David Epstien talks about this in Range.

Essentially, we have 'kind' and 'unkind' learning environments.

To be successful in a Kind environment, you drill-and-kill. The feedback is near instant and the ranking is clear. These are things like golf, classical music, and chess.

To be successful in an Unkind environment, you learn as much as you can. The feedback is infrequent and the ranking is murky. These are things like tennis, jazz, and business.

I'd think that the compounding interest only plays in the Unkind environments, as you can make new connections on the new data you've got going in. In the Kind environment, new data doesn't make a difference as you're just trying to be perfect at the thing you're focusing on; if anything it's an impediment.