The Difference Between Natural & Acquired Skill – Finding Your Ideal Teacher

My husband has a natural talent for music. He can pick up one of his many guitars and play almost anything just by listening. Jump on a piano, base, double base, etcetera and do the same. Despite having a huge amount of patience, he can’t seem to explain how he does it, he just can.

As someone very envious of his skill, it becomes a frustrating lesson, resulting in my learning of the guitar being more out of reach then I had imagined. If however I had gone to someone who has had to work for their skill; developed “ways”, systems, tricks that could be replicated and edited to suit my understanding, I may have a acquired this new skill rather then it seeming even more out of reach.

Ideally when seeking to learn, you will be looking for:-

1) A Reason to Gain the New Skill – So many people forget this step, so if at any stage the skill acquisition becomes challenging, giving up occurs. By holding on to the reason why the skill was coveted in the first place, you will be more likely to see results.

2) An Understanding of How Best You Learn – I am a mix of visual & practical learner. This means someone just telling me what to do or following along to written instructions I find boring and most likely won’t absorb the information effectively. You may thrive on collaborative learning, bouncing ideas off of others OR theory based OR trial & error OR any mix. Just being aware of your personal learning style will help you find your right teacher.

3) Any Limitations Identified – I’m not at all a fan of highlighting limitations but my presumption would be that (depending on your learning style) a left handed person might learn to play guitar better from a left handed teacher. Preparing to clime Everest with server Asthma, getting coached by someone who has achieved amazing physical feats with server Asthma, having the first hand experience of challenges you may have to overcome would be beneficial.

4) Finding the Right Teacher/s – Using the above information, look for your ideal teacher. The right teacher for you may be the best in their field or they may be the one just a few steps ahead of you. I’ve put teachers because you can learn little bits from a variety of different sources to create your own ideal learning situation.

5) Be Prepared to Take Action/Refine/Practice Your New Skill – We all get bombarded with huge amounts of information, the key is to filter out what you need and take ACTION on it. This may mean dedicating time, funds & energy which you should be prepared for.

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Now for you: What was the last skill you tried to acquire? Did you find the best teacher for you? What skill have you had to work for that you could teach others? Answers in the Comments below:-)

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