How many people, in GENERAL, are musically inclined?

I'm just wondering people's experience in how many people in our lives, are actually musically inclined, in terms of CREATING music, with a musical instrument.

I think it's really very rare. I've only known 2 people -- my sister and an ex-girlfriend -- who would mess around with piano / keyboard and singing, occasionally, and they didn't really develop it further (no offense to anyone, as I'm 100% not musically inclined).

None of my friends have ever been musical people; a couple friends messed around for a little while with singing and guitar, but I think they were clearly on my same side of not being musically inclined in the 1st place.

I don't think any family or relatives were ever musically inclined either.

And for context, I just covered a huge swath of all different types of people, but basically none of them musical. My first cousins include teachers / school principals, a lawyer, an office manager-assistant guy. I have 2 cousins who work at the same hospital. My friends are mostly computer nerd types, who all like videogames for example. My longest relationship ex-girlfriend was a person who loved nature and loved to sit around loving our cat; she has recently become a nurse.

Anyway it seems exceedingly rare that ANYONE is genuinely musically gifted / inclined. I wouldn't imagine it's more common than maybe 1 in 20 people, if not even less! The only such folks I've ever met have been school acquaintances, or else distant friends-of-friends, i.e. distant acquaintances that I only knew of them.

In people's experience, how rare is it?




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I've been especially wondering this since a couple years ago, in 2019: One night, I mentioned that I'm not musically inclined, and someone laughed at me for saying that, like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard, and like I had insulted myself by saying that I'm not musically inclined. I've since concluded that the guy is just an ignorant, toxic idiot, so of course, I've just avoided him for a long time now.

But on that one night, in 2019, his obnoxious stupid laughter, at my statement of not being musically gifted, really got me wondering about what numbers of people really are musically gifted in the 1st place. Because for example, if it's as rare as I think it is, and it's maybe one out of 25 people: That would be only 4% of the total population (4 out of 100 people). And it would be 96% of people who are NOT musically inclined.

Therefore laughing at people who don't play instruments, is laughing at 96% of the world, which the idiot was laughing at, lol.

Let me know if you guys think I'm underestimating musical talent, because I'm really just guessing, based on practically no one in my life ever being musically talented, and I've only barely known a couple distant acquaintances of the type.

Is 1 out of 20 or 25 people, being musically gifted, a fairly accurate guess, in your opinion?

As my daughter once said " you either have it or you don't ". Also with any talent in life, if it comes easy for you, then you have talent. I think any teacher of the arts see that as a promising student in their craft.

a reply to: JamesChessman

I think it's really very rare. I've only known 2 people

The Gibb Brothers ( The Bee Gees ) and Andy Gibb made it 4 in one family. There are also other examples of family members like The Osmonds.

I grew up in a musical family. My grandma taught piano lessons, my mom has a degree in music (and education), and my older brothers has a masters in Studio sound. I started piano at the age of 4, played brass instruments in high school and picked up guitar at 14. I took guitar lessons after graduating college (mechanical engineering) because I love music and learning. Most of my friends play an instrument and we get together regularly for music nights, recording sessions, etc. It's only rare if you're not apart of it. None of us watch football, but I know it isn't rare to watch football. It's all about who you know.

a reply to: JamesChessman


Ummm...12...I think it's 12 people...Twelve...

And possibly one of them was maybe faking it...





YouSir

You don't need to be musically inclined to play and enjoy music or play an instrument. Playing an instrument is a skill that can be learned. 3 chords and the truth is about all you need.....

I wanted to go to the Univ. but couldn't afford it. Scholarships were available to those who wanted to join the marching band. I taught myself how to read music and play the sax in a month and got the scholarship. Looking at a mark on a piece of paper and pushing the right button isn't really that hard.

a reply to: JamesChessman

I think it's rare. I wanted to play guitar. I took lessons. I could play the sheet music. I did it for 5 years. My cousin picked up a guitar and was playing songs off the radio and sounding good after a few months. He made music his career and still plays with his band today. This was about 40 years ago.

Some people were meant to make music. Some were meant for other tasks. (IMHO)

a reply to: JamesChessman

Most of my friends play guitar and some sing while playing it too.. They all have professions nothing to do with music but keep playing their instrument because it has become a part of their lives. Me too.. I play guitar from age 14 and being 57 now it has become a long time. At age 17 I started to teach myself reading music and play classical music. From time to time I pick it up again and learn Bach or some stuff of the other great classical music composers. But I have also fun playing blues or rock songs with my friends...or "fiddle" around while using my multy track recorder. Is that inclined enough?

If I had to put a number on percentages I would say maybe 2% of Humanity have it in them to make new music on their own. But if you are in an area that doesn't appreciate musicianship, you will naturally have way less of them.

I have lived in Memphis and Nashville in my youth and there was one report from the Lovin Spoonful band of 1300 and 52 guitar pickers in Nashville alone. I met a lot of them, they are very good but the world is fickle. I met Ozark Mtn Daredevils on a service call to repair their tour van. I met the owners of Recording studios due to close friends of my Dad at that time and the concentration of talent there, Memphis, New Orleans, LA, NYC, and Chicago areas are tremendous.

In college we all had stories of the famous ones in our neighborhoods. I suppose it was strange living around that much musical talent, but we didn't now any other way in TN back then. Now Nashville is a party town with even more music.

