Like many others, I’ve been fascinated with Malcolm Gladwell‘s 10,000 Hour Rule since first learning of it late last year during his interview on NPR’s Fresh Air. Lately, I’ve been reading his works and thinking a lot of this rule, and how credible it really is.

However, I do have one possible challenge. Most musicians who achieve their 10,000 hours and become accomplished do so in a single, though often broad, style. However, what about those musicians who want to focus on differing styles? It’s true that many concepts can be translated from one style to another, yet there are many idiosyncratic facets to each. Does that mean that a musician who wants to become successful in more than one style needs to up the ante, more so than his/her peers? As a working saxophonist, this seems the case. Is 15,000 the new 10,000?

Definitely something to chew on. Oh, and if you haven’t read any of Gladwell’s works, I highly suggest you seek them out.