Bassoons, Reeds and the Talent Question

As luck would have it, freshman year of college at Northern Illinois University, two of my best friends were bassoon majors. Yeah. What are the odds. Tracey was my roommate and worked very hard at the difficult instrument. Daily battles with reeds and different bassoon adjustments ensued. The ear training class was difficult too--but she was a really hard worker and so she did okay. Like most freshman, she earned a seat in the Wind Symphony, which unfortunately for her was taught by the ear training professor. He gave her a hard time. She was committed though, staying home from social gatherings. . . to meticulously file reeds and get one more hour in the practice room. She woke up early to make sure her hair and make-up were just right--a very efficient person, heading over to warm-up before the rehearsal. Laura was wash and wear beautiful, I never saw her wear a stitch of make-up or even blow dry her long dark hair. She was amazed to make orchestra as a freshman, an almost unheard of honor. She stumbled into the first rehearsal hungover, took a crusty reed out of her sweatshirt pocket and positioned it just in time to take the cue from the conductor for the bassoon solo in the Mozart symphony. The conductor smiles as the beautifully in-tune sound fills the hall. Gross injustice. I loved them both, but even at 18, long before I studied talent education, this just rubbed me wrong. Haven't we all known, or been one of these cases at one time or another? I wish I could tell you how each girl ended up as a musician, but unfortunately I don't know. Last I heard from Tracey she married the ear training teaching assistant. I did figure out that it wasn't about the reed.

Years later I put some clues together. Laura's dad had played trumpet in a major symphony. She grew up with records of orchestral music on the phonograph 24/7. She was in love with Mozart while the rest of us were studying for our ACT tests. I shudder to think what she might have done with her background and talent if she had had Tracey's work ethic. What does this mean? I don't know. I just think about them when I think about talent.

I guess the perfect musician has elements of both girls, the environment, the love, and the work ethic. Every great artists has paid their dues. There is no free ride. Brain research says we can all be great at something by the time we log 10,000 hours at that skill. It just takes some of us a little longer than others. It takes some of us a lifetime. Got to go log some hours. . .