Do you believe that being talented is necessary for success as a singer? Is it possible to succeed in life without having any special talents? These are common questions that many people ask themselves. In this article, we'll explore the concept of talent, its origin in the Bible, and whether it's necessary for success as a singer.
Origin in the Bible
The word talent as it is used today comes from a story that was attributed to Jesus Christ in the Bible. In Mathew 24 it says that the disciples asked him, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? “. In his response, he described many horrible things and how persons will be chosen to be saved from the coming judgement. One of those stories was about servants (or slaves) who were given varying amounts of money by their master and based on how they effectively invested that money how they were rewarded.
The unit of currency was called the talent. It was also a weight not unlike when we say British pounds, which is a weight and also a currency. This is a term that was used by the Romans and Greeks, so the idea of an unjust, oppressive occupying ruler is being brought to mind in the listener. Those persons who were listening to the story would have understood that the Romans would punish any servant, any slave who did not do their best to bring an advantage to their masters when taking care of their goods or their business affairs.
Coins of Lydia
Natural abilities from birth
From this story it has been generally understood that the master represents God and so the money or the talents represents something that God himself has given to us. This is the idea of “God-given” talents. These are abilities that we have from birth that we can express without undergoing any form of training or instruction.
So, the idea behind being talented is that things come easy to you. If you are talented it takes less effort to master a skill or acquire knowledge. The difference between talented and untalented persons is matter of time and level of sophistication. Because a talented person will take less time to learn and master something it is very likely that their expression could be more sophisticated as they are able master more quickly and express more naturally than the person with less natural ability (in other words, less talented).
Sophistication
The word sophistication is interesting. Something that is sophisticated is more complex, more developed, more subtle than something that is not sophisticated. Words that are used to describe the opposite of sophisticated are plain, primitive, basic, unrefined etc. You get the idea.
So when we say that the expression of a talented persons could be more sophisticated we are saying that because it takes less effort for them to learn and attain mastery it is easier for them to be more complex in their singing and performance. We expect the more talented you are the more sophisticated your performance will be. We expect to hear and see great technique, communication, emotion and performance.
Whitney Houston is an example of a singer who was extremely talented.
Pros and cons of being talented.
It is beneficial to be talented? Yes. Is it absolutely necessary? Not at all!
Having the natural ability to do something will mean that it will take less effort and time for you to get things done. It is definitely helpful to have talented persons in many areas of life and work. With that ease of effort it is possible that talented persons can bring innovation and improvements that other persons who struggle with the fundamentals will be unable to offer or at least be able to offer easily.
However, it is often observed that where there is much talent there can be less motivation and effort. This is often due to the very presence of that natural ability. Not only do persons who have natural ability not feel the need to exert themselves (because it comes easy to them) they often do not value it as much as others who do not possess the said ability.
This implies that a person with talent could benefit from instruction and nurture on how to not only value the talent and to exert themselves to add value to others even when it comes so easy to them.
Students doing an exercise in the Fundamentals of SInging program.
Everyone can sing
When persons sign up for the Fundamentals of singing program they often make some strong statements,
I can’t sing.
I have talent but I would like to know how to control my voice.
I would like to know what type of voice do I have.
The first one is really common. “I can’t sing”. The idea of whether or not a person can sing is an important and touchy matter. The truth of the matter is that we all can sing. The basic act of singing is quite natural for humans. If you are human and are not brain damaged or physically impaired in your diaphragm, lungs or vocal folds you should be able to sing. At least be able to handle the basic mechanics of making a clear and pleasant sound. Singing at its most basic is simply using the voice as a tool of expression and communication in more diverse ways than merely speaking.
Developing control
When we think of singing and say, “I can’t sing” what we often mean is that we are unable to use our voice with a high level of artistic expression and control. The only issue here is finding a way to develop the ability to control the voice. This does not require talent, it only requires knowledge, application and patience.
Nurturing your self-esteem
What we often struggle with is not if we can truly sing but does our singing have VALUE? Will others validate our singing as being important or valuable? Our response to that is that it does not matter whether or not others validate your singing. The only thing that matters is that you understand that YOU have value because you exist and have awareness. It is up to you to decide how you want to share that awareness with others. Take your voice and share your gifts the individuals or community that you choose. It is up to you if you want to enter the arena of competition and dehumanizing validation. Our recommendation is that you discover your personal gifts first and reward yourself first before seeking the validation of others.
One does not have to be a “singer” to sing or enjoy singing.
Next Steps
Explore the world of singing lessons. There are many videos on how to sing on platforms like YouTube that you can browse to get information on how to develop control of your voice. Sign up for a vocal class and start your journey to discover your gifts.
For more information on our Fundamentals of Singing click on the link below.
https://www.avantacademyofmusic.com/fundamentals-of-singing