Hoi Niels,
He’s our neighbor…you know that piece of land we gave away for a while.(in het zuiden) .or something like that 
Greetings
haha Limburg? Or Brabant?
No, they are still part of ‘us’ and we will sell them to them in a while.
Lieven was founded in beautiful Belgium 
haha Okay. But he said yes to the question if he also teaches in the Netherlands 
That language is almost ours, only with many more (in my opinion) nicer words and sentences…
We will forget the French part for the sake of convenience 
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Well, I must say I’m really surprised by a Dutchman openly acknowledging this 
Proves you’ve got good taste 
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OK, last comment on the topic for me. No one should give short shrift toward purposeful practice, and no one should come away thinking that I have.
Talent on the other hand seems to be marginalized. The concept that anyone can play/learn guitar is misleading. It does sell books and gear though. If you lack a certain degree of talent, the answer is that you just have to practice more/better/longer. A lot of newbies wash out for any number of reasons. I would put a lack of talent going in as being very high on the list of reasons.
Unless you have some physical disability I completely disagree. Anyone can, if they put the time and effort in, learn guitar to a reasonable standard.
I dont think it is. Talent also requires a lot of time and effort to bring out. Nobody is a natural at playing guitar, it isnt a natural thing. But some people have physical or mental qualities that make them exceptional in certain areas.
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I have seen it happen with rap music. The guy was obviously not great at 15 but 8 years later he was on stage and had a very good flow, voice and just overall good. He did have a talent for poetry and making hooks. But at the beginning he was often off beat, was way slower than most of his friends and was very easily gassed out. Even starting on time was something that went bad every recording for years until he finally found his groove.
Maybe guitar is the same. It seems like you are expressing yourself via the guitar singing
Of course some of the words you have are very funny for us Dutch, but everyone I talk to about your way of speaking or who I used to hear about it in talk shows (the writers and TV makers, etc.) they think the same about it… those jokes here about “the stupid Belgians” (domme Belgen via mopjes en wij zouden gierig zijn Maar cijfers laten in beide gevallen het tegenovergestelde zien))are just secret declarations of love, because it is good to joke about your neighbors…
Alleen brandweermannen ‘spuitgasten’ noemen kan echt niet 
Germany and/or Belgium are one of the 2 countries where we would rather live, when it was possible we did not dare and now it is not possible because of my wife’s company (luxury problem)…
Bye lady 
Greetings
That’s just the old folks
The neigbourly love is mutual Ron
That is the most obvious one and perhaps the best one to vocalise your expression (concious choice of words). It can be done through guitar playing alone too but it’s less obvious.
A very clear example is the art of phrasing in blues lead playing.
The discussion of talent vs hard work often comes by here but I think its easier to learn an instrument than to learn to express yourself. By learning an instrument I mean “knowong to use it wlel enough to make it sound what you want to express” but many people struggle with actually hearing in their head what that should be. They see skilled players in a video and try to copy his phrases and style but its a reproduction; not an expression. So; if you manage to get both of those 2 dimension to a level where you can make it sound like you feel; than you’re already more than just “proficient”
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Technique and the xpression you mean?
Ps : This is not the first time I read it, what does Ron mean?
I am known by many names , but this one is new to me…
exactly
ah darn it: having a Dutch acquaintance named Ron doesn’t help and it shows
My bad ROGER
And you are the 3rd person I know who calls me Ron … Rogier is often called Rog or Roch and Rog Ron Roch are kind of…pateto patatoe when you say it quick
Greetings
You don’t want to know how long it took Justin to pronounce “Lieven” somewhat correctly so yeah. Even after years of working together, I learned that “Laryne” end on a “inji”.
Lukily, music is universal!
ok add that to the "what makes you “really good”:
If your music is universal enough for everybody to understand
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Do you also teach in the Netherlands or only in Putten?
No, Putte (without n) is somewhere between Mechelen and Hiest-Op-Den-Berg in Belgium. not to be mistaken with the Putte in the south of the Netherlands
Okay thats unfortunate
Just happens that my classical teacher has an apropos quote of the day. Attributed to Allen Matthews of the “Classical Guitar Shed”.
“In our culture, we love to idolize “The Greats”. We put them on a pedestal. We think of them as somehow beyond human.
But no one was born knowing how to tie their shoes, much less how to paint or play guitar.
Any master of anything got that way through hard work and hours logged.
The great Michelangelo is quoted as having said,
“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”
Talent is Overrated.
Study after study now shows that the main determinant of mastery is not “talent” or any special cosmic endowment – it’s time.
The best in any field have simply put in more hours of deliberate practice than anyone else. This is true for Michelangelo and it’s true for Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan.
“Talent” may be a word invented by people looking to discount hard work.
But there is something that sets some apart from others. And this is interest. Interest, fascination, curiosity – these motivating factors help us show up and practice.
Of course, Michael Jordan had height, and Michelangelo had eyes and hands. We’re limited by our physical bodies.
But mastery is a time game. In anything we do regularly with focus and attention, we will improve to the extent we’re physically able.
No magic, no genetic inheritance, just hours.
The Magic of Showing Up Again Tomorrow
All we can do is sit down and pick up our instrument. Then do it again tomorrow.
This is our side of the deal: challenge ourselves, listen like crazy, and return to things often enough to make a difference. Time does the rest.
Even with the worst technique and no teacher, we get better. We go further faster with great technique and great teachers. And we go even further still with one-pointed attention while engaged.
But hours alone are a big part of it.
This can be of some comfort on the inevitable days when our flow doesn’t feel so “flowy”.
All the best,
Allen”
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