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THE MINDSET OF A MASTER MUSICIAN | Joshua Taliaferro
In his New York Times best-seller , “ Outliers ,” Malcolm Gladwell stakes a claim that it takes 10,000 hours to reach a level of proficiency where one can achieve mastery in any field . I did the math so you wouldn ’ t have to , and 10,000 hours comes out to 9 years of practice . Granted , that equation only works when you sum it up to 3 hours of practice every day for 3,333 days . Let that sink in . How many of us spend 3 hours a day practicing our instrument or honing our craft ? That ’ s dedication ! I remember when it first registered that it would take almost a decade to master my craft , I honestly felt stuck in a bit of a paradox . I was both determined to make it happen and deflated at the sheer number of hours I would need to clock in .
You see , I had never felt enthralled with personal practice enough to dedicate 3 hours of my day to it . I would always reach a roadblock or hit a dead end in my search for resources and I would end up giving up and finding something else to occupy my mind . The tricky thing about creating an intrinsic source of discipline is finding a way to keep your mind challenged and interested at the same time . If we lack ‘ challenge ’ then the activity won ’ t be engaging , and if it ’ s not inherently ‘ interesting ’ to us then we find ourselves too bored to be
curious . Curiosity is the fuel that will help you reach 10,000 hours . An inquisitive mind and a sense of wonder are so crucial in helping you show up day after day .
However , it ’ s the process of what we do when we show up to practice that loses so many people . So many musicians come to the keyboard curious and leave cynical . They hit an obstacle in their personal study and fail to see it as an opportunity to grow , but rather an opening to escape . How do we effectively practice ? How do we enjoy practice ? These are questions I found myself pondering after so many years of failed personal study . That ’ s
36 March 2024 Subscribe for Free ...