Illuminating insights on the attitudes and study habits guaranteed to transform you from novice to expert…
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Basic music reading… LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
Lesson Goals
To understand how experts think and behave… and to be inspired to start practicing these habits so that you, too, can become an expert.
Are Experts Born or Made?
Short answer: Research shows–contrary to popular belief–that natural endowment is not the primary contributor and cause of expertise in any field. (ref: Talent is Overrated)
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What Separates the Experts from the Non-Experts?
| Non-Experts… | Experts… |
| Tend to be passive, not active learners. | Are active, not passive learners. |
| Obey rigid rules, not general principles. | Employ flexible principles, not rigid rules. |
| Memorize formulas without understanding them. | Understand concepts rather than isolated facts. |
| “Learn” things using brute-force memorization. | Learn by seeking and assimilating meaningful patterns. |
| Have knowledge without knowing how to apply that knowledge. | Know how to apply knowledge. |
| see complexity where there is none (because they process information as unrelated details rather than meaningful patterns) | See simplicity in apparent complexity because they integrate information into meaningful whole |
| Perform complex motor tasks one-step-at-a-time using the conscious mind. | Perform complex motor tasks all-at-once using the subconscious mind. |
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From Novice to Expert
Consider well the following factors beyond just “being smart” that contribute to expertise:
- Nurture (through opportunity, extensive study, disciplined practice, and coaching) is extremely important in the development of expertise.
- Expertise is domain-specific. It is not correlated with general intelligence. In other words, being expert in chess does not make one expert in music.
- Experts do not typically possess extra-ordinary brains that are capable of remembering and calculating far beyond the capacity of “normal” brains.
- Expertise is largely about the mastery of meaningful patterns. Research has shown that chess masters are no better than chess novices at understanding and remembering random arrangements of chess pieces. Chess masters have a deep understanding when the chessboard is arranged in meaningful patterns based on the themes and strategies of chess.
- Expertise is the product of experience–specifically the kind of experience that comes with disciplined work in pursuit of a meaningful goal.
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Takeaways
- Expertise cannot be explained by innate talent alone.
- Expertise is the inevitable fruit of meaningful experience.
- Expertise is about internalizing useful patterns.
- Expertise is the inevitable reward for studying and practicing the right things the right way.
- Expertise is born of humility, curiosity, honesty, and discipline.
- Expertise is not a destination, but a never-ending journey.
In summary, all experts, whatever their natural endowment, have one trait in common: LOVE for what they are doing. Such passion fuels the discipline required to study and persevere when things get tough… in other words, after all the non-experts have given up.
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learn more… Mindset and Attitude
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