When was it that a well executed melody or a simply stated guitar line started to lose out to flashyness?
Or, maybe what I'm really asking is why is it that the speed of a guitar player is SO OFTEN seen as the MOST important measure of greatness?
I've been thinking about this again since I attended a jam where I ran into a guy from the other Fender forum who used to play with a group I later joined in his place.
When I left that group because the set list was just SO LAME it was unbelievable, the lead guitar player asked if I had quit because he was SO good.
All he was was fast. He could run up and down the neck five times in three seconds but gave little consideration to using his instrument to actually say something.
Now, I don't think that everything should be simply stated, but I just wonder why it appears as though the first thing lots of players go for today is speed over content.