I suppose…
Creativity is having the imagination to think of something no one’s thought of before.
Talent is the ability to execute on the idea.
Couple this with a compulsion to see the idea through to execution, if for no other reason than to see it through.
All three are present in Lindsay Buckingham’s rendition of "Big Love". He wrote this song whilst in Fleetwood Mac, then rearranged it years later as a solo performance. The latter I’ve been trying to master for some years now; [LINK] and [LINK].
By copying the song I’ve eliminated the need for Creativity. By trying for over 3 years I suppose you might say I have a compulsion to master it although not a very strong one. I just don’t have the talent.
Lindsay is plucking those strings so fast. I tried estimating it. He’s playing his own baseline at about 4 beats a second, two seconds for two bars etc.. The baseline is steady for the most part. Then interspersed with that is the melody which is often on the half-beat and represents another 4 to 5 or sometimes 7 or 8 notes a second. So let’s say about 8 – 10 notes per second total.
The song is about 2 mins 50 secs long. He breaks into strumming towards the 2:30 mark so lets’s say 150 seconds of finger picking. That’s conservatively 1200 notes played in two and a half minutes, and he’s singing at the SAME TIME!!!
Amazing things can happen when the human spirit is allowed to flourish. Check it out for yourself…
