---
title: "Taste, Intuition and the Dunning-Kruger Effect in Music"

description: "This episode is as much a message, a reminder, for me as it is a pod for you. Taste and intuition in music (and life) are epic quests, filled with the dangers of arrogance and complacency. The key to growth is always being around (virtually or physically) those that are better than you are. And the path isn't to study every note. It's to learn intuitively. To soak it in. And to fail spectacularly. All that and more on Music 101, lol."

status: complete

date: 2022-04-25

kind: solo

guestSlugs: []

listenUrl: "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/Taste--Intution-and-the-Dunning-Kruger-Effect-in-Music-e1hl1v4"
appleUrl: "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste-intution-and-the-dunning-kruger-effect-in-music/id1567355195?i=1000558630002&uo=4"
spotifyUrl: "https://open.spotify.com/episode/0VlWRS2obdJxM1g6oLcYgf"

topicsDiscussed:
  - "Effects"
  - "Failure"
  - "Intuitive Learning"
  - "Taste in Music"
  - "Dunning-Kruger Effect"
  - "Cultural Perspectives"
  - "Osmosis in Learning"
  - "Experiential Education"
  - "Growth Mindset"
  - "Understanding Subjectivity"
  - "Articulation and Flow"

hostNote: |
  There are things in music that can only be learned, not taught. You can memorize every scale in a book and still not know when to deploy one, how to phrase it, or how to listen to the room. That gap, between knowing the rule and having the feel, is what taste and intuition actually are.
  
  I get into the Dunning-Kruger problem as it applies specifically to musicians: the hit of despair when you realize how far there is to go, and why the only way out is through doing rather than thinking. The path I keep coming back to is osmosis, exposing yourself to great work and asking "how would I have done that?" rather than analyzing it to death.
  
  The takeaway is that failure isn't the obstacle to developing intuition; it's the mechanism. There's always someone better, and that's the point.

selectedMoments:
  - label: "Explaining Intuitive Learning"
    startSec: 49
    note: "I share my initial understanding of learning from books and the limitations I discovered when learning Japanese."
  - label: "Learning through Experience"
    startSec: 136
    note: "I emphasize that some lessons in music cannot be taught but must be learned through doing."
  - label: "Cultivating Taste"
    startSec: 183
    note: "I discuss the subjective nature of good taste and how exposure to great work elevates one's craft."
  - label: "Dunning-Kruger Effect in Musicianship"
    startSec: 364
    note: "I explain the phenomenon where beginners overestimate their abilities before realizing the complexity of music."
  - label: "The Importance of Experience"
    startSec: 630
    note: "I stress that true skill comes from knowing when to utilize learned techniques in practice."
  - label: "Embracing Failure for Growth"
    startSec: 679
    note: "I conclude that experiencing failure is essential for developing intuition and making progress."

excerptQuotes:
  - text: "...there are a few things that can only be learned, but cannot be taught."
    startSec: 134
    reviewed: true
  - text: "The key to getting out of that hit of despair is acceptance and plowing ahead and working on it because it's not, you're not just going to think your way out of it, you're going to have to do your way out of it."
    startSec: 405
    reviewed: true
  - text: "You need to know when to deploy those different scales and how to phrase them and how to play with others and all these other things that come from intuition."
    startSec: 690
    reviewed: true
  - text: "There's always somebody better than you, and that's the beauty of it; there's always room to grow."
    startSec: 724
    reviewed: true
  - text: "It's about exposing yourself to great work and asking yourself, how would I have done that?"
    startSec: 542
    reviewed: true

faq:
  - question: "What is the Dunning-Kruger effect in music?"
    answer: "The Dunning-Kruger effect describes a cognitive bias where beginners in a skill overestimate their competence, often realizing the true complexity only after gaining some experience."
  - question: "How can I develop my musical taste?"
    answer: "Developing musical taste involves critically engaging with music, listening to a wide array of artists, and understanding the context and techniques behind the sounds you enjoy."
  - question: "What is the role of failure in learning music?"
    answer: "Failure in music is crucial for growth; it forces you to confront your limitations and pushes you to improve by encouraging natural learning through experience and practice."

transcriptPublished: false

draft: false
---