10000 Hours

[ozziebluesman]

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Thread started on: "Tue Aug 31, 2010 "

Here is a story I fell across sometime ago on the net while searching for something else. I often hand this out to budding young guitar students. No rocket science here just hard work will get you to the top if thats what you want. I reckon by the time I'm ready to push up daises I will have achieved 10,000 on the guitar and I still love to play! But this achievement has taken me 45 years so I just admire the work and dedication put in by some of our top ranked, young musicians.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2427604.htm

You don't even need a musical talent in the first place to be a very successful musician.

Cheers

Alan

[kiwigeo]

IMO there are many factors that determine whether or not a person will become a successful musician. Those people who were introduced to music early in life and were fortunate enough to get musical training have a head start on those not so fortunate to have parents with foresight.

Regards

Martin

[Nick]

Sex Pistols ?

I believe that different people have different "natural" aptitudes with which they have the potential to excel (some people have amazing inbuilt ability but not the drive to take it further). It helps if you love or have a passion for what you are doing or want to do, then the monotonous & seemingly endless hours spent perfecting it (i.e. practice) are easy & enjoyable, a bit like luthiery . Some people can still spend hours practicing and still enjoy it but if they lack 'inbuilt' part, to me, whilst still good they just seem to lack the fluidity & passion of somebody that has a natural aptitude. But practice is still an essential part of the formula.

[Kim]

Great Read

[kiwigeo]

Another important factor....a good teacher. My classical guitar teacher charged $5 a lesson...I got 2 hours of teaching and more often than not lunch got thrown in as well. My teacher taught because he loved teaching and he didnt seem to care about the money. Not only did he teach me classical but he also introduced me to lute and vihuela music....using the original tablature

[ozziebluesman]

Yep, I agree with Martin a good teacher is very important to a students success! Especially one who will provide good technique training. A well setup guitar is another factor that is paramount IMO. I also think a student needs to keep an open mind on the music he or she listens to. The more influences, the better.

Above all, keep it fun!

Cheers

Alan

[Localele]

Practice and hard work would seem to be the Key alright.Most people equate thousands of hours of making instruments with being able to knock out killer riffs at the drop of a hat.Time spent making might help your understanding but it sure does't help your playing at all.First hand knowledge here.

[kiwigeo]

One more factor.....a well set up first guitar. There must be thousands of budding guitarists who got landed with a first guitar that was near on impossible to play because of a bad setup...and there must be many of those students who gave up in frustration.

[Insomnomaniac]

My first proper* guitar is an Ashton brand steel string dread. I can get a decent sound out of it, but the setup sucks... If I play for half an hour, I end up with deep grooves in my fretting fingers from trying to hold the strings down. Almost enough to make me give up before I started....

Thankfully, I bought my daughter a 3/4 size classical and myself a Greg Bennet electric - both of which are a lot easier to play! I think I have about 9,950 hours to go. Oh, and I might need some lessons at some point too.


*I say first 'proper' guitar because I also have an old Ibanez Salvador brand classical guitar, but that seems to hold tuning ALMOST long enough to tune all six strings... Future restoration project maybe?
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Ian.

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[Dominic]

I recon there is good practice where you push yourself and play new stuff and not so good practice where you stick to what you know. But good practice means learning stuff you are not good at. And that means playing badly for a while and I recon that is what puts a lot of people off. Playing many different styles from classical to celtic to metal (not blues) is also a great way to lift your skills and push you out of your comfort zone.

So you can make those thousands of hours more productive and get further faster.

But you are never too old be become a guitar wiz.

I read this story once about an 80 year old guy who was playing the violin beautifully to some friends. And one of his thrilled audience asked how long he had been playing and he answered, “Oh, I’ve been playing since I was young, since I was 60.”

Dom

[blazemite]

i reckon i'd have logged arond 7000 hours ....