<p>I’m reading two parallel threads here: One is how kids end up with their instruments, and the other is how *kids who are really good and rose to the top * chose their instrument.</p>
<p>I’m thinking that those who take it all the way up are either purposefully choosing something that fits, or lucking into something that fits.</p>
<p>All 3 of my kids wanted to play violin. NOT because they are show-offs. NOT because they are prima donnas. But simply because that’s what their dad plays. For each one in turn, I phoned all the studios, looking for a teacher. I was unsuccessful at finding a teacher for either boy. When D came along, I had the same problem, but went ahead and put her name on a waiting list. A couple months later, we got a call!</p>
<p>My D is not shy - she is very comfortable in the spotlight. One of her teachers used to say she has nerves of steel. But she is not very competitive. So maybe that is why her zeal for it has never become a true passion. At one time, we actually looked into getting her harp lessons. Nothing ever came of it. I think my H wasn’t enjoying the thought of lugging a harp around. But she probably would have been quite good at it, and it probably would have matched her personality better.</p>
<p>The boys started on piano, and turned to their own choice of instrument a few years later. At that point, neither chose violin. Both are extremely passionate about their choices, so I think there are some personality quirks involved.</p>
<p>While success playing an instrument almost certainly has some elements of natural talent, not just nuture, I doubt that natural talent is directed only to one instrument. </p>
<p>While we can only speculate based on personal observation, most people end up on instruments not becuase that was the one they would be best at playing, but becuase of some environmental reason. Maybe personality quirks fall into that area but probably it is much like people looking like their dogs or husband and wife looking like each other after years of marriage, more percieved than actual.</p>
<p>Some people play several instruments and could end up just as good on any one of them. Some dislike one instrument for no good reason and like one more for just as unexplainable reason. Certainly having a positive reaction to an instrument would help the student end up better on the instrument.</p>
<p>So after all that maybe simpler to say that while some people are born to be musicians, they probably are not born to play the violin or tuba or sax. Those are just what they ended up on for a variety of reasons and would have ended up just as good most others.</p>
<p>I know at band camps the kids try each others instruments and often immediately show talent and abiltiy to play something even very different from their own, example a wind player picking up a violin and within minutes of trying can play enough that practice time would certainly make them a good player in short order. Also many wind players can go from flute to sax to clarinet and brass players from trumpet to trombone and even tuba or horn and be good quickly. Have seen a piano player go in months to very good horn player when piano was not an option. Certainly seen instrument players play in the percussion area and do an acceptable job immediately with no prior instruction or practice. You see this in pit orchestra all the time with people doubling. I would suspect a trained violin player could move to viola with no problem, over to cello with some adjustment but no real stumbling block and the off to bass again with only a short adjustment period.</p>
<p>Some one that started early as a string player may have more trouble adjusting to a wind instrument because they may have to build up enough breath.</p>
<p>Interesting topic, not sure it helps anyone with their future college decisions so excuse me for my diversion. Except if you are a flute or clarinet player facing huge numbers in competition and want to switch to double reed and face more real numbers, or as the thread says go from violin to viola where it does seem the top talents stay on violin and the level of talent at viola at least according to comments here is less.</p>