What is a talent you don't have, but wish you did?

[TrueConfection]

I love to sing, but this cat probably sounds better than I do. I would love to have a beautiful singing voice, but I'd settle for just not embarrassing myself.

[HighlyVolatile]

I wish I was a more talented writer in English. I have a friend on here who teases me and says I'm being too modest claiming my writing skills are terrible. Yet I think she's looking at my writing on the surface level; if we're talking about basic grammar and things like that, I might not be too horrible of a writer.

Yet I struggle with expressing my thoughts clearly through words. I can never seem to find the right words, and I'm much better at drawing in a way that expresses my sentiments than I am at writing, and perhaps even music in spite of my lack of musical talent.

Then I look at an amazing writer writing paragraphs like this with ease:

>> I gave no direct thought to the escalator's grooves that afternoon, and indeed at that time I had indistinct notions as to their purpose – I thought they were there for traction, or possibly were purely decorative; grooved to remind us of how beautiful grooved surfaces are as a class: the grooves on the underside of the blue whale that must render some hydrodynamic or thermal advantage; the grooves left in loose soil or by a harrow in a field; the single groove that a skater's blade makes in the ice; the grooves in socks that allow them to stretch, and in corduroy, down which you can run your ballpoint pen; the grooves of records.

... and I want this superpower and mastery over words! Words are the most common medium of expression and yet I struggle with this medium the most.

[TrueConfection]

That's a beautiful paragraph.

[HighlyVolatile]

It's from Nicholson Baker. He's one of my favorite authors! He has this knack for writing the most descriptive prose demonstrating the keenest of observations towards the most mundane of things while simultaneously adding dashes of sentiment. Another with a very deliberate wall of text:

>> But my mother’s informal punctuation in the op-ed letter came as a complete surprise; and the fact that my immediate instinctive response to it was to point out the misplaced commas so harshly that she wept (the only time, as far as I remember, that I ever hurt her feelings — for she understood and was even amused by my teenage request that whenever the two of us walked down the street together, she would please walk at least three yards ahead of me, so that people wouldn’t know we were related; and she even played along in her compliance, whistling, walking with a theatrical solitariness, checking her pocketbook, pausing abruptly to glance at a window display), as if these faulty commas called into question our standing as a family — the fact that I had been instinctively so cruel, made me double up with misery when, after I was married, I came across some sentences in Boswell that were punctuated just as hers had been. Boswell (and De Quincey, Edward Young, and others) had treated the sunken garden of a parenthetical phrase just as my mother had — as something to be prepared for and followed by the transitional rounding and softening of a comma. [...]

[HighlyVolatile]

>> [...] And such hybrids — of comma and parenthesis, or of semicolon and parenthesis, too — might at least in some cases allow for finer calibrations between phrases, subtler subordinations, irregular varieties of exuberance and magisteriality and fragile conjunction. In our desire for provincial correctness and holy-sounding simplicity and the rapid teachability of intern copy editors we had illegalized all variant forms — and, as with the loss of subvarieties of corn or apples, this homogenization of product was accomplished at a major unforeseen cost: our stiff-jointed prose was less able, so I now huffily thought, full of vengeance against the wrong I had done my mother, to adapt itself to those very novelties of social and technological life whose careful interpretation and weighting was the principal reason for the continued indispensability of the longer sentence.

[TrueConfection]

LOL. Yep.

[HighlyVolatile]

He sort of epitomizes my goals in the visual arts! I would like to be able to draw in a way that demonstrates the keenest of observations, mastery over the medium, and infuse it with sentiments. Yet what I would love even more is to be able to not only draw the way he writes but also write the way he writes. :-D

[LaFerrari]

This

https://youtu.be/ngUOX2J7AZA

[TrueConfection]

Omg, that was so fun to watch! Thanks @laferrari!

[LaFerrari]

Thanks for mho (:

[Flower7]

Dancing. Like being able to learn dance routines and copy dance steps from other people. I’ve tried taking dance classes, but was never able to make my body do what the teacher’s body was doing.

I also would LOVE to be able to sing really well.

[Apulu_3]

I wish I could sing out beautifully the songs I write so in future I could have been more than song writer.

