What makes a guitarist good?

[Shibs]

The great guitar players express themselves in their playing, so IMO it's the players that have feeling and attitude in their playing styles that are great... immagine listening to "Always With Me, Always With You" without the feeling coming through,

Being a technical player is great too, but if you can't put some feeling and soul into the playing, the player will lose me! I guess that is why I didn't like Malmstein much 25 years ago.... I didn't get that from his playing, but even as basic as Angus Youngs playing style is, I always felt the emotion and attitude come through!

Hands down.....it's emotion and attitude first IMHO!

[hippietim]

Cool guitars. Good players always have cool guitars.

[fett]

Regardless of the style; the genre; the glitz; the tools or anything else, for me it's; "Man , that sounds great. I wish I could play like that."

[ABSOLUT CHARVEL]

when less is more....

[SEEGERMANY]

Cool guitars. Good players always have cool guitars.

Even shit players have cool guitars. I'm a prime example.

[LouSiffer]

Its like the old joke goes: How many guitar players does it take to change a light bulb? 100.... 1 to change it and the other 99 to sit back and say " I could have done it better than that! "

Asking what makes a good guitar player is like asking " what makes a girl hot?"

You will get varied opinions. But, we all know its about killer graphics on a guitar.....right?-Lou

[fett]

So here we are playing all these bid buck guitars. Well, maybe not me.:ROTF: It's not the guitar. It's the ability of the player to get the mind and the fingers to work as one. A good ear helps. Then a knowledge of where on the board to produce his thoughts to get the expression for us to hear.:ROTF:

[Ace]

A good guitar player is someone who picks up their instrument, plugs it in and can comfortably and consistently play whatever music he needs to with fluidity and passion. You can tell by the way a guy picks up his guitar if he knows what he's doing or not.

And BTW Chuck Schuldiner may have been a bit rough around the edges on the first few albums, but you can't listen to Sound of Perserverance and tell me that he doesn't have songwriting AND licks to match just about anyone on this planet.

[horns666]

What makes anything "good"?

The advantage of having natural ability far exceeds anything else IMO. Music, art, ect.. is a huge part of a person's identity. That spark is either there or not..and it is unique as a thumbprint. When a player can convey that the best they can..people will listen.

For me "originality" is most important. Without that, everything will stagnate. It's great that millions of players are influenced by Eddie Van Halen. But, millions of players trying to be Eddie Van Halen is lame.

[AlexL]

Well, I can only assume it requires what all of the "Guitarist Wanted" ads in the 80's said:

"Must have hair, attitude".


- E.

[drockilles]

The ability to write a good song. Of course "good" is subjective. All the technical ability in the world won't get you famous, look at all these bedroom shredders on youtube. If they put more time into writing original songs instead of going up 10 bpm, they could go somewhere.

[Cygnus X1]

If I list what I consider good guitarists, I can list both taste, and speed. Proper note placement within the conetxt of the song...etc.
Ric Emmet, I've heard him shred, but it's the songs that stand out. Melodic, and bluesy all at the same time.
Robin Trower...the hooks!
EVH...old, the speed, the technique, the hooks, and a bit of humor thrown in.
Jimi...had hooks. Every note he played went with the song. He could play three notes and you knew what song he was playing.
SRV, had the same...
So when I go through a few, it seems it's what I call hooks, song, not speed.
It's passion, not notes.

[ABSOLUT CHARVEL]

then there is passion, notes, speed and everything in between (including a guitar Goddess): Rodrigo y Gabriela

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNc5o...eature=related

[Outlander]

Well, I can only assume it requires what all of the "Guitarist Wanted" ads in the 80's said:

"Must have hair, attitude".


- E.

You left two off ....pro gear and your own transportation.

As to the question I think it boils down to emotion and communication.As was said by vitamin G, (fire in the belly) and having at least the basic skills to enable the listener to feel the emotion as well.

[RacerX]

If they put more time into writing original songs instead of going up 10 bpm, they could go somewhere.

All the way up to 10, huh?