Practice makes perfect

Right now I’m reading Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers, about “Why Some People Succeed and Some Don’t.”

I’m only about 1/3 through, but so far, Gladwell’s put forth two big findings that validate how I’ve always felt about what it takes to succeed:*

– The first assertion the book makes is that being proficient at just about anything requires about 10,000 hours or 10 years

– The second is that there is a “threshold” for being good enough for most endeavors, i.e. there’s a ceiling for height required for being a pro basketball and IQ for winning a Nobel Prize

These two points and the book’s overreaching theme as I understand it so far are validating for me what I’ve always thought about “success” as it relates to the music business, or being a successful musician: innate talent only takes you so far. Much of it has to do with luck, circumstance, and, as Gladwell points out, practice.

From Indie Rock 101:

There’s probably no aspect to your music life that’s more important than regular practice. It’s what separates mediocre bands from the ones that get noticed and eventually—if they stick together—get paid. Being in a band and practicing should be fun, but if you’re serious about getting good or better, it’s best to be disciplined, dedicated and take the following into consideration...” (Read more in Indie Rock 101)

Have you dedicated 10,000 hours of your life to being a master musician or producer?