I wish somebody had told me about keyword research before I became the number 2 search result for “8020 principle drums”. A keyword with…let me check…ah…zero monthly searches.
I would have named my channel “How to Get Rich Playing Drums”, or “Best Practice Pad Reviews”.
(Sidebar: why does everybody think it’s the gear?)
But, alas, I planted my flag as defender of the 8020 Pareto Principle in music. Truly a tree falling in the woods.
So, it’s come to pass that it’s probably time to own the association.
The catalyst, as it often is, was a YouTube comment.
“Is your channel named after the Pareto Principle? Can you explain the origins?”
And, like a lemming unable to resist a good cliff dive, I took the bait.
What I’m saying is…prepare yourself for a pretty…academic lesson.
But, I’d argue, an important one.
Even early comments on the lesson demonstrate just how far off-the-mark many people’s understanding of practice is.
One guy essentially said “the 80/20 of practice is practice - beyond that it’s mostly academic”.
Another said “I’ve had more success with un-structured practice”, implying that I was somehow advocating rigid practice routines, when, in fact, I’m doing almost the opposite.
I love when the lesson itself is the best rebuttal to the comments on the lesson.
I’ll let you watch the video, and decide for yourself, but the question I try to resolve are:
Is there a such thing as “better” and “worse” practice?
If “yes”, is the difference between better and worse a matter of minor degrees, like height distribution, or “night and day”, as you see with economics or pea plants?
Finally, if there are better and worse things to practice, what are those better things
If you’re a wonk, and truly care about getting better faster, I think you’ll enjoy this one.