[Apulu_3]

Thanks for the MHO 😊

[ArrowheadSW]

I was good at keyboard, but not pro level. So I wished that I was at that level of talent with keyboard. Some people are born with it. The lady who I took lessons from had a 7 year old boy as a student who had a certain innate musical ability. Whereas I had a knack for it but not like that.

[TrueConfection]

Oh yes, those child prodigies! I know one.

[God_of_Thunder]

I wish I could dance, but I suck at it.

This robot has more rhythm than I do 😞

[TrueConfection]

Same!

[Genie23]

Awww! 😂

[God_of_Thunder]

I remember going to a club once, in my early 20's, and I legit sucked so much that the girl literally told me to go sit down, 'cause I was making her look bad.

I wasn't even mad, 'cause she was telling the truth. 😂

[Genie23]

LOL!! Well, at least you didn't accidentally hit anyone while dancing, I did. 😳😐

[Genie23]

I mean I am not a bad dancer, I'm just a clumsy person who ends up embarassing herself everywhere 😂😂😂

[God_of_Thunder]

@Genie23 Haha, I'm sure I would have, eventually. The girl that told me to sit down saved a lot of lives that day. 😂

[Genie23]

Wow! She was a Hero. 😂😂😂

[FunkyMonkee]

Being able t play guitar and keys, being able to get any damn job I want when I want it, being able to get any girl I want when I want her, maybe being able to dance again although, no one does those dances anymore and I never have anyone to do them with, anyway so, what's the bloody point?

[TrueConfection]

Guitar and keys shouldn't be too difficult for a drummer to learn (I think). That and getting any girl you want seem totally doable for you. 😉

[FunkyMonkee]

Well, guess again. I tried to learn both and my fingers are just too big to be able to make guitar chords the right way. Bass I can play, sort of. as I'm more about rhythm, I have a good bit about actual music to learn. Keys are a bit easier but, I still need to learn about the music and of it. Maybe if I would've started when I was kid, I'd be a super keyboardist, by now, since I can probably span a little more than an octave with one hand.
As for drumming bringing in the girls, guess again!! The only reason it's gotten me the 3 I had was because 1. A girl wanted to hear the band play and, by the middle of the gig, we were all over each other. Then, she told me she was just using me to make another guy jealous. 2. She was my best friend and my guitarist's new wife. They had an argy bargy after just a week or two and he left her. I was there to help her, we fell in love and she had a nervous breakdown! By the middle of her 6-month hospital stay, she went back to him! And, 3. I was playing a gig with some band that picks up a drummer wherever they play and just happened to meet her at the gig and, again, a week later on the street. After 10 years together, she started cheating on me!! She hadn't even seen me play that night because we were already done before she walked in.
Oh, there WERE two other VERY short flings, one lasting about half an hour, the other never even got the chance to start before the band whisked me away to come back home: a 4 hour drive.

[TrueConfection]

Cheaters 😡

[FunkyMonkee]

Pretty much but, at least no. 2 was free, at the time. HE left HER and it looked like he was NEVER coming back!

[TrueConfection]

But number 3 cheated.

[FunkyMonkee]

Yes! Big time! What hurts even more is that she left HIM after just ONE year! She wasted 10 years of my life for one with him!

[ChrisMaster69]

Yeah it would be singing or dancing or playing an instrument.

When you consider just about everyone I know is musical, has rhythm etc, it’s crazy

[Harleigh90]

@ChrisMaster69 Would you like some dance lessons? 😋

[ChrisMaster69]

@Harleigh90 dancing would likely be doable. Singing however would take a miracle.

[TrueConfection]

I used to play a few instruments. I can dance a routine, but not just dance to whatever song is playing. My singing is painful for everyone including me. 😂

[ChrisMaster69]

@TrueConfection I actually had my friends by me drinks at a karaoke bar on the promise that I did not sing.
Well, tbh, the club donated them to me if I did not sing.

[TrueConfection]

Haha! Good one! I've used singing as a threat to get compliance from my kids. 😈

[TrueConfection]

... and dancing.

[ChrisMaster69]

@TrueConfection my dancing is…

Imagine a chicken, you pump it full of speed, caffeine and red bull, then spin it around until it’s totally hyper and dizzy,

Then just as you throw it on to th dance floor, you cut its head off.

