Forty Second Street

A musician told me this week that he could tell whether someone was a good drummer within 40 seconds of their starting to play.

It initially seemed a slightly odd claim. But the same day I went  to see a friend give a piano recital, never having seen him play before.

I think it was not much more than five seconds, easily less than 10 seconds into Bach's Partita No 1 in B Flat Major that I realised he really could play – and it was going to be a memorable performance.

So maybe 40 seconds is more than enough to make a judgment. And, I suppose, more than enough if the music is not so good...