Does hard work really pay off or is talent the only winner?

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Surely if talent is the only winner talent and hard work would give better results.


There's literally no point stressing about things like this. If you enjoy making music, and you get to do that, you are successful. This is the only meaningful measure of success. Other kinds of success are propaganda.
 
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Like eye said in the other thread, Its hard work and a craving to be great at what you love... If you're trying to be like the neptunes, timbo etc... a big thing is workflow... But even so once you get there you'll realize you don't want that sound... lol The mind is a funny thing...
 
hard work certainly pays off but you gotta make sure you channel it right - if you have no business acunum or idea on how to market your self, your music may end up going largely unnoticed..
 
FOr anyone but prodigies it's a combination of hard work and talent. Working harder can compensate for having a little less talent and more talent can get the same results with less work. But no amount of either will make up for the lack of the other.
 
See, the wording of this thread differenciates the response I have to give.

Examples of Hard Work surpassing Talent to lead to success....

French Montana
Katie Perry(who isn't bad, but not as TALENTED as others she surpassed with hard work)
Rihanna
Future
Dream
Jennifer Lopez(singing/acting dept, she's a talented dancer)
Gucci Mane
Beyonce(very talented, but way more successful than others who can outperform her because of her grind)
Alicia Keys(only people who can't play any piano or hold a note think she's that good at it)

I'm not saying any of these people aren't talented at all, I'm saying they worked harder than more talented counterparts who they left in the dust.

Take away names and fame(which you have to work hard to establish)and put Alicia Keys on a stage behind Emilie Sande.

Hell, Rihanna's in the same bracet as Beyonce, she doesn't dance in stelletos(dance at all for that matter) and hit notes Beyonce can.

How hard is it to name rappers better than Gucci or French Montana who are nowhere because they didn't have the work ethic....Saigon? Papoose? Cannibus?

T-Pain was ridiculed for being a poor singer while not being that bad even without autotune and being a great producer/songwriter. He managed to be phased out by Dream who was Phased out by Future.

I could do this all day.

Hard work is what brings success. Hard work/practice does not however lead to talent. All these years and stage performances later, Rianna still can't hold a note, still can't dance, but always had a talent for creating herself a fanbase.

Talent cannot be gained through hardwork. It can be controlled and lead to sucessful results when accompanied by hard work, but hard work alone can lead to success with no talent whatsoever. Talent alone will never do that, because without any work ethic, the most you'll be is the most talented musician no one has ever heard. There will be no trace of your talent whatsoever nomatter how remarkable it is until you work to get yourself out there.
 
Gotta work hard at it and eventually you'll find your own sound, Never give up especially if you hit a brick wall. Easiest way i can say this, Keep making Music.
 
deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup said:
See, the wording of this thread differenciates the response I have to give.

Examples of Hard Work surpassing Talent to lead to success....

French Montana
Katie Perry(who isn't bad, but not as TALENTED as others she surpassed with hard work)
Rihanna
Future
Dream
Jennifer Lopez(singing/acting dept, she's a talented dancer)
Gucci Mane
Beyonce(very talented, but way more successful than others who can outperform her because of her grind)
Alicia Keys(only people who can't play any piano or hold a note think she's that good at it)
Click to expand...

disagreed, dream is a hella talented artist and songwriter (what his main focus is).
 
^^^I shoulda emphasized vocalist.

And he's made plenty of money and had plenty of "success" at this point as a performer/vocalist, trust me. Wasn't always the case, but 3 albums and a few plaques in things have changed.

Same should be said of Future's songwriting from an unbiased standpoint...or are we biased to Dream? :cheers:
 
i believe that it is a combination of both...i have no talent musically but all my hard work seems to be getting somewhere and i'm slowly i guess you can say "developing" my talent...
 
Sure it's been said but talent is developed and a mixture of both puts you way over the top
 
its a combination of both of those. don't ever think that you can't do it though. a lot of producing is experimentation, dedication and an undying love of music. It doesn't really matter which kind of music you like either. I like and respect just about every kind of music except for country, its horrifying to listen to. But just listen to what inspires you, for example I'm inspired by metal and I love to make heavy break downs after a fast paced section and all my basses are heavily distorted. But I'm also inspired by epic choir and orchestral music and funk. strange combinations but it makes for great inspiration nonetheless. But I definitely would recommend that you work on your sound design as hard as you can and find your "sound" if you know what I'm saying. And whatever you do DO NOT BE AFRAID TO VENTURE INTO OTHER GENRES. You never know what can come easily and naturally to you!
 
Looking at the pop charts you would think that having no talent is a bonus but behind every success is a team of very talented people. Gifts are what we are born with talent is something you earn and success is this industry is almost by chance.
 
I'm gifted and have really bad A.D.D... putting in that work is so ruff because the moment I get frustrated, I want to focus on something else or just quit for the night. I hate the learning aspect of this game lol and just want to create. But you have to learn -- theory, scales, finger work, ect... to be the best. Now and days as soon as I start getting frustrated, I go grab a beer and take a deep breath.
 
even big name tiesto said by him self that he's definitely music untalented(he means he cannot play instrument) so that makes work=talent....(he said too that his first 5 years of production was a strugle...and he cannot make nothing till he didnt start to make music with another people... years 92-97)...keep working..!!!!!!
 
definetly the best answer here... country is the worst.. i enjoy most of every other genre..

hard work is talent.. never settle for less and take your time producing. like this guy said follow your own path, figure out song structure.. try out other genres go in open minded and have fun. just my opinion..
 
Everytime I feel down I hear the song "Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved" coming to my ear...a simple simple song..but it took the band years and years of eatting crappy food and cheap/no pay gigs to get to where they are. I think it was 3-5 years they were in the dark so...keep ya head up! And yea I agree..music today is crap...cheap...thing is...make the music you want and if you really really like it - everyone else can. I think good music is not relative but universal. If neo-soul is your thing -THEN DO IT! Heck, give an emptional piano piece to a mainstream pop dubstep person and there is a good chance a tickin' and a tockin' will be happening in their head and they'll stop for a moment and listen. Just maybe, they'll have a change of heart.
 
There has to be a combination of hard work, talent and pinch of luck. The secret ingredient in the mix is intelligence. You have to know when and how to re-focus your efforts. If you don't make it as a producer as soon as you want to then find other outlets. Start looking for local artists to develop from the ground up.

Try to get involved as a stage hand, intern or something of that sort. Go follow a ton of artists and producers on twitter and get in good.

I read an article in Rolling Stone where Jimmy Iovine explained how he got into the industry. He was basically just in the studio to help out, clean up or something like that. After building a relationship with the engineers and producers he finally got a chance to mix a track and they loved it. The rest is history.

A few years back I decided to go to school for music. I learned about every aspect of the industry from publishing, law, reading music and musicianship.

Basically what I'm saying is, experiment. Go nuts! Collab with other producers, engineers and artists and don't be afraid to overstep your boundaries. Just look at Rico Love, a rapper turned super-producer. Good luck friend.
 
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