Being a good musician is more than having technical mastery over your instrument. In fact two people of equal skill playing the same note can evoke completely different reactions from the public. You surely know of some musicians who, while being very good technically, cannot touch their audience on an emotional level. Then there is the opposite, the musician who may not be perfect technically but who play with such passion that technicality takes the backseat and who delights the audience with his music. So what makes or breaks a musician and where does that come from?

The question is almost akin to that of the chicken or the egg: is one born a good musician or does one become a good musician? Has the instrument anything to do with being a good musician? I am of the belief that one is born a great musician and that the instrument is just an accessory, a medium of expression that is almost superfluous for musical expression. Let me clarify. I believe that a great musician can easily provoke a favorable reaction from the audience just by using his or her body as an instrument, be it by clasping or by whistling or whatever. How can that be? Because to them music is something natural that comes from inside, a natural language they did not have to learn.

This is what I believe will make the difference between a great musician and a mere instrumental player. Without going too esoteric on you, I believe that for music to have an impact on the audience it has to connect with you on an inner level, if not you'll just be playing a sequence of notes but not really music. Your soul is the sauce that will make all the notes come together as coherent and pleasurable.

Unfortunately, the language of music cannot be learned. If you have it then great, practicing will enable you to better tap into your potential but if you are not born with it, I am afraid you will be confined to be an instrumental player, rather than a musician per se. Do not get me wrong I don't discourage anyone, gift or no gift of music, to learn an instrument. Everyone benefits from learning an instrument and being a true musician is not the end all be all of things. In the end, if you are taking pleasure when playing, it is all that matters.