It is vital to have the right technique when playing the guitar, there is no doubt about it. The question is what can you actually do with that technique? Or what is the best thing to do with that technique? Shred?

From my personal observation, I can tell you that the lately I am more and more interested in artists who achieved a high level of technical skills BUT DO A LOT TO AVOID OVERUSING the techniques they master. And here I think about Joe Satriani and, the reason of this particular post, John Petrucci.

It is great to master the guitar like nobody else, but think of showing those skills everywhere, everyday, on all your songs. Think Malmsteen, for example. Doesn’t get boring for the audience after a while? OK, I know, people know you for something and comes to your shows for that particular something, so you need to give the people what the came for, right? Bread and games, or how was the ancient Roman habit(more familiar to European readers) for keeping people under control?

But I do love a great artist who is a master of his instrument who comes up on stage and shows that he is looking for something more than showing skills and techniques, showing he’s looking for soul, for expression, to touch the hearts of audience, even if this means breaking new grounds, which the audience may not be quite used to do in the context of that particular artist.

Actually, I think that the true power of expression can only appear after you have conquered everything you can regarding your skills, when you know every note on the guitar neck and every possibility of expression, then, and only then, you can choose those notes that make the most of your song.

That’s where the soul begins…where virtuosity ends…

What do you think?

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