Patience Over Skill: Learning a Second Instrument
Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers theorizes it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill, like learning guitar. But how long does it take a competent musician to learn a second instrument?
Gladwell once told blogger Bob Lefsetz that that learning time could be cut in half, if the skills carry over.
This feels correct to me. One already knows not only the concepts of music, but also how to practice, how to go about learning the skill. Plus, motor skills might be mostly the same, like fingers moving on a fretboard.
But here’s a conflict that might be hard to measure: frustration level!
It took me a few years to be able to play guitar decently. I practiced everyday during high school. But it’s taken me twice as long to master the mandolin in my adulthood, even though my picking and fretting hands have the motor skills.
Why has it taken me twice as long when it should have been cut in half? My impatience! My brain hates relearning a new fretboard of the mandolin when the guitar’s already makes sense, so I give up more quickly.
My frustration levels were a bigger impedance the second time around on mandolin than my ignorance the first time around on guitar.
Again, it’s important to remember: patience is often a stronger virtue than skill.
(PS: My fingers are getting around the mandolin’s fretboard more confidently, now! Actually, a fretboard tuned in fifths makes more sense than the guitar’s refraction.
I also love the ease of traveling with a mandolin, especially airline travel! Carry on ready, stress free.)
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