Originally Posted by: john of MTMaybe that is the best answer... :)
Yeah, but I would take issue with the term "accomplished".. I realize I'm being nit-picky, but I think almost anyone, at any age, can become an "accomplished" guitar player. Really, to me, the secret is just doing what you do to the best of your ability, while staying within your natural limitations. In other words, you may not be able to learn how to be a blazing virtuoso at age 50, but you CAN learn how to play chords cleanly, stay in time, keep your picking tight, etc.
Some of the most popular songs out there are really not that complicated or hard to learn. If someone learns to play stuff that sounds nice, and plays well, I'm sure people would consider them an "accomplished" guitar player. Look at Neil Young with "A Horse With No Name"... just one chord. What I like about EkehMayu's answer is that there are tons of guitar players out there that have studied theory theory theory scale substitution X = Y plus the extra note etc... only to have no clue of what to play when someone says "hey, lets jam to this tune". I've witnessed it first hand. Theory is by no means a replacement for creativity. I'm not saying its bad, I'm saying its easy for players to get so immersed in it that they lose sight of just "making music". I knew one guy we "jammed" with who knew all his diatonic modes, could play legato all that kind of stuff... and was just clueless when it came to coming up with his own ideas. Really, he just froze up with a blank look on his face and then would just blame us saying the song was weird or something.
I don't think guys like David Gilmour or The Edge studied theory intensely, and yet the solos from "Comfortably Numb" and "New Years Day" are among my favorites. They clearly had "something to say". But I also really liked Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover", which I think would be pretty challenging for either of those two guitar players. I think in the 1980's the question was more relevant, because being the "best guitarist in the world" meant being a shredder. Now, there are just so many popular styles, that the question is really moot. There's really no way that anyone can claim top spot, as there is sure to be some other area of guitar that they are just not proficient in. Steve Vai was really impressed by Michel Hedges, for example. So really, in the end, its just about playing from the heart, doing it because you enjoy it, but still making an effort to do it as best as you can. What people think of you & your abilities after that is really beyond your control, so why worry about it?
