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To be good enough to make a living - 10,000 hours. Seriously!
To be "GREAT" - ? Probably longer.
I got serious when I was about 13. I played pretty much everyday, 3 hours a day on average (some days a lot longer, some days not at all, etc.) for 10 years. And then I started to make a living at it. That's 10,000 hours plus some.
All of my friends and colleagues that I came up with did essentially the same. We all focused and concentrated on different aspects of music at different times and for varying periods of time but we all put in pretty much the same amount of time ... and still do.
Everybody goes through phases of intense practice and then a backing off period where maybe you're discovering a new style and listening a lot. Or you get a steady gig or a Broadway show and you play the same tunes every night for 18 months and you don't want to or have time to 'learn' - but you;'re still playing (and learning a little slower maybe).
*There was an incredible thread on this about a year or so ago and I can't find it.
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