Re: [Harp-L] Re: Rostropovich




On May 13, 2007, at 12:34 PM, Bob Loomis wrote

Thanks! (I calculate that I spent about 4,500 hours practicing flute over the 12 years or so that it was my main ax. That means that at age 67, I have another 5,500 hours to go till I master it! At one hour a day, the MOST I would ever be likely to spend at it, it will take another 15 or so years ... so that by the time I am 82, I ought to be master of the flute ... but perhaps if I take Malcolm's approach I can have other good flute players practice with/for me and ... no? Oh, well ... )

Bob Loomis
Concord CA

Funny, this subject came up on another list and the figure given to reach the elusive 'mastery' was 2,ooo hours.
A term that I labeled ridiculous. Since the levels on ALL things in our world keep going up, it only serves to prove that mastery is NEVER reached. I took a lot of heat for it.


There was a program on TV many years ago called This Old House where there was a fellow named Norm Abrams, and this fellow was billed as a master carpenter. He was , in fact, a cabinet maker. I watched the program religiously. I found mistakes being made. When one reaches the level 'Master Mechanic' the pay scale at that level doesn't allow mistakes. If you make mistakes, you are a 'Journeyman'.

It's like Segovia said when he was in his late 80's (paraphrase?) "I think I'm close to getting it".

smokey-joe




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