That’s my style

[TrueConfection]

LOL! Let me ask you this... Has a stranger ever approached you to inform you that you can't dance? That happened to me TWICE. 😬

[ChrisMaster69]

Sort of yeah. I have had a first aid person check to see if I was having a fit or something

[TrueConfection]

Ok, you're bad. We should go dancing together and just tell everyone else they are doing it wrong. 🤕

[aWes0MeNeSs]

I wish I was more athletic. I come from a family that is as un-athletic as it gets on one side, and decently athletic on the other. I can be decently athletic, but have to work REALLY hard to get there and will never be a star athlete at anything.

[TheUniqueOne96]

Clothing alterations/repairing things, if it counts as one, but if not, just the first one.

I try to dress as best as possible for my own liking, but as a short guy, I find that a lot of my tops are either too long and/or baggy in the sleeves or just too long in general, so if I know how to alter them to my liking, then that'd be great.

My pants tend to fit better, but also have the length issues and a lot of joggers that I'd like to buy, have branding, so if I could remove them and make it totally plain and basic, without it looking like it's just been straight up ripped off with holes, then that'd be cool too.

These skills could also allow me to repurpose older clothing that I have and give it new life e. g. I'm thinking of using an old pair of jeans I have, as shorts, by cutting them up, as I don't use them anymore and they're really stretched out at the lower legs as well, not my style.

[DizzyDesii]

I wanna be able to surf and snowboard. Never tried either but my balance sucks now a days. I’d even bust my ass on a skateboard

[TrueConfection]

I'm sure you could do both very well, except your location doesn't seem ideal for those sports.

[DizzyDesii]

Im likely movin to NC or FL but even if indont, i’d surf in AU when i visit and skateboard in Colorado

[TrueConfection]

You can come visit me D. We have snowboarding and surfing where I live.

[DizzyDesii]

Just dont say Cali lol

[TrueConfection]

Noooo!!!

[therealzeroworries]

Dancing 👌🏻. For fans of famous dancers, I'm sure we'd love to see ourselves gliding and being admired when dancing like Chris Brown, Ayo and Teo💙, Kida the Great 🥺.
Tried learning from their moves online but I'd seem to need a bigger screen or an LED display device for proper scrutiny.

[Lliam]

I wish I had a better memory.

I'm a half-way decent guitarist and have been lead guitar and vocalist in bands. I wish I had more vocal range, but at least I know how to use what I have. But I always have to have the lyrics and chords in front of me because I have trouble remembering them. LOL

A better memory would be helpful for many other reasons. I take in lots of information, but can't regurgitate it the way some people can.

[MCheetah]

1. Getting women to like me/sleep with me. (That takes physical attributes I simply lack.)

2. Being a better fighter; at least one of the best in my city.

3. Knowing how to be an expert at fixing stuff; carpentry, etc.

4. Knowing car/mechanic stuff.

5. ... And being good at math.

[exitseven]

I wish I was a good student. I always had to study my butt off to get just average grades. I knew kids that were on the dean's list all the time that just had a much easier time of it.

[TrueConfection]

That would have made things easier.

[NathanDavis]

hard working students are also great students...

and having it easier does not always mean to having it better

[exitseven]

@NathanDavis @ I used to watch other people do it with some finesse. I just brute forced my way through the whole thing. I barely graduated from grad school. It was just a horror show.

[NathanDavis]

that's something to be proud of... many would have quit or put themselves down even further

[TrueConfection]

Did you ever get that acoustic guitar?

[exitseven]

@NathanDavis well, a lot of people did quit the program. It was an MS in Computer Science and was pretty challenging. i am just glad I somehow managed to finish.

[exitseven]

@TrueConfection I am looking again now that I have the time.

[NathanDavis]

playing an instrument... definitely that

and the drums, to be specific

[NathanDavis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UYgORr5Qhg

[TrueConfection]

😂😂😂

[TrueConfection]

Yeah, drums take coordination. My son plays them, but I can't tap my foot and use drumsticks at the same time.

[NathanDavis]

nice!! did he learn since young age? or later in life

[TrueConfection]

Since 8 or 9.

[NathanDavis]

awesome, so that makes you, a great mom to have... lol

[TrueConfection]

That's sweet. Thank you!

