There's a new book:
Is there hope for us persistent guitar students "with no discernible musical talent"?

"On the eve of his 40th birthday, Gary Marcus, an internationally renowned scientist with no discernible musical talent, becomes his own guinea pig in order to examine how human beings become musical — and how anyone of any age can master something new. Guitar Zero (Penguin) traces his journey, what he learned, and how you can learn, too. In addition to being a groundbreaking look at the origins and allure of music, Marcus's journey is also an empowering tale of the mind's plasticity."

Product Details
ISBN:9781594203176
Subtitle:The New Musician and the Science of Learning
Author:Marcus, Gary
Publisher:Penguin Press HC, The
Subject:Music-Music Appreciation
Publication Date:20120119
Binding:Hardback
Language:English
Pages:288
Dimensions:9.25 x 6.13 in 1 lb

My wish for 2012 for all of us "with no discernible musical talent": that  it be a year of good musical development for every one! :nana_guitar

Nice recommendation, will look into it for sure as sounds very interesting

Sounds interesting. Thanks for posting it.

That is the question I've been asking since forever. Did you read it? and what is the answer? Please!
And thanks for the intro.

Oops, I just read the ENTIRE thread title, and I like the answer. There's hope for me.

I see Amazon has it....  it says the author studies evolution, language, and cognitive development at New York University, where he is a professor of psychology and the director of the NYU Center for Child Language. The editor of the Norton Psychology Reader and author of three books about the origins and development of mind and brain, Marcus has written articles for The New York Times, Wired, Discover, and The Wall Street Journal, and has appeared on radio and television programs around the globe.

Thanks tuneful, Im looking forward to checking this out.

Music Therapy literature would suggest that it is not a matter of becoming musical but rather a matter of nurturing and developing what is innately within us - the literature refers to this as  innate musicality...which is the basis of our earliest social interactional patterns. Through exposure to music as a formal system, skill based learning then follows.

Clearly some individuals may appear to be more naturally musically gifted than others, but one always has to examine factors such as exposure to music from a young age, motivation and support from significant others, the role of music in a child's formative education years etc...
The person who deems themselves non-musical has either possibly had limited exposure to the natural role of music in everyday life, had a poor experience with a music teacher/significant other causing a mental block or simply was never encouraged to develop music more formally.

in my work as a music therapist I have worked with clients who are profoundly mentally/physically/psychologically or emotionally impaired and yet no matter how severe the impairment or pathology, music has the capacity to elicit creative, healthy responses from within such clients, offering new opportunities for self expression and social interaction through music. To see some of these clients improvise on a variety of instruments, especially considering that most have no or limited musical experience, is awe-inspiring!  Improvisation taps into this innate musical potential and capacity.

We are hardwired as musical beings (and never too old)...it is a matter of exposure, discipline, practise and hard work.

Authors which are worth reading: Tia de Nora, Oliver Sacks, Hargreaves et al, Pavlicevic, Ansdell, Wigram and Ruud.

can anybody be musical?  It depends on how you define music. I have heard many things that were said to be music that I don't consider music.

Could anybody not be musical whatsoever? Sometimes I wonder, do we ever get to know people who would swear they don't appreciate music at all? Not even a little quiet humming while in the shower? My hunch, it always goes back to that beating drum we carry on our chests, throughout our lives. That is, until we don't, and life ceases to exist. It seems to be an interesting book. Thanks, Bruno.  :donut :donut :donut2 :coffee

If you have true desire to play, I'd say most anyone at any age can play. I've seen people over 40 start to play and have done quite well. That includes my current partner. The most important thing is to not just believe, but KNOW you are going to do this. Then emerse yourself in it and play with as many people as you can.  I wouldn't put much past a human brain if it really decides it's going to do something.

This off the cognitive development side but.....   Have you ever noticed know how little kids can voice other languages so easily? They can really sound like native speakers the way their tongues can roll their r's (Spanish) and enunciation comes so naturally.  But their parents, learning the same language, struggle more to get the actual speech down even though they mentally know the words.  I wonder if my fingers would be more fluid & natural if I had started at a young age.  I'll be practicing something and it is just so 'stiff'...  Knowing it will get better with practice but I'm not sure some (many?) things can ever be as good as they could have been.

Oh definately. If you start young your muscles develope to the instrument and your brain makes connections a lot easier. I always said the best of the best almost always have three things going.
They started young, they have natural talent, and they worked hard on it. But never the less, you can learn to play later and hopefully be smart enough, or lucky enough, to know how to make the most out of what you are able to do.  And make music.

I believe perseverance is the key to becoming truly great on any instrument. It is time on task that makes someone great at any endeavor.

I think some people can only be trained to perform music in a mechanical, functional way, but completely lacking any heart and soul.
But the majority of people can feel the music and can learn to play "musically"