Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Author Malcolm Gladwell was an original proponent of the 10,000 Rule, which states that someone needs to practice a skill for that many hours to be a professional at it. From what I’ve read, Gladwell applied this theory particularly to musicians.

I think there could be more to it than 10,000 hours, and I offer myself as Exhibit A. I am now in my third decade of piano lessons, having taken my first one in 2003. Granted, I was fifty-eight at the time, so I didn’t have the benefit of early learning. Nor did I have any role models at home.

So, do I qualify according to Gladwell’s definition? Not anywhere near that level. At the same time, perhaps if one starts young enough, has an aptitude, and puts in the time, he or she can become professional. In whatever endeavor beckons.

In the meantime, I have never regretted purchasing a grand piano to call my own, paying for a gazillion lessons, and still getting confused when E is F minor.