The most memorable theory in Outliers is that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in any field. If you want to see what a genuine guitar expert looks like (and I highly recommend you watch this), look no further than John Butler:
I’ve probably watched that Youtube video more than any other — it’s my favorite song. “Ocean” is absolutely amazing to watch and still gives me chills at its crescendo. The coolest thing about it is that no one will ever play it like Butler, though many have tried. While this kid knows how to play it, he doesn’t have the ability to truly play it.
You see Butler’s soul pour out of his body when he plays. The rhythm, emotion, and intensity he performs with will never be reproduced by any other guitar player, simply because he’s played it more times than they ever will. That’s what 10,000 hours does for you. It gives you the ability to do something that people can imitate, but never replicate.
Charlie,
I don’t know if you’ve seen Gladwell’s awesome presentation (http://poptech.org/popcasts/popcasts.aspx?lang=&viewcastid=206) about Outliers, but it’s worth checking out as a review of the book. I’m assuming it’s mostly a recap of the book, since I haven’t read Outliers yet. It’s obvious just from watching that video that Outliers isn’t nearly as bad as so many people say it is.
Thanks for posting the Butler video, he’s fucking good.
By: Mike on December 29, 2008
at 11:44 pm
Hey Mike, just watched the presentation you linked to. Yea, most of that material is in the book. Definitely worth the read.
By: charhoehn@gmail.com on December 30, 2008
at 4:46 pm