I think "ego" is an absolute neccesity to be a "Sucess", a la Dylan et. al. But is it necessary to play well, or perform well? Probably not, there is a difference between ego and self confidince. I like to think that I have the necessary amount of the former, and more of the latter. I am not at all competitive in any area--stage fright galore the 2 times I competed in fiddle contests, but I would love to be on Stage 1 Winfield--even right after McCutcheon!