1) Violin playing is maybe one of the most extreme examples you can study because it requires specific talent as well as extremely hard work. How many of the elite players start out with perfect pitch and perfect hand anatomy? Maybe the rigid work schedule evolves when you start out with a specific talent.
2) I've met a couple of kids that took a year off from everything else and followed a rigorous schedule as described in the article. Their goal was to see if they can make it as professionals but ultimately decided they just couldn't keep up with the elite.
I think following a strict practice schedule is necessary but definitely not sufficient to becoming elite. Probably the non-elites figure out pretty quickly where they stand and simply opt out of the rat race.
Comments
1) Violin playing is maybe one of the most extreme examples you can study because it requires specific talent as well as extremely hard work. How many of the elite players start out with perfect pitch and perfect hand anatomy? Maybe the rigid work schedule evolves when you start out with a specific talent.
2) I've met a couple of kids that took a year off from everything else and followed a rigorous schedule as described in the article. Their goal was to see if they can make it as professionals but ultimately decided they just couldn't keep up with the elite.
I think following a strict practice schedule is necessary but definitely not sufficient to becoming elite. Probably the non-elites figure out pretty quickly where they stand and simply opt out of the rat race.