speed=a good objective measure of technique? Not necesarily! Some things are bloody easy to play fast, if on the other hand you can string skip as fast as you can sweep picking I will build you a temple!
SPEED GIVES OPPORTUNITY FOR RHYTHMIC VARIETY.
Most music requires that the time intervals between notes are related by simple ratios of whole numbers ie one beat for the first note and two for the next. This vastly reduces the range of time intervals you can use in your playing - just as well or it might sound very sloppy. To build up the range of different time intervals again (and get back that variety) it helps if you can play some of them very very short and others very very long. My favourite players glide between riffle paced runs and big gliding bends that last for ever.
TECHNIQUE DEVELOPS SOUL:
Most obviously those wide quavering vibratos e.g. Malmsteem. The top rock players have a vast array of techniques at their disposal but most overlook the volume swell - "violining" where the string is hit with the volume turned off and the volume increased with the volume knob so that the trebly "attack" of the note is reduced and gradually lifts to burn at your ears. This sounds great with echo or reverb. For me violining is the king of techniques yet it is rarely heard. Good examples include Xanadu (Rush, - especially the version from Exit stage left) and many of Terje Rypdal's recordings.
If I couldn't laugh at myself how could I laugh at someone less ridiculous?
