One of my favorite outcomes from this was Dan Mclaughlin's attempt at becoming a pro-golfer[1] which he called "The Dan Plan".
What I found really interesting was that how you practice is so important and how we often get it wrong. When I think about things I've picked up mastery in over the years and things which eluded me, I see a lot of similarities. Mastery for me comes from varying the activities, not from rote repetition and "muscle memory."
On how to practice, I read once about the difference in the ways good amateur pianists practice and how top professionals typically practice. The amateurs will practice all their scales and pieces from start to finish by rote every day.
The Pros identify the specific scales and short sections of pieces they hit problems with, and focus almost all their practice on those tricky parts. As a result they get as much as 10x or 20x or more utility from the time they spend on it.
I have to wonder if the difference is because the latter is the better practice, or because they have already done the basic practice and don't need to do it anymore.
In other words, is it necessary to go through the rote work of practicing basics before becoming a pro? I would guess the answer is yes.
It would be far more telling to track many people, from beginner through their musical (in this case) careers, and determine who became pro and who didn't, and what their practice was like throughout.
Ya, it seems like practicing the difficult parts would just be a natural progression for anyone who is good enough that the easier parts are simple to them.
Oh I remember the Dan plan. Really great project. I wish there were more long term development challenges like these. All I found on a similar level were tow guys playing table tennis for a year.
What I found really interesting was that how you practice is so important and how we often get it wrong. When I think about things I've picked up mastery in over the years and things which eluded me, I see a lot of similarities. Mastery for me comes from varying the activities, not from rote repetition and "muscle memory."
[1] https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:NH2YUq...