Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner It's not so simple as the 10,000 hour rule.

This is interesting to me...in my experience, status stuff seems to cross all sorts of economic boundaries.

It may be true that for some wealthy people, that very expensive piece of art on their wall made by a very prestigious artist is purely a status object, and is not something they really care about as art. I don't doubt it (even if I don't know of any actual examples of that happening).

But I've seen the same kind of maneuvering for status among people at pretty low economic levels in society, but obviously, it isn't going to be expressed in the same way.

Whatever...you were the one who came up with the formulation in this thread, so I guess you own it.

Ah, good. I'm glad I didn't have to draw this conclusion.

I agree that all income brackets have their "status symbols," but since we originally were talking about one specific type, I believe that's why the conversation steered in the way that it did. I don't think it's a crime of conscience to say that wealthy people are more likely to buy high-end luxury goods (art, pianos, etc) as either status symbols or investments, rather than for enjoyment.

I too entirely agree that status symbols exist in any class, sect or other hopefully PC term for groups of that kind I mean...the pope has a massive hat, chavs have really white trainers; anthropologically speaking *every* group that isn't entirely de-individualising will form hierarchies and...well...um, there will *always* be a symbol or token to signify the placement in that hierarchy (be it a matter of wealth, or taste, or being able to play certain pieces of the repertoire {someone who has played the Goldbergs in concert has that token as something that distinguishes them as a higher order pianist than some [most?] others, for instance} etc.)...there's no way around it; as a species we create lists and orders (how many threads are there of "who's the most...", "which piece is the hardest..." are there?) and when it comes to identifying with our own status it is a mixture of modesty and insecurity, or delusions of grandeur and arrogance, that dictate how we express that identity...maybe...but...um...the piano's great, isn't it?
Xxxx

No, you really don't. Just roll your eyes and move on.

Or better yet, just turn off the computer and play the piano.

Yes, that helps...thanks. I knew you didn't mean "discrimination" in the sense of bigotry against some group, as the word is often used these days. But what you did mean wasn't coming into focus for me, either.

I'm sure this is somehow related to the 10,000 hour rule.

I just don't see how.

Well, there are some interim steps...

Sometimes, in a crazy, crazy world, that's the only sane choice.

I don't view the 10,000 hour rule as a rule. I see it as an observation, as in: We've looked at lots of top-notch people in the field, and we find that it generally takes 10,000 hours of work to get to that level.

I do NOT view the reverse as true: Put in 10,000 hours as you'll be top-notch.