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d85jrs -> RE: Becoming an expert guitarist. (Sep. 8 2006 3:45:31)
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JasonM,
I just wanted to comment on your first post, which I thought was excellent. I've thought about the subject in the past, specifically with respect to learning languages. As far as I understand it, the only way you learn to speak a new language well is not only from studying the rules of grammar, but building on top of those rules with concrete examples from actual use. You hear someone use a sentence, and then you make it your own. The more setences you have to call upon, the better you speak. Through practice and experience, like you said.
When it comes to guitar, you're absolutely right. The idea of "expert" is often over blown. Granted, a genius comes along once in a while, with a natural advantage -- maybe they've got great ears, above average dexterity, etc -- but, without practice, they're going nowhere.
I heard a quote from Yo-Yo Ma once, which went someting like this. People call me a genius, but nobody saw my practicing eight hours a day when I was ten. Or twelve hours a day when I was sixteen.
In my personal learning experience, I've been learning flamenco for about six months, just working on the basic technique. I think flamenco is an especially frustrating form to study, because it could take weeks to learn a basic falseta. Sometimes I get tired of it, but, the good thing is that after those few weeks, when you can play that falseta with your eyes closed, you not only have learned to play (part of) a new piece, but your whole guitar technique has gotten much better. You've become a better guitar player.
And, when you show your friends at a party, you know there's no freakin' way they're learning that little falseta without going down the same hard road you did.
End of ramble!
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