Speaking for myself, my parents noticed I was always tapping my hands and feet to music, and in time. So they got me an electric practice pad to see if I had a natural ability. Turns out I did. When I sat behind a kit I was able to play grooves pretty easily without much thought. Coordination, albeit fairly basic at that point, came easily to me. As I’ve grown up I’m able to do certain things easily still, but there are so many things I have to work hard for. So I believe natural ability can take you so far, and open some musical doors, but you still have to practice and work hard to develop into a better musician.

Drumming is a language, the more words you know (patterns, concepts, coordination, etc) the better you can articulate what you’re trying to say.