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...