008 Mustang Bass CIJ
2008 Precision Bass FSR Natural Ash w/DiMarzios
2009 Telecaster, Callaham bridge & Bare Knuckle Pickups

My American Vintage 62 Stratocaster. You think I'm lying about procuring one?

_________________
"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

There in your statement is no evidence that mozart wasnt at all schooled in any form of music. The key statement 'driven at a early age by his father' is very idicative of some form of schooling. How would his father have pushed him had he not been able to school him. So you carry on trying to do something most scientists avoid, prove the absence of something. In the meantime right minded people will look at the statement and the fact that he wrote music from a early age and draw the correct conclusion that he must have had some form of musical education to atleast write music.

Before you assume my religeous beliefs i'll offer you this deal.

If you want to get into a theological debate i'll happily re-educate you about christianity too. My specialist area's are the martyr's of the first 4 centuries, the rise of catholisism instigated by Constantine then Augustine. and the 13/1400's pope boniface 8th to wycliff's death and just beyond.

Next time you may want to think before making assumptions or atleast learn to fully read whats written before flying off the handle.

_________________
No no and no

pics or it doesn't exist. Err, no wait...



pics or it doesn't exist. Not that I do or don't believe you, I just want to see guitar porn

Hey, I can't wait to see the pics! Congrats.

As for the talent thing...
As a teacher I see students that have natural talent. I teach a variety of instruments as well as general music. Yes, the more a student practices, the better they will understand musical ideas...generally. However, I occasionally see students who practice very little progress just as fast or faster than some who practice a lot more.

That's my 2 cents.

_________________
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Since you deny the existence of talent here is more reading for you:

"When we talk about "talent," we mean those natural tendencies that exist deep within us. These are the aspects of our personality or behavior most resistant to change. This is a much more precise usage of the word "talent" than is generally meant in common parlance where one's natural abilities and traits are considered together with acquired skills, experience, and attitudes.

... students with more ability often report studying less than, yet perform better than, their less-gifted peers."

There. There is no sense in denying talent. I've had it since I was a teenager playing the guitar. But unlike you I've practiced very hard and I still can't play like Randy Rhoads or Yngwie Malmsteen. Talent also comes in varying degrees. You can practice until the cows come home and that alone will simply not put you in the same league as those guys. Ain't gonna happen. This is where talent or genetic pre-disposition comes in to help.

Several people on this very forum have concured the existence of a genetic predispostion to guitar playing. They are absolutely correct. These guys had precocious gifts. Practicing 8 hours a day is not gonna make you play like Malmsteen if you first don't possess loads of talent that will allow you to. You need both.

Never mind that, what about Mozart being completely untutored as you stated?

Then you can get back to practicing.

_________________
No no and no

_________________
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson