Nature or nurture? Swedish study of twins suggests musical aptitude is genetic.

Telling a musician who has spent hours and hours a day practicing that “they’ve got a gift” can sometimes provoke resentment, however a recent study shows that the saying has more credibility than once thought.

Through studying twins, a Swedish research team has found that even with a substantial disparity between practice efforts (an incredible 20,228 hour difference in one case), each twin was found to have strikingly similar musical ability.

The research, led by neuroscientist Miriam Mosing, involved almost 1,000 sets of genetically identical twins and almost as many fraternal twins (who share around 50% of their genetics). Mosing looked into whether they sang or played musical instruments, at what age, and their estimated practice hours.

The study tested each twin in three categories: rhythm, melody and pitch. By assessing talent this way, it was possible to measure up the ability between twins that played very different instruments (it is virtually impossible to otherwise compare the bongos to the banjo, for instance). It also allowed for the exclusion of muscle memory and learned expertise, and distinguished between individuals who had memorised the pattern of the music versus those with an instinct of how to create or replicate it. The research team found that whether they were talented or tone-deaf, the siblings were striking the same chord.

This musical talent, hard wired into the brain, creates a quirk in the grey matter that is unique to musicians. In his book Musicophilia, Dr Oliver Sacks writes “Anatomists would be hard put to identify the brain of a visual artist, a writer, or a mathematician – but they could recognize the brain of a professional musician without a moment’s hesitation.” This is due to a notable increase in the auditory, motor and visual spatial areas of musicians’ cerebral cortex.

At the end of the day, it seems then that Mozart was a pre-programmed child prodigy, Tchaikovsky was genetically inclined to compose masterpieces, and Bob Dylan was on a path to musical legendry from the get-go.

So for parents disappointed with their children’s musical efforts, perhaps it’s time to take a look at your own first.