On a train to New York, I saw a man unpack a portable electric guitar, assemble it, plug earphones into it, and begin to play. \u00a0He was sitting at the window with two people packed next to him. \u00a0No one heard a sound.<\/p>\n

On the way out of the train, I asked him how long he\u2019d had the instrument. \u00a0\u201cAbout a year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you a professional?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n

I said I was a crude folky taking lessons, and he said he was taking lessons too\u2014in jazz. \u00a0I told him I was self-taught, and only now realizing how complex music is.<\/p>\n

He looked at me.\u00a0 \u201cWelcome to the game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He got 45 minutes of practice on his morning commute, and 45 going home. \u00a0That\u2019s an hour-and-a-half of practice for a guy who has a law practice, a family, and a jones for music.<\/p>\n

Music is a communication skill.\u00a0 So is speaking.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not practicing, someone out there is, and when you meet that person, she will win.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the game.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a train to New York, I saw a man unpack a portable electric guitar, assemble it, plug earphones into it, and begin to play. \u00a0He was sitting at the window with two people packed next to him. \u00a0No one heard a sound. On the way out of the train, I asked him how long… Read More »Welcome to the game<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_ti_tpc_template_sync":false,"_ti_tpc_template_id":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[603,297,291,623,630,631,628,331,327,337,632,459,633,117,333,401],"yoast_head":"\n