How to be a great player

[Longkumer]

I would like to ask if anyone can let me understand what makes a guitar player great. There are many players who plays very well but as we know.....
I have seen some shred wars on youtube where two guitar players compete. To me they both played well, but as I scrolled down the comment section, there!!!! I saw people commenting " he was badly destroyed by the other player".
How do I know one plays better than the other?
Example, our teacher Synyster Gates. "He's a monster at his guitar playing", that's what I used to hear. Thank you!!

 

[idssdi]

For me note choice and style do make a guitar player great. I couldn't care less how many notes you can play within a sec(I mean it's a neat trick by that's about it). If you take Syn sense of melody, feel and note choice away there really isn't a lot of interesting stuff left to me.


Also having a sense of what to play over a backingtrack is really important too. Shredding like Yngwie Malmsteen over a slow blues is absolutely horrible and misplaced.

 

[Dominik Gräber]

Glad to see you've taken this to the Forum too

 

[Bellah83]

I would like to ask if anyone can let me understand what makes a guitar player great. There are many players who plays very well but as we know.....
I have seen some shred wars on youtube where two guitar players compete. To me they both played well, but as I scrolled down the comment section, there!!!! I saw people commenting " he was badly destroyed by the other player".
How do I know one plays better than the other?
Example, our teacher Synyster Gates. "He's a monster at his guitar playing", that's what I used to hear. Thank you!!

I think everybody might have a different opinion on what makes a player great. For me, certain notes over certain chord progressions invoke emotion or an adrenaline rush. Goosebumps. That's why I'm a fan of Adam Jones. Not much of what he does is overly complicated or impressive by shredder standards. But there is a certain beauty to subtlety. The way he can control feedback or use a pick scrape. And the way he uses his riffs together with the bassist. His solo on Descending will probably be my one of my favorites for years.
Syn on the other hand, crazy/chaotic use of notes and chords, insane technique, stage presence and charisma. Polar opposite of AJ, but the dude is just fuckin fun to watch on top of being a great musician. He inspires me to work at this as much as I can.

Most times when I watch a shred battle or read others opinions of musicians I tend to disagree. Some really amazing players just don't do anything for me.
Like something because you like it, not because other people like it. Music is about emotion and we're not all in the same place at the same time.

 

[Ed Seith]

The ability to play almost anything, and the maturity and understanding not to.

I find the "shred war" things technically impressive, but not at all memorable. I think a great player finds the balance between the soul-searing technique and the melody, and the feel of a single note in the right place with the right touch.

The many, the few, and the one.

 

[idssdi]

The ability to play almost anything, and the maturity and understanding not to.

I find the "shred war" things technically impressive, but not at all memorable. I think a great player finds the balance between the soul-searing technique and the melody, and the feel of a single note in the right place with the right touch.

The many, the few, and the one.

Ed said everything I tried to say but worded it Soo much better

 

[Dominik Gräber]

The ability to play almost anything, and the maturity and understanding not to.

I find the "shred war" things technically impressive, but not at all memorable. I think a great player finds the balance between the soul-searing technique and the melody, and the feel of a single note in the right place with the right touch.

The many, the few, and the one.

Kinda the same answer I gave! Most of those shred wars or collabs isn't memorable for me either unless there is a player that comes up with some really good melody or rhythm that gets stuck in my head.

Which happened exactly once. Have a look at Angel Vivaldi at 9:21

 

[Ed Seith]

He is memorable, for sure, and Christ, that harmonic at the end! WHOA!

 

[Daniel Sobota]

For me a great player is able to take an existing style of music and make it their own. That's how you get inovative stuff and make things more interesting. It's easy to buy a Dimebag Darrell signature guitar and a 5150 and play like him, but it's hard to make something of your own.

 

[Rute Rodrigues]

@Ed Seith Man i dont know how you do that, but my teacher used to use that phrase SO MUCH!!! Even now when we talk he always tells me that same phrase!! #whatedsaid My teacher says that what makes a great player is having his own style. Trying to be like your heros is cool to learn and practice, but I think that at some point you have to start developing your own style. And by that I mean your musical instincts. The sounds that you like. How you want to express yourself, what do you wanna talk about and what do you want to say when you play. Being able to express your emotions through your music, and hopefully that touches someone too.

