What Talent Do You Wish You Had?

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  As a profoundly unmusical person–I can't sing or play an instrument–I am fascinated by music and musicians. I'm currently listening to Brandi Carlile's memoir, BROKEN HORSES, and am reading Paul McCartney's THE LYRICS, a massive tome that is both a memoir and an analysis of the lyrics of over 150 of his songs. The book is a collaboration between McCartney and the poet Paul Muldoon, who interviewed him over the course of five years. There is also a podcast version of the book, McCARTNEY: A LIFE IN LYRICS, free to Audible subscribers, although with annoying ads. I've loved listening to McCartney tell these stories–he is, as you might imagine, very funny and witty, and also a brilliant mimic.

I am gobsmacked by the idea that music just pours out of people like McCartney and Carlile, and even by the fact that my husband plays the guitar by ear. I'm not tone deaf, by the way, and can recognise almost anything I've heard before within a bar or two–I just can't "play it back," which totally baffles my husband.

I suppose in a way this is like people who don't write being fascinated by the fact that people can. How is it that this thing happens when writers have a notebook or a keyboard, and a story and language come together in something new? (Actually, the idea that we put ourselves inside the lives of completely imaginary characters is pretty weird, I have to admit…)

I'm also interested in drawing and painting, but because I have at least some rudimentary talent there, it doesn't seem as much like magic to me as does music.

Fellow REDs, is there another creative endeavor that fascinates you? And is there something else you can imagine yourself doing?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: My father was such a wonderful musician–a classically trained pianist, with a perfect ear, and perfect musical sense (he taught classes on Beethoven’s 9th and one of the two Mozart flute concertos (very specific!) , and he wrote two non-fiction books on the evolution of  American music published by the prestigious University of Chicago Press. .

 I tell you this because I have NONE of that ability.   None none none. I can look at sheet music and tell where they are in the music, if someone else is playing it. But the idea of transposing those notations into a note on a piano would take me SO long, one note at a time. And as for writing music, I cannot even conceive of how it’s done. AT ALL.

I always remember the movie Amadeus, and how they illustrated the notes coming out of his brain. I cannot fathom how that must feel.

I can sing (enthusiastically but badly), and I can remember all the lyrics. Someone else's lyrics. And I bet I could write lyrics to someone else' s music. 

I will stick with writing. That is baffling enough, and I am grateful to be able to make up new worlds and new people. On a good day. :-)  

DEBS: Hank, now I have to watch Amadeus again. I don't remember that about the music.

LUCY BURDETTE: I can read music and sing on key, but I sure don’t have the voice I wish I had. I learned from taking up ukulele that I can get better if I practice, but I am not gifted. When I hear people singing opera, it’s like another world. I always wonder when they knew they had such an amazing voice?

Having just finished ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, I can really see a level of astonishing writing that I am unlikely to ever achieve.

HALLIE EPHRON: Oh gosh, I wish I could draw. Or do any kind of visual art for that matter. My mother's brother, who died young, was an artist. He worked for Disney in the early days when they were creating the first animated films. I have one of his paintings in pride of place in my living room. And of course my Jerry could turn any idea into a poignant cartoon. 

One of my daughters is an architect and she can draw just about anything. Both of her kids — my grandchildren — have that talent, but I can barely draw a straight line, never mind read my own handwriting.

RHYS BOWEN: I am from a musical family ( mother is Welsh) my grandfather conducted a small orchestra. My mother studied piano up to concert level. Alas I did not inherit the piano talent even though I took lessons. Her fingers would fly effortlessly over the keys while I struggled. But I have sung all my life in choirs, in an opera chorus and as a folk singer. I still sing in choirs and it gives me great joy. I also play my folk harp which is a great distraction in my office 

Two of my children, Clare and Dominic are musically talented. So are Clare’s kids 

I also love sketching and painting. As I  have shared here. 

DEBS: Yes, and we adore your watercolors, Rhys! I am always both envious and inspired by them.

JENN McKINLAY: I am the outlier in a family of artists and musicians. I can sing well and like Rhys was in choir all my school life, but I don’t play any instruments. The Hub is a phenomenal guitar player and has been playing out in bands since he was 19. The Hooligans can play multiple instruments and one of them is going into film making. My father, mother, brother, and maternal grandmother–all artists–and my paternal grandmother was a brilliant pianist. Honestly, I’m glad I went with writing as my chosen creative path. I feel like the other artistic slots were already full so this one got to be all mine.

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Jenn, I'm like you, in that I can sing quite well, and love music, but I've never succeeded at any instrument I turned my hand to, much to the dismay of my school's music director, who thought anyone who could sight read sheet music and sing it on tune must be able to play something!

 

You all may remember I went to college for a BFA in acting, and was an Equity apprentice. I gave it up because I was competent, but not really good, and in the arts, you need to be really, really good if you want to make money at something. But the talent I wish I had isn't acting, it's writing plays. I know, the exact crossroads between my first and last artistic loves! So far, my attempts have fizzled after a few pages. At some point, when I have the time, I'd like to see if taking a class might help, but, you know. It's frustrating, because I feel I ought to be able to! 

DEBS: How talent skips around is so interesting, too. Both Paul McCartney and Brandi Carlile came from musical families, but that's not always the case--sometimes musicians do pop up in families like mine. And where did the writing come from, I sometimes wonder? The only writer in my family was my uncle by marriage, so it certainly wasn't genetic!

In any case, I wouldn't trade the writing for another talent, given the choice.

Dear Readers, what creative endeavor fascinates you? And what talent do you wish you had?

P.S. Speaking of talent, that photo of Paul was taken, of course, by Linda, who was a genius with the camera.