[Lliam]

🤣🤣🤣 I've played with drummers like that who want to drum solo though the song instead of playing rhythm section with the bass. It's terrible. 🤣🤣🤣

[HighlyVolatile]

LOL at the video! What do you think about Jojo Mayer? He's like a living drum machine, but I find serious drummers very divisive in terms of their opinions about him:
https://youtu.be/gpAx9J4lM4Q

[HighlyVolatile]

He seems godly to me but I'm not a good enough drummer to tell:
https://youtu.be/94qWIAuhH64

[Lliam]

@HighlyVolatile. There are so many amazing drummers. Jojo Mayer is definitely great.

I grew up listening to early rock and went to hundreds of concerts beginning in 1970 and throughout that decade. So some of my idols are Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, Bobby Caldwell, John Bonham, Ian Paice, Karl Palmer, Alan White, and people like that.

Since the drums and bass are the rhythm section, most people don't notice the drums all that much. You have to listen close to hear how complex some of their stuff is while sticking with the beat. And even then, you have to watch a video like a tutorial to see how complex some of that stuff is.

Then there are flashy drummer like Keith Moon, and guys who are low key yet perfect like Ringo Starr. Hal Blaine. the studio drummer was matter of fact, just another day at the office. But he could do ANYTHING.

I'm with TrueConfection, I can't imagine doing something different with both hands and feet at the same time.

[HighlyVolatile]

@Lliam I have to check those drummers out! Just as a hobby I like to try to make little songs and beats digitally. It doesn't require much instrumental skill since I can cheat and quantize my mistakes, move notes around in a piano roll, etc. Yet I have a lazy habit of ignoring percussion and just putting the most generic sort of drum loop over my crude attempts at making music. So I've been watching lots of drum lessons just to try to get into the mind of a drummer and how they add rhythm and variety to a song.

[Lliam]

@HighlyVolatile. After I wrote my comment and mentioned Hal Blaine, I looked him up. Here's a really good article about him and it contains a couple of short videos.
https://www.pas.org/about/hall-of-fame/hal-blaine

The other drummers I mentioned were rock drummers for super star bands (, but many of them had started out in jazz and were also capable of poly-rhythmic African beats.

[HighlyVolatile]

@Lliam That's awesome! I read the article (he had quite an amazing life) and currently watching the videos. I think I really need to study more about not only drummers but the way music evolved, in general, all the way from the Classical period (the only period we studied much in my schooling). There's quite a history there and I feel a bit overwhelmed by it all.

[Lliam]

@HighlyVolatile. I didn't know anything about Hal Blaine until a few years ago when I heard about the Wrecking Crew. A movie about them came out in 2008.
Like I said, before that, I was mainly into the great rock bands who had amazing drummers - Cream, The Who, Led Zeppelin, ELP, and Yes.
One of my favorite albums is the first one by a band called Captain Beyond. It's so interesting. You should check it out. Multiple time signatures and fantastic drum work. Rod Evans, the singer, and Bobby Caldwell, the drummer wrote the entire thing. Bobby also played in other amazing bands like Johnny Winter, Allman Brothers and Armageddon. He's a drummer's drummer.

I'm sure you can find documentaries on all the drummers I mentioned. They are iconic.

[Anonymous]

Making people say yes and helping me back.
I'm so frustrated of being goody shoes, being there for others but they will take hours or days to reply when I need something.
Surprisingly they invite me for events but can't be there in my crucial time.

[cookiecrusher]

Stop living for other people.
Be busy living your own

[Massageman]

Be able to imitate Rocky the Flying Squirrel. I can do just about every other voice from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, but I just can't get June Foray's Rocky. Yeaaaah - funny how that works out - - - - - -

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ieOGZtGUjRQ

[BipBipLeddus]

I learned a few chords and scales on piano, but I definitely can't "play piano"

I wish I could, though

[TrueConfection]

Me too! I even own a piano 😂

[BipBipLeddus]

Shit's hard! I have tiny hands, I can't hit all them keys, or play "Washington Is Next" on guitar!

[DonkeyDan]

Yes I wouldn't mind to be able to sing better, I've got a relatively deep voice that's a bit shit for singing 🤣

[TrueConfection]

Did you leave your voice on @MCheetah question? What do you sound like? ↗

[DonkeyDan]

No because he doesn't like that I'm not a misogynist and talk sense so he blocked me 🤣

[TrueConfection]

Darn! I would like to hear your voice.

