You either have it or you don't?

Whats your opinion on this with regards to beat making? I only asked myself this question today because I went to 2 peoples houses, the first was a dj, he's been scratching for 12 years and I've never known anyone practice so much, I'm talking 5 hours a day straight cuttin, I've been scratchin for 13 years and I cut for 3 hours a week if that and (I don't wanna sound like a dick here) I'm 100 levels ahead of him, so anyway, I'm walking to someone else house trying to work why I'm so much better than him when I get half the practice. Then I get to another guys house who bought a 2500 only 8 months ago and his beats are absolutely amazing! seriously!! Yet I've been on different machines for a while now and try and learn and practice all the time and I'm still absolutely terrible at making beats....

Yo, your title should go with this thread here....

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=141182

Just the title, not the subject matter.

hey, I must be missing something, I just get taken to the home page when I click the link? is there a joke within that that I'm not getting?

I think practicing can only take you so far. Some people just have a gift. A natural talent. Shit, I could hire a voice coach and practice singin all day... I was still born with a horrible voice. The practice wouldnt matter.

Would anybody be interested on flippin' the same sample? Any sample an then when the beat is finished I'll post it up and explain every little part of the song an what I did to it etc. It would be cool if someone else was up for it though so we could have a comparison.

eltoppo51 wrote:I'm still absolutely terrible at making beats....

Why don't you post up a link to one of your recent beats, we can offer you some pointers on the basics.

yo, its a balance.

you can be talented but with no passion for it, you aint got shit (and vice versa).

you gotta use both sides your brain son. you gotta be creative and let the energy flow but you also gotta have some techincal skill and organization. you cant have one or the other, but both. no doubt for some people one will be stronger than the other, but you need to nurture both playing to your strengths.

The whole "You either have it or you don't?" thing in life is just false. Everything can be learnt, from instruments to a craft to even courage. All you need is interest (or rather passion), drive and time (also money depending on what it is you're trying to learn).
Mozart never jumped out the womb knowing how to compose or play, he was trained like a little monkey by a driven father from a very young age. Though with that being said, not eveyone is euqal before undertaking the same craft, for eg people who speak different languages are aparently more music-minded.

yea i agree with the above, you can learn anything you're passionate about and set aside time for. "you either have it or you don't" is just a way to discourage urself! read the thread i just started called discouraged....in the getting started section. it may encourage you to keep at it and work on your craft if you're serious about it! it definitely encouraged me

are you doing this as a profession ? if so maybe it's time to switch ? If not then why stress over it ? if it dont work out dont force it..

I've been feeling this way for a minute... Hell, I don't touch my MPC for weeks at a time it seems. When I do, it goes both ways. Either I just fvck around and make some wack shit to test out features. Sometimes I try extra hard and it still may come out wack...

But I have days where the beatmaking god shines down from the heavens above and blesses me with some Hydroponic-super-duper-space-funk that just works. My best work get made very quickly it seems.
My homie may hate it because it doesn't sound like what he wanna hear but it's DOPE! I know it's dope. WHY?! you ask?
Because if their favorite producer made it, they would dick ride...

PROTIP: JUST DO YOU...!!!

Odd, i could have sworn i posted in this thread earlier.. but was posting from a mobile, dont think hiting submit actually did anything..

Agree with what MPC4k said above..

All talent is, is an individuals ability to "get" something.. Anyone
with a normal functioning brain has what it takes to learn.. And when
people speak of natural talent etc, its really just a person that has
learnt something quicker than what the norm might be....

But then you also have the people with with an abnormal "broken"
brain.. Take an autistc person that is extremely good at playing the
piano.. Would you say he is talented or would you think that because of
his disorder it has become easier for him to "get" certain things?


..anyone can learn, it just takes differently long for different
individuals depending on the brain.. kudos to anyone not giving up easily
and keeps at it even if it goes agaisnt what others might think

I think there is way too much talk about talent as if it was some kind
of mystical force, and it puts people off from trying, people that
could achieve greatness if they went at it, and kept trying.. No one is
born with a language, music is a language that has to be learnt, and
people will be differently good at grasping it and learning how to
communicate with it..

And things like having a good voice, ultimately it is nothing more than
a physical attribute and is not enough to make you a good singer.. and same with someone
that has very agile fingers, that alone doesnt make someoen a great piano player

And you may be completely physically disabled but still "get" it, but then you can
find another way to communicate those ideas.. You could be completely
paralyzed and still have more to offer musically than a complete
orchestra, btw many orchestras are filled with people that are nothing more than
machines trained to play what someone else directs them to play.. i met this flute player that was in the london philharmonic orchestra, she was great at playing, but could not pick up the flute and just play... many would say she was musically talented, but she really just was good at the physical part of the playing, which ulitmately can be compared to many other physical thinsg that arent related to music... but playing instruments is physical, being musical is in the mind, with that in mind, i've seen 5 year olds being more musical with re-birth making acid techno, than that flute player who cannot create anything, no offense to her and what she does is needed.... but the physical and the mental part walk hand in hand and both can be learned even though both arent needed in order to create good music.


If someone is interested in music he has to find his own way imo.. There
is no point in trying to fit into some kind general view of what talent is,
that is counter productive, counter creative and it hinders your personal development.. not to say one shouldnt keep an open mind, but you shouldnt compromise unless an idea speak directly to you.

^^^ Case in point would be what I saw on Good Morning America last week. There was this little girl that was musically gifted at playing the piano as well as singing too. She did both at the same time....I was amazed!

I think she was discovered by lady gaga or somebody like that. Anyhow, this little girl was so good that the artist wanted this little girl to tour with her and the rest is history.

Obtaining and working on a talent takes time & dedication. If your heart ain't into it, then you'll only get out of it what you put into it.

Even if you learn something, without a certain degree of SKILL, you will still be rubbish/ average at it despite knowing what to do.

To acquire skill takes time, devotion and resources.

To acquire skill you must take what you have learned and master aspects of it or all of it.

To acquire skill you must make sacrifices in other areas of your life, you cannot have it all all of the time.

To acquire skill you must be driven, highly self-critical, learn from your peers and understand exactly what you are doing.

Once you have acquired a certain skill, it can become 'second nature', but the learning must continue.

There are barriers to acquiring skill, at the top of the list are friends and often family. Usually there is no financial reward for someone attempting to acquire skill, becoming skilled is the ultimate reward. Others may suggest you are wasting your time because the results will not be immediate...it could take years of dedication to your craft.

You yourself do not decide when you have become skilled, if you get that far people will openly acknowledge it providing they are able to judge and recognise skill in the same context.

Learning is a lifelong activity, it NEVER should end when you leave college/ school.

Challenge yourself often or you will lose ground.

I believe if you do anything long enough, put enough work into it, you will be good or proficient at it.

I also believe that it takes more than just hard work and dedication to be great at anything. There's a part of it that's innate.