MisterTV
Silver Supporting Member
- Messages
- 1,061
First of all, I am NOT a shredder by anyone's definition, including my own. After 30-plus years of playing, I'm very familiar with my own technical limitations and BPM speed limits.
Over time, I've noticed that many famous players who are praised for their elite abilities become visibility annoyed when asked the same question - "how did you learn to play so FAST?"
The answers tend to be slight variations on the same theme - it's one component of playing, you need to be creative and musical, start slowly and work your way up, etc. All true statements and very sage advice.
So here's why I think these top players grow so weary of this topic - for them, they were able to master speed very quicky and very early in their learning. It's not a lifelong quest for them as it may be to the person asking the question.
What they're not able to say, for obvious reasons is, "Look, if playing fast is still a struggle after three to five years of guitar playing, it's just not happening for you. You can go crazy for the next 20 years trying to muddle through a few Van Halen solos, or you can accept the reality that your best musicianship will come from redirecting limitations into different and more creative avenues."
This realization came to me when a kid behind the counter at Guitar Center tried selling me some kind of string spray that he said would help me play faster.
I smiled and told him that at my age, it's going to take a lot more than a can of something to make me a fast guitar player.
I'm totally fine saying "I can't do that" if asked to play some kind of blistering metal lead. But I understand why it takes younger players a while to reach that point of acceptance (and reality).
Over time, I've noticed that many famous players who are praised for their elite abilities become visibility annoyed when asked the same question - "how did you learn to play so FAST?"
The answers tend to be slight variations on the same theme - it's one component of playing, you need to be creative and musical, start slowly and work your way up, etc. All true statements and very sage advice.
So here's why I think these top players grow so weary of this topic - for them, they were able to master speed very quicky and very early in their learning. It's not a lifelong quest for them as it may be to the person asking the question.
What they're not able to say, for obvious reasons is, "Look, if playing fast is still a struggle after three to five years of guitar playing, it's just not happening for you. You can go crazy for the next 20 years trying to muddle through a few Van Halen solos, or you can accept the reality that your best musicianship will come from redirecting limitations into different and more creative avenues."
This realization came to me when a kid behind the counter at Guitar Center tried selling me some kind of string spray that he said would help me play faster.
I smiled and told him that at my age, it's going to take a lot more than a can of something to make me a fast guitar player.
I'm totally fine saying "I can't do that" if asked to play some kind of blistering metal lead. But I understand why it takes younger players a while to reach that point of acceptance (and reality).