Also, i think a good guitar player is the one that is different from the others. Like, that phrase Ed said is one of the most important things my teacher said to me, right before my music school close. You see people playing fast, but there’s million guys doing that too. Try to be different, try to do things that no one is doing. A great guitar player is the one who can change the way that the music in his/her time is being played, the one who can define a sound of a period of time and influence and inspire other. You see, im gonna give you an example. Idk if you guys like Polyphia, but Tim is a great example. No one was mixing intrumental metal with some kinds of hip hop and that tipe of clean riffs with crazy arpeggios and harmonics. I have no idea of how the hell that guys writes riffs like that, but that to me is interesting.

Shit, I never wrote so much in my life, not even in my English writing tests; wow xD

 

[Csgozzo91]

I agree with @Daniel Sobota. And I can add that what makes a guitar player great is the ability to connect with people through the melodies and the versatility to apply all the knowledge in many styles and genres. That's too difficult to achieve in my opinion.

 

[AGA]

A great guitar player is the one who can change the way that the music in his/her time is being played, the one who can define a sound of a period of time and influence and inspire other.

That!
And also #WhatEdSaid

 

[Ben newton]

To me, a great guitar player is someone who has found their voice whatever that may be. I've seen some amazing shredders who have really developed their technique to an incredible level. I have heard some rhythmic and funky guitar players that are natural metronomes and really understand how rhythm works. I've seen guitarists that know when enough is enough - some of them might play multiple instruments and so fully understand and get how to layer. Not to mention the guys who play in the pits, they're incredible due to their sight reading abilities. You've also got the people who can just absorb everything they hear and make it musical.

I think those types of people stated above have the following in common (and gives my opinion of what makes a great player);They know what to practice, and they practice efficiently. I think thats what can make a great guitar player. Of course there is the part about gaining experience from all areas of music, which in itself is practice.

This comment might seem a bit vague and short, but a great player to me is someone who has worked on the right things to develop that "voice"!

 

[Calvin Phillips]

It's all about the FEEL and VIBE.

 

[carlosmqr]

What everyone said before...and I think we all look at different things and feel different things when listening to music/guitar, we still can agree in what makes a great player great, but that same great player can mean a lot to me and nothing to you, so in my opinion I never really care if the guy is great technically or if is really known in the music world and everyone look at him like a god. The great players to me are the ones I like what they play and make me feel something with their playing. That doesnt make the others better or worst in my point of view.
So as Calvin said is about feel and vibe to me too. The other ones are still great with their feel and vibe to other people that like that feel and vibe.

 

[Andrew Milner]

I kind of resonate with what Ed said on the matter...like a lot. I also don't wanna be the "feel guy", but...it truly is about feeling and vibe (thanks Calvin).

I mean to me, it's important to have your own style, that one thing that sets you apart. That's why many YouTube guitarists tend to bore me. In the end, they all strive to be versatile in technique but stop at that. To the point where it all sounds samey-samey. Not to take anything away from them mind you, but the main thing that separates the best from the rest is their style.

Syn has his own style which I'll be able to pinpoint just about anytime I hear just a fragment of a song. It's because he has his own unique tone and his own unique playing style, which have both evolved enormously over time. But I'll still be able to easily recognize them.

Another thing which I think makes a great guitarist is knowing when to play a note. I can't think of a better definition for this but think about Brian May. I'll always consider Queen a very special band, which while overplayed, I often find underrated in some aspects. And it's because Freddie was so good that people often overlook how good Brian May is. Seriously, I have listened to a lot, and I mean a lot of Queen songs, and I can't think of a single one where I go: "huh, Brian May should have done this better". His sense of note placement and melody is off the charts (pun intended).

 

[Ekrem Taha Ünlü]

My idea about being a great player is learn what you play, create original things and be yourself! Example on Syn : He knows everyhing on guitar, his solos are extraordinary and if Syn plays you know that!