What makes a guitarist 'good'?

Question

I have the feeling this question will sound awfully lame and obvious...

I starting playing on my dad's (giant large-necked classical) guitar when I was like 9 years old (I think thats accurate) . Only half-knowing I wanted to learn to play guitar. At the time I had been learning piano for a couple of years, though I hated it for some wierd reason - I just hated practicing, I don't know why, because I love practicing Guitar (Maybe because I was into rock music and the things I could play were nowhere close to what I liked). I quit piano and started playing guitar (A christmas gift) seriously sometime when I was 10 but quit all music for a little while. Now I'm turning 12 in February 2007 and I'm practicing everyday (I'm not taking lessons because I feel - like some unknown Yahoo Answers user said, "It turns something you want to do, into something you need to do)

I come to this website alot to find methods of teaching yourself (there are lots of those questions) >>continued>>

-and I visit http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/ almost daily. I consider myself pretty good for the time I've been playing but I'm still sort of a beginner. I want to get an electric guitar so I can play music to suit my tastes more (I play an acoustic that fits me at the moment). But I've been stumped with a question lately; What do you have to be able to do in order to be 'classified' as a 'good' or 'skilled' guitarist. I mean any body can get tabs of the internet a play a song. This will help me set goals in a more realistic fashion, as for right now I can't really know how skilled I want to be. (weird huh?)

Answer 1

I have been playing guitar for twelve years now and have pretty much taught myself. Like you I read alot of tab and get it off the computer because it's too damn expensive at the store. But anyway in my opinion you can consider yourself a good/great guitarist if when you play in front of people and they actually enjoy what you are playing. If not then keep practicing. People have told me that i'm really good but I still am not anywhere near where I want to be. When you look at players like Eddie Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Rhandy Rhodes, etc. I mean sure with alot of hard work I can play thier songs but you have to stop and think they wrote those songs themselves. When I can make up some killer songs like they wrote then I am where I want to be music wise and will consider myself a good guitarist. Good luck to ya and keep jammin. I only wish I would've started playing when I was your age. I would be even better now.

Answer 2

Anybody can look at tabs and play them. What makes you different is how you play it. Different people will make different interpretations of the same music. Some people are horrible to hear and some will make horrible music sound great.

Look at the sort of guitarists you want to be like and practise the techniques to get you there.

Answer 3

I've played for 30+ years. I've seen guys that were horrible, and guys that make you wonder if they haven't got seven fingers on each hand(man, they can play fast)
It isn't the speed, it isn't showmanship. It's a combination of many things, which I see less and less of nowdays. Good? Good enough for what? To do what? Are you enjoying what you do? If you want professionalism, there's alot that goes into it.

Answer 4

It's style more than anything. An example I like is the country guitarist Chet Atkins. Watch and listen to him. Everything he does is effortless. Very smooth and slick. But mostly very difficult to copy. Check him out. Even if your not a country fan. His work is great.