It seems the young generation of new guitarist are to hung up on speed.Lately every magazine is aimed at playing fast and are missing the point on a lot of key issues.I for one am not a big fan of shred ,though when done well I enjoy it but that is far and few.Some times you hear an example played slow than up to speed and the slow example usualy sounds better to me as you hear some resemblence of melody in the lick,where as up to speed it goes by so fast it just sounds like a blur.Hey averyone likes speed but you have to know how to use it and how to buid a solo and then climax with some pyros.It just cant be coming out at the gate at 180 bpm then where do you go.CLAPTON,SANTANA,ANGUS,HARRISON ,ARE SOME OF THE ALL TIME GREATS yet they are not fast players .Even HENDrIX by todays standards is not a fast player.TONE,NOTE SELECTION ,VIBRATO AND DYNAMICS ARE MORE IMPORTANT ASPECS OF LEAD GUITAR THAN SHEER SPEED.Even big shredders best known songs are some of there slowest VAI-FOR THE LOVE OF GOD /SATCH-ALWAYS WITH YOU ALWAYS WITH ME /ERIC JOHNSON -CLIFFS OF DOVER.All these songs have a strong melody and thats what makes them memorable.So all you guys who are hung up on shear speed rethink what you are doing and play from the heart.I love speed but not just for the sake of being fast -KEEP ON ROCKIN

I totally agree. I always wanted to be super fast to impress people. But when I started listening to SRV and classic rock I realized that that impressed me way more than any shred did. It's actually harder to play with soul than it is to blow through scales and arpeggios. But don't get me wrong, I do enjoy tapping and arpeggios very much when it's done tastefully and musically. When it's only purpose is "Hey look at me! I'm fast!" then I don't like it at all.

_________________
Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalairdmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckslaird
Instagram: http://instagram.com/beckslaird

I also agree! It seems like shredders and shredder wannabes often have this sort of "fastest gun in the west mentality," treating guitar playing as more of a competition than a artform. It frankly gets dull rather quickly. I totally respect their ability to play fast lighting fast arpeggios and blazing 32nd note riffs -- I certainly can't play like that -- but I can't say I really dig much of that type of music. After awhile it all starts to sound the same...

I dunno ... This goes pretty far back. It was the '80s - in my opinion - where this all started. There was a huge premium on being a fast lead-guitar player. Even back then, people had issues with it being "all about speed and no substance or style". And for the most part it was. But, to me, I came to the conclusion that only 10% of guitarists (at most) play with any significant style - regardless of any speed. The rest are destined to be (at best) guitarists that can capably play covers in a bar-band or some bad opening act. So, in the end, what does it matter if they are playing 8th notes or 64th notes?? My point is ... even if they slowed down, for the vast majority of guitar players out there, their playing would be equally uninspiring.

_________________
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Young electric guitar players have always been hung up on the concept of speed since the '60s. Today is no different... you've just got a bunch of new techniques for producing even faster flurries of notes. But the gunslinger attitude has been the same.

Even jazz cats used to try to blow each other away with speed playing. And listen to the way the classical piano guys talk about the Rach 3.

Nothing new under the sun.

I agree with you o1g about the speed movement starting in the 80s but there were a lot of extremely talented players who played in some pretty mediocre bands back then.And even though they played extremely fast there were a lot of memorable and musical solos.Today it seems that they are just hell bent on just playing so fast that there is no resemblence of even a melody and there is no TONE to most of these guys guitars or emotion in there playing ,it sounds so sterile.The factor seems to just be on speed and I must say it is at a point where you couldnt possibly play any faster.I just wish some of these new kids would learn to pull back the reighns a bit and learn to put some feel into there playing to match there chops .

I feel that there is a certain technique that you need to aquire before you can really shred well....

...on the other hand, sometimes it's space and time that can make for interesting passages.

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

So I take it your trip to Guitar Center was ruined by some "metalhead" soloing as fast as he could the ENTIRE time he was there?

I can't stand the whole "shred" thing. I think music is good playing MUSIC not playin' all the notes on the neck as fast as you can. But then again it's a opinion.

I totally agree here! I am 16, and most of my peers are too aimed at "shredding" and playing fast and tuning their guitars low. Personally, while I like metal and such, sweeping just sounds like trash after a while. Playing fast is good and all, but some slower licks are cool too. And the thing with the tuning is somethin' I don't get at all! Some one in my guitar class is all hyped up on his ego because he tuned to "Drop B." I didn't say anything, but I really wanted to say "Well whoop-dee-doo, ya wanna hug for that?"

I think a lot of new/young guitar players are too focused on maximizing their ego instead of just having fun playing. Can't walk around school hardly without being insulted because I like to listen to SRV. So what, it isn't Dragonforce or Carnifex or whatever.

Just personally, I like to play the guitar for MY enjoyment. No more, no less. Perhaps it is a lost concept amongst a lot of people?

Yeah, I know how that is. Most of my friends will have nothing to do with the music I listen to, they always like pop, rap or metal. Although one of my guitar player buddies is recently into SRV. And I have one other friend who likes classic rock, but that's about it.

_________________
Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalairdmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckslaird
Instagram: http://instagram.com/beckslaird

Tell him to listen to Duane Allman and he will hear someone who could realy play a guitar

_________________
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

speed in fine if it is tastfully done.

yeah , and they play to fast too.