I started drumming when I was 21. There were a couple of long breaks, for a year or so, when I did not drum very much at all. And other periods when I was drumming for up to 10 hours a week.

I've now been drumming for 15 years, and in some ways, I can feel it. I'm comfortable playing and knowledgeable about a lot of rhythms. But it's like technology or wine - I'm either very capable and talented, or just a dabbler - depending on the level of the person I'm talking to.

I've realized that ultimately what will make me happy - the path I want to follow - is to drum, and to teach drumming. Yes, I'm already doing both of these, but I realize that I'm doing them off to the side. I've seen others - including Amanda - follow a path that has led them to a lot more in-depth study and daily practice. And I want to follow that example.

I've often been struck by the example set by Erik Ehn at CalArts, who has wanted forge real connections with Rwanda, in order to understand what happened to the country and its people before, during and after the genocide. And in order to make real connections, meaningful, long-term connections, Erik has committed himself (and CalArts) to a 10-year project, visiting the country every year over a decade.

This 10-year commitment echoes research I've read about (most recently in "This is your brain on music") about the committment it takes to become an expert at a physical activity. Research suggests that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice for someone to go above and beyond being capable, being talented, even beyond being good - 10,000 hours is the threshhold for being an expert.

That translates to 20 hours a week for ten years. If you think about it, that's a f#ck-load of time. Twenty hours a week. For ten years. No wonder people who put in this amount of time are geniuses - it's a helluva a lot of time.

There is additional research into the quality of the time invested - just because you've had the same part-time job for the last decade may not (necessarily) make you a genius at it. There is a type of focus and feedback loop that catalyzes this kind of training.

So now I'm taking a giant humility pill and approaching the Temple of the Drum prostrate, as an absolute beginner, indicating my intention to committ ten years to becoming ... maybe not a genius, but an expert. And by that I mean that by the end of these ten years, I will really know how little I know, but that will put me in the company of many other great - and hopefully humble - percussionists.

The journey has already begun - I committed myself to this at the beginning of the year, and already I've made leaps and bounds in my understanding of rhythm, learning new rhythms, and improving my technique.