I find it amazing that anyone reaches the level of technical skill required to play a musical instrument while maintaining any kind of artistic drive. I play guitar for fun, and for me to learn anything that sounds any good takes hours of repetition to the point that when I can finally play something to a level that sounds passable, I am so utterly sick of hearing it that I start to dislike most pieces I've learned!

This sentence resonated with me, maybe it's this feeling that keeps someone playing: "There were tricky passages I would dread, notes in the middle of chords I would bluff and hope nobody noticed. But in between attacks of nerves I felt a thrill, and a sense of harmony, when I managed to make the notes sparkle; when my mind, my hands and my ears were all in sync."