RE: [Harp-L] 99 and 44/100%: Pure Unadulterated B.S.

["Robert Gaustad" <robertgaustad@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said, "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics:?
:-)

Robert Gaustad 

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Robert Coble
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 6:37 PM
To: Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] 99 and 44/100%: Pure Unadulterated B.S.

There's nothing in Chris's comments that offends me at all, just because -
it applies to ME. 

I ain't no statistician, but I do have a smattering of higher mathematics on
my (former) resume, including engineering calculus.

One of my favorite books was used as the course book for the college
statistics class. It's a gold mine of how to use actual statistics
incorrectly to "prove" a point. Here's the book info, if you want to see for
yourself:

How to Lie With Statistics
by Darrell Huff and Irving Geis
Copyright 1982, Norton paperback reissue 1993 ISBN 0-393-31072-8 W. W.
Norton & Company, Inc.

There is NO statistical validity to the 99.xx% that Chris mentioned. It was
made up on the spur of the moment for purely illustrative comparison, as are
xx.xxx% of such statistics. There is no research, no mathematics, NOTHING
behind it except a "gut feeling" and a W.A.G. (not even close to a
S.W.A.G.).

However, that does not invalidate Chris's point: some percentage (most,
99.xx%, etc.) of "musicians" (usually instrumentalists more so than
musicians, IMHO) do not obtain the training (music theory, whatever) and the
self-discipline that would qualify them as "real" musicians to other "real"
musicians.

Snip...