Oh of course, I exactly agree with this, but I think the gap between beginner and Hendrix being filled by deliberate practice is extremely paralyzing for people. I have learned to have confidence in the process. Once you spend years learning a skill and notice that over time you do actually get better because of that persistence, it's kind of a magic realization. Armed with that mindset, you can start learning a skill like guitar knowing that, no, you probably won't be good in a month, but if I stick with it for a few years I'll probably sound pretty decent.
mikestew|8 years ago
but if I stick with it for a few years I'll probably sound pretty decent.
Thats the frustrating thing with music, both as a beginner and one helping the beginner get started. I’ve been playing mandolin for about two years, almost every day, and i’m just now starting to get to be what I’d call “kinda good”. Meaning I can sit in just about jam, and if they stay in major keys I can keep up even on songs I don’t know, might even improv a decent solo. So on the one hand, I’d say to the beginner, “if you sit down six days a week for thirty minutes of deliberate practice, you can’t help but get decent after a year or two. I’d argue that it’s almost unavoidable.”
But what the beginner hears is, “I’ve gotta do scales for two years before I have any fun.” Which isn’t true, but if your standard is Hendrix I guess that’s what you hear.