Practice, Learning, and the 10,000 Hour Rule

The Your Are Not So Smart website and podcast are really interesting. This episdoe of the podcast, consists of a discussion of a number of issues surrounding learning, memory, and motor skills (all important issues for musicians). The intervewee is David Epstein, the author of the book The Sports Gene. They discuss a number of things, including the 10,000 hour rule. He pokes some holes in the theory by looking closely at the study that the 10,000 hour rule is based on. They also talk a number of issues surrounding about mastery of skills and predictors of achievement. It’s a fascinating interview, and should promt you to go out and read the book. I highly recommend it.