The notion of “talent” often confuses or discourages piano learners. Talent is the idea of God-given advantages, the kind that seem to exist for four year old children who play Mozart sonatas at the piano like virtuosos. Common knowledge suggests that people who achieve greatness were fated to become that way. It’s as if greatness is reserved for a select few, leaving the rest of us out of luck.

Fortunately this is not true. Even so-called “geniuses” put their time into mastering their craft. They also benefited from circumstances. Mozart himself was reared by his father Leopold, who was an expert musician, composer and music educator. Wolfgang had a musical brilliance on his own right. Yet his father steered him to become a prodigy, educating him musically and having him (and Wolfgang’s sister, Nannerl, also a prodigy) play for various European heads of state. What are the chances that, without his father’s tireless dedication, young Wolfgang would have gained early prominence? Would any other child, no matter how gifted, have had the resources and education to write their first symphony when they were only eight?

If you study masters in any endeavor, you find out they usually trained for years before they became successful. The movie “King Richard” tells the story of Venus and Serena Williams, whose father supported them to become tennis prodigies by encouraging continual daily practice. The Williams sisters began as total unknowns, yet their tireless preparation turned them into world class champions.

In the book “Outliers,” Malcolm Gladwell describes how Bill Gates gained early exposure to computing in school. This gave Gates thousands of hours to experiment with computers at a time when very few people had such access. The timing was perfect. Gates started Microsoft just as the world embraced the personal computer.

The people in these examples are world famous for a reason. Yet their process of becoming geniuses in their field is not a mystery. They did so through continuous focus and preparation, helped by early guidance and access to resources.

It is no different for learning piano. When I was twelve or thirteen, I decided to lean fully into my piano training. I knew I would improve quickly if I doubled my efforts. Over the next five or six years I put in thousands of hours of practice. As a result, I developed professional-level playing skills. I may have had innate gifts, but it took committed practicing to transform potential into actual abilities.

The point is, when it comes to piano, don’t worry about how “talented” you are. You don’t need to have had the same opportunities the Mozart children or the Williams sisters had. Most of us didn’t. What matters is, what will you do moving forward?

In my book “Play Piano: A Learner’s Guide to Playing, Reading, and Creating Music,” I share specific ways piano learners can grow their skills, make steady progress, and enjoy the process. If you are willing to show up at the keyboard consistently and practice effectively, your skills will develop. Making progress will bring you joy and satisfaction.

And as you enjoy your learning journey, you may also achieve some of the musical goals you have always wanted.