An interesting aspect of all this is the issue of praising someone. Whenever I hear someone do something really good on my instrument of choice, I want to express my appreciation. However, it invariably takes the form of "great song " or "that is a nice instrument you've got" - never " Where did you learn to play that well ?"
This, I fear, is due to a competitive spirit that sometimes we can't suppress.
Curiously, one of the most talented natural musicians, Robin Williamson , has promoted the idea that everyone should be involved in music making, without necessarily having
spent years trying to get "good".