ETA

I sing in Churches and have been in some cover bands as a singer but my day job is an Environmental Chemist and our office has a band too.

originally posted by: YouSir
a reply to: JamesChessman


Ummm...12...I think it's 12 people...Twelve...

And possibly one of them was maybe faking it...

YouSir

a reply to: JamesChessman

my music teacher in high school used to tease me by saying the only thing I play well is Game Boy.

originally posted by: Terpene
a reply to: JamesChessman

my music teacher in high school used to tease me by saying the only thing I play well is Game Boy.

You know that Elvis wasn't considered such a great singer in High school from what I recall reading. My mom was a huge fan of his and we did live across the road from him, literally by design.

a reply to: Justoneman

I did not know that, reminds me of the urban legend Einstein failing math.

Maybe because I am musician the stats are higher in my circle, but to me it seems, especially with genx, nearly everyone was a musician. Guitar players were like paper towels, just grab another one when you needed to. I dont think its quite that rare, unless it has changed and I didnt notice. I realize that with the addition of "programmable" music tools, there are more creators of music now than actual musicians.

I think it is combination of raw talent and grooming. Some people are obviously gifted while others aren't. Then you get people who are well groomed (think the stereotypical asian kid playing piano or violin).

My mother sang opera and sang with R&B superstar Gladys Knight at one point. Yet... I can't hold a tune if my life depended on it. I have a good ear for music, but definitely not a creator.

I see great producers who have a talent at creating and hearing music but may not be the best singers or instrument players. Producer Pharrell Williams is probably the most successful music producer ever yet he isn't a massive instrument talent and his singing all though unique leaves a lot to be desired. But no one can argue with his talent. I saw an interview where is claimed to "see" music in colors instead of hearing it. I can kind of believe it.

I had a few friends growing up who could play almost any instrument. Talented but lacked grooming and thus never made it.

Of course, then you get no talented artist making millions.... while you can have street musicians singing their ass off.

Tell me this guy doesn't give you shivers singing. Yet he has been just singing in a NY subway station for 20 years. He did make it to America Got Talent... but that is it. Raw talent.



Or you get people like this guy... freaking amazing. Look at the spectators. They feel that #.

a reply to: Edumakated



"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.". ― Hunter S. Thompson.

originally posted by: olaru12
a reply to: Edumakated



"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.". ― Hunter S. Thompson.

Tribe Called Quest... "Industry rule # 4080, record company people are shady..."

originally posted by: Terpene
a reply to: Justoneman

I did not know that, reminds me of the urban legend Einstein failing math.

It does. I would think Albert was actually good at math too if his story is not a myth. Just as Elvis was probably to music but neither were at their full maturation.

a reply to: JamesChessman

I have played professionally and moved from band to band all my life. I also write my own songs and have had my (solo) creations played on Australian radio (I have never charted with anything, LOL). I have worked with some top-10 international artists, but that was years ago. I mostly taught myself.

My wife is an Opera singer and music teacher, and all my children can sing, play, and compose on multiple instruments. Both my parents also could play piano (we had an old upright in the lounge room), and I have fond memories of my mum playing Fur Elise or some other similar piece and of me being totally transfixed. My youngest brother plays classical guitar and went to the Conservatorium of Music, where he had all sorts of famous teachers. My other brother played entirely by ear and used to copy whatever he heard on the piano and he was surprisingly good.

What I have noted is that nearly everyone who 'feels' music, has musical talent of varying degrees. There are people who don't seem to get swept-up in music, though. They hear it, and like it, but they are more the ones who follow the fashions and use it as part of feeling a part of some trend or social grouping. The music itself just doesn't seem to 'transport' them.

The thing is with music, that if you do it a lot, it becomes something that happens, without thought or effort. It just flows out and you still get caught-up in the sound, but this time, you are the one doing it. There's no feeling like it. It is like an altered state of reality, and to see others getting into the music as well, just makes it that much better.

I think that everyone should learn music, and dance, and art, and all sorts of expressions of our humanness. If they don't choose to carry it on, that's OK, but these things are like languages that we all innately understand and everyone should have the opportunity with them.

Creating music, yea, that's rare I'd say. Creating anything really.

I've been in the visual arts and I know that it can be like a learned skill- you can learn how to draw a still life, portraits, etc. But then there's that other aspect to it... imagining something to life, or putting different parts of reality together, actually being creative about it, designing something? My sister used to say she couldn't do that, she didn't have that big of an imagination... but she was a skilled portrait artist.

It's not unlike people learning how to play an instrument, and never writing their own. Or people learning literature and language and becoming editors, while never creating their own stories? I was in a band for a minute, too, and I've been surrounded by artists and musicians for chunks of my life- but I'd still say that the creation part is rare, I agree, in every aspect of life.

And for some reason I'm thinking about an artist that I learned about in one of my art history courses, who couldn't master perspective in his work, but he tried all of his life? I think that's spatial intelligence tbh(right?)- so... I think sometimes skills can't even be learned and it is something you're born with. Which makes the learned skill + the creation part even more rare.

I am pretty musically inclined. I can play a kickass stereo. Not the new technically advanced crap, our stereos are old school seventies amps and turntables. There is no automatic anything on them, the turntable doesn't even have the option to have a second record automatically go down, that could cause scratches on the records.