Genes vital in making of a maestro: Study

Genetics and environment work together to help people become accomplished musicians, finds a study of 850 sets of twins.

"The nature vs. nurture debate has raged since the beginning of psychology," said Zach Hambrick, professor of psychology at Michigan State University in the US.

"This makes it very clear that it is both. Not only in the sense that both nature and nurture contribute, but that they interact with each other," he added.

When it came to music accomplishment, genes had a bigger influence on those who practiced than those who did not, the findings showed.

For the study, the researchers compared identical twins, who share 100 percent of their genes, with fraternal twins who share 50 percent of their genes.

"Contrary to the view that genetic effects go away as you practice more and more," Hambrick said, "we found that genes become more important in accounting for differences across people in music performance as they practice."

The study appeared online in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.