I didn't leave mine though, I just listened to the others. 😇

[DonkeyDan]

Maybe I'll do a recording for you one day, but I'm not singing for you 😂

[TrueConfection]

LOL! Ok.

[Waldoe]

I wish I came across differently to others, when I am joking people take offense, I think I am funny.. and I think my jokes are obvious... oh well I'm 72... it will all end soon enough

[TrueConfection]

That happens to me here in gag. I gave up for the most part. My humor is too dry.

[Genie23]

Oh! I wish I could play the piano and sing! I always wanted to learn to play music instruments. I wish I could sing better than I do. 😅

[dustybiker]

I’m distracted by the cat picture… I’m pulling up blanks. It’s so adorable…

[TrueConfection]

I missed your reply. That is a super cute picture. 😂😂😂 It's not mine.

[InferiorElegy]

There are so many. Anything smart like math because I'm retarded and Im not smart. I want to be able to learn an instrument, like guitar which I've been learning since high school which was 20 years ago when I started learning it but I still can't play guitar. I want to be able to sing of dance and maybe if I could I'd be able to even do so in private but I have no reason to dance or sing at all in life.

[VinnyMac]

I'd love to be a writer and that's a talent thar must be learned from writing regularly. It seems like it shouldn't be as hard as it is, but it can be. Some people are naturally gifted when it comes to writing and doing so in a creative way that few others can.

[humanearth]

I can fix or build anything I want.
I built house, built a car from scratch and fix almost anything.

[TrueConfection]

You sound talented!

[humanearth]

But wish I could play a musical instrument.

[TrueConfection]

What instrument would you play?

[humanearth]

Ekectric jazz guitar


And a professional harmonica

[humanearth]

I wanted to be the white BB King

[TrueConfection]

BB King was amazing.

You could be playing the harmonica while driving your tractor!

[Morning_Cereal]

That's not really a talent. That's just hard work

[cookiecrusher]

So far haven't found anything that i couldn't do.

And so is with most people.

Just work on your skills. Most people have a decent singing voice too, just go to a vocal coach first.

[TrueConfection]

Ok, I want that talent too... ability to do most things. 😋

[cookiecrusher]

You can, just not at pro level. The more you pick up new skill the easier it gets.

I'm not a special pickle in the jar🤫

[Citizenkirk]

The ability to memorize numbers easily. It took my entire childhood to memorize my SN, and only than because my mom made me commit it too memory.

[TrillXHippy]

I wish I had the talent of being great at basketball

[TrueConfection]

You'd make lots of money!

[TrillXHippy]

Very true

[bigpauly]

Singing would be really fun. Or being able to be more athletic like being able to run really fast or jump really high

[TrueConfection]

Oh yes! I've always been a slow runner (to the point of embarrassing). Just run next to me and you'll feel so fast!

[bigpauly]

😂😂

[CubaPirate]

Speak a foreign language or play a musical instrument

[TrueConfection]

What language would you like to learn?

[CubaPirate]

Spanish, because a known a tiny bit already and I'm a frequent visitor to Spain 🇪🇸

[TrueConfection]

Spanish is a good one!
What instrument would you like to learn?

[CubaPirate]

Acoustic guitar

[TrueConfection]

Oh, nice!

[homecooker]

Sensitivity in hearing notes, I play Guitar since 10 years old until 18, daily practice. You know you don't have it, when your friend need less time than you to reach your level

[TrueConfection]

Ouch!

[homecooker]

Well at least I don't waste too much time on that, and strengthening my talent 💪

[TrueConfection]

Maybe you learn at an average rate and your girlfriend is a fast learner? Also, she's older than you were when you started which probably helped with speeding up the lessons.

[homecooker]

Maybe yes, but I am confident to say I am a fast learner in other things beside music, but that's maybe the difference between someone who has talent and someone who's not

[sunflower00]

Loads. I wish I could speak different languages, dance, be naturally good at leading/presentations.

[Bubbles16]

I wish I was a better dancer because I can kind of dance but its just not good enough for anyone to see

[Saarr]

To be able to learn languages quickly and easily, must be so much fun!🙃

[Nagahime]

I wish I had the talent to develop games and create music instrumentals. I can sing, but I can't do the actual music making part.

