Just something I start thinking about several years back.
First off, let me say that I realize that there are a lot of factors that make a musician "talented". I understand things like proper practice, time spent, etc etc. And at the end of the day I believe we must be aware of our weaknesses and figure out how to overcome...
So, several years back I was responsible for the music at a church. I played with quite a few drummers during that time. It went something like this:
John = Serious chops and groove. Terrible memory.
Mike = Good chops and groove (slightly less than John). Amazing memory.
Richard = Great drummer, but compared to the other two less raw chops. But practiced as long as it took to get the part down. Very Solid memory.
Hopefully this makes sense.
My favorite drummer to play with by far was Mike. His memory was sharp as a razor. Truth be told he NEVER practiced. He was also my friend so I know this to be a fact. I would have to ask him to not tell him other musicians that he didn't practice. When he played drums I never ever ever had to worry about the band missing a cue.
My 2nd favorite drummer was Richard. He was an extremely hard worker, but was also flexible. Had a good memory and again I never had to worry about missed cues. He was also a pleasure to work with.
My least favorite of the 3 was John. If I was just having an improv or a vamp, John was fantastic. Actually wonderful. But he had a terrible memory for music, and just life in general. I always had to worry if he was going to remember parts. Sometimes he did and sometimes he didn't.
After observing this and watching Mike get a gig with a fairly well known local act I started thinking about how memory increases talent. Or maybe it's just perceived talent. Either way, it makes someone much more valuable in my opinion.
Then I began to think about myself. I have always struggled with things like facial recognition and even the kids memory game. My young boys beat me most of the time. Ha ha. And realized that some of my weakness in memory ties over into music. Like, trying to recall licks and riffs that I've practiced over and over.... that just elude me when I want them.
So, I've learned where someone might need 50 reps to get it down, I might need 200. Or whatever.
Anyway this is just an observation and wondered if anyone else has pondered that.
That's all. And all names were changed to protect the innocent.
First off, let me say that I realize that there are a lot of factors that make a musician "talented". I understand things like proper practice, time spent, etc etc. And at the end of the day I believe we must be aware of our weaknesses and figure out how to overcome...
So, several years back I was responsible for the music at a church. I played with quite a few drummers during that time. It went something like this:
John = Serious chops and groove. Terrible memory.
Mike = Good chops and groove (slightly less than John). Amazing memory.
Richard = Great drummer, but compared to the other two less raw chops. But practiced as long as it took to get the part down. Very Solid memory.
Hopefully this makes sense.
My favorite drummer to play with by far was Mike. His memory was sharp as a razor. Truth be told he NEVER practiced. He was also my friend so I know this to be a fact. I would have to ask him to not tell him other musicians that he didn't practice. When he played drums I never ever ever had to worry about the band missing a cue.
My 2nd favorite drummer was Richard. He was an extremely hard worker, but was also flexible. Had a good memory and again I never had to worry about missed cues. He was also a pleasure to work with.
My least favorite of the 3 was John. If I was just having an improv or a vamp, John was fantastic. Actually wonderful. But he had a terrible memory for music, and just life in general. I always had to worry if he was going to remember parts. Sometimes he did and sometimes he didn't.
After observing this and watching Mike get a gig with a fairly well known local act I started thinking about how memory increases talent. Or maybe it's just perceived talent. Either way, it makes someone much more valuable in my opinion.
Then I began to think about myself. I have always struggled with things like facial recognition and even the kids memory game. My young boys beat me most of the time. Ha ha. And realized that some of my weakness in memory ties over into music. Like, trying to recall licks and riffs that I've practiced over and over.... that just elude me when I want them.
So, I've learned where someone might need 50 reps to get it down, I might need 200. Or whatever.
Anyway this is just an observation and wondered if anyone else has pondered that.
That's all. And all names were changed to protect the innocent.
That said, I know folks with great recall ability who can make a guitar sound like a wounded cat with no problem. 
