What Takes 60 Years

May 28, 2009 at 7:08 PM

When asked how long he thought it took to master the violin, Milstein replied, "about 60 years."

Wow, that’s a pronouncement if ever there was one.

And for those of you who love the violin and don’t have those 60 sixty years of study behind you I think it should take some of the pressure off. After all, if the master says we have sixty years, we’ve got sixty years.

I figure if I can learn something new on the violin each day, and I’ve got another 15,333 days, who knows I just might prove him right.

But seriously, was he serious in saying that? After all, he could physically play anything written for the violin at that time by the age of 12.

So this is my feeling about his comment.

The great challenge to us all is to progress with the violin such that every intelligence – and there are 7 – we possess is represented in our playing to the furthest extent we are capable.

Mastery, therefore, is actually going to be different for every one of us. We each own part of the gene pool; we’re not the whole pond.

That being said, there is much for us to learn in the world, too.

Nurture provides the means for us to shape our talents around common themes; one’s ear must be adjusted to classical music, for instance.

So the trick is to find the balance between being utterly unique, and therefore unapproachable, or a slave to conformity.

And as I said, there are 7 intelligences, and getting the balance right in all seven can take awhile.

The other thing that occurs to me, is that it really doesn’t matter what age you are or in what shape you are in, as long as you are conscious. The question still remains, "How am I choosing to stand at this moment?"

All the Best,