[Telekinetic-Potato]

To play the piano. I want to be able to play and improvise jazz, it would be so cool.

[Taysay]

The ability to transfer the knowledge I have to any person that I choose with just one touch. Not to say I'm better than anyone else, ijust know how to treat people and a little more than average about the nature of our reality.

[Anonymous]

To play a guitar.
To understand electronic circuitry.
To pick the next $100M lottery jackpot.

[Deathraider]

Coding.

The codes that I write are just the minimum needed to get the job done. It’s not optimized in any sort of way.

[Rangers]

I'd love to be good at something and have my efforts not just get me to "okay"

[Medhat-M]

Singing... I'm good at impressions but I can't sing... It's such a great luxury...

[Morning_Cereal]

I'd like to be able to do impressions. I can't manipulate my voice and face very well.

[Redstang88]

I’d be happy with any shred of any sort of artistic talent at all

[Babygirl_S]

Singing like Ariana Grande. My vocal range is limited as I usually talk in low volume.

[malakaki]

I wish I was a successful belly dancer. Every day I would dust the stages and get people's attention, they would appreciate me.

[Static_In_The_Attic]

I wish I could speak & understand every known language.

[noohair]

Good with numbers bad this languages. Still working on my English.

[AdithyaR]

I wish for the same. I love singing along to songs I like but it kills me when I sing it and it's off key and the notes I hit are horrible. I'd love to be able to sing better.

[TheSpaceGnome]

Thats the wrong way to think. Want a talent? Then practice.

[TrueConfection]

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind the next time I sing along to a song in my car.

[TheSpaceGnome]

People who sing and do different voices have practiced a lot.

[TrueConfection]

45 years of practice, down the tubes for me!

[TheSpaceGnome]

Well then either you are doing it wrong, or your larynx is damaged.

[TrueConfection]

I think I'm tone deaf.

[TheSpaceGnome]

That is another reason, perhaps do a hearing test?

[TrueConfection]

Actually, I just had one 3 weeks ago. Passed. I think you might be correct in that I'm doing it wrong.

[TheSpaceGnome]

I've done things wrong for years only to master it in a day once explained, the real point of practice is figuring out how something is done through trial and error, information given can often expedite that process.

[TrueConfection]

That's true for singing? So, if I practice I could be Barbara Streisand?

[TrueConfection]

😎cool

[Anonymous]

The talent to get as many dates as Charlie Sheen and Leonardo Dicaprio

[Avicenna]

To be able to pronounce tonal languages correctly

[Jayplays900]

Speaking without studdering

[TrueConfection]

That's a big one. My son had years of speech therapy.

[888theGreat]

I had a dog that could sing , drop the mic. Yo

[TrueConfection]

Ok. So what talent do you wish you could have?

[888theGreat]

being a talent agent of a dog that can sing

[TrueConfection]

Ok. That reminds me of that old cartoon with the guy and the singing frog that he kept in a cigar box. The frog only sang and danced for the guy and it just croaked for anyone he tried to show the frog to.

[melanieeeB]

Singing

[krin_m]

Certainly singing! I wish I could!

[TrueConfection]

Do you sing when no one is around to hear you? My favorite place is the car.

[krin_m]

That I do! :-) In the car, in the shower when I'm alone!

[TrueConfection]

👍👍👍

[skyeee_]

i wish i wasn't so slow in picking up material

[aanastasia233]

To be good at maths

[TrueConfection]

Math can get confusing!

[aanastasia233]

Being good at maths can help a person get well paying types of employment

[TrueConfection]

Or knowing how to use a good calculator.

[aanastasia233]

True but calculators are apart of maths

[HeartFullOfGlue]

Singing is a talent I've always wanted

[driven159]

the talent of not getting old

[scott04sa22]

Fixing cars!!

[TrueConfection]

I wish I could fix cars. 😂 I'd buy a 69 Camero.

[scott04sa22]

Nice!! All classic cars all the way!! 😍

[TrueConfection]

Yes! 😎

[Pink2000]

I wish I could draw

[Jmmmfi4]

Drawing

[TrueConfection]

Oooo! Good one!

[lokaloon384]

Play the piano and and be artsy