What are these kids taking to get so advanced so soon?

[Tim]

The internet, mostly, but a lot of these kids just stay at home and practice all day. On the plus side, most of the kids I know who can shred all over the neck for hours on end can't actually play the guitar musically. They've spent so long practising going up and down the harmonic minor scale really fast that they just simply can't make it sound like music.

[Musician78]

I think much of it has to do with slow down software also. I depend on that a lot. When you can take a solo and slow it down and not have the pitch altered helps you beyond belief. Both for technique AND accuracy.

[thebeggar]

On the other hand, I cannot learn ANYTHING by ear. Not even the simplest of songs.

+1000

I'm absolutely useless trying to learn anything by ear. I swear to god i'm tone deaf.

Guitar pro was the single biggest thing getting me back into actually playing and learning and therefore progressing rather than mindless noodling.

I love youtube as well.

[Newc]

Texting and surfing the internet (typing) will improve your dexterity, not to mention video games.

If you convince one of these kids to drop the pick and use both hands, you'll see a lot of 2-handed players.

Another important factor is they're in an entirely different atmosphere than we were. With us, back in the late 80s, if you weren't a piano or violin virtuoso at 9, your parents drilled it into your head that "taht noise you're playing" wasn't music, and you were wasting your time.

Today, the kids that can wail are the children of the people who listened to the music, and who could get the kid started, and knew not to tell them "you can't do that".

[Robert Burns]

The internet, mostly, but a lot of these kids just stay at home and practice all day. On the plus side, most of the kids I know who can shred all over the neck for hours on end can't actually play the guitar musically. They've spent so long practising going up and down the harmonic minor scale really fast that they just simply can't make it sound like music.

Boy thats true! I find that when im impressed with a YJM clone at a GC/
SamAsh, i only have to listen for about 2 min to notice he has no timing!
Could never play AC/DC tunes...just shreds to his "Inner meter".
They play all day long, and get amazing dexterity, but forget about the
drum tracks to train their ears.

[horns666]

Yep..great thread Sav!

Youtube!! Any guitar hero these kids love..there is tons of them covering their songs. There is so much info, instruction, inspiration, competition ect..right at their fingertips. Its like the gunslinger shit from the 80's times a billion. We didn't have this shit. We slowed down records like Eddie to lear a simple riff..we were on our own. Our parents couldn't play fuggin' shit..Now everyon'e mom or dad shreds balls...that would be folks like us.

I bought my son a Jackson and Line 6 just over a year ago. He learned in one year what took me 30. He's got a tighter and faster right hand. His palm muted rythms are fuggin' insane. Get this, he does NOT know how to tune a guitar yet...he's not intrested in that..that's boring. He could play most of Eruption in a few months. BUT I gave him everything on a silver platter including decent gear to get great sounds. Unlike the cheap crap we were weened on. That makes a HUGE difference I think..decent gear. Alot of us would prolly sound like ass if we played our first shit guitar and Sears and Roebucks amp.

BTW..Isn't this MUCH better than what kids were doing 6-7-8 years ago..during the ebonic plague and NU age..boy, that was a really bad time for geetar IMO!

[Partial @ Marshall]

Cuz we blazed the trail for them...I think all us old timers deserve the credit

[horns666]

Cuz we blazed the trail for them...I think all us old timers deserve the credit

Absolutely..Fuck yeah!!

[Tim]

Yep..great thread Sav!

Youtube!! Any guitar hero these kids love..there is tons of them covering their songs. There is so much info, instruction, inspiration, competition ect..right at their fingertips. Its like the gunslinger shit from the 80's times a billion. We didn't have this shit. We slowed down records like Eddie to lear a simple riff..we were on our own. Our parents couldn't play fuggin' shit..Now everyon'e mom or dad shreds balls...that would be folks like us.

I bought my son a Jackson and Line 6 just over a year ago. He learned in one year what took me 30. He's got a tighter and faster right hand. His palm muted rythms are fuggin' insane. Get this, he does NOT know how to tune a guitar yet...he's not intrested in that..that's boring. He could play most of Eruption in a few months. BUT I gave him everything on a silver platter including decent gear to get great sounds. Unlike the cheap crap we were weened on. That makes a HUGE difference I think..decent gear. Alot of us would prolly sound like ass if we played our first shit guitar and Sears and Roebucks amp.

BTW..Isn't this MUCH better than what kids were doing 6-7-8 years ago..during the ebonic plague and NU age..boy, that was a really bad time for geetar IMO!

Make him play the same stuff on a clean valve amp as he does on the Spider and you might hear a big difference

[MartinBarre]

It's pretty easy when you have cheap, good sounding stuff available plus more information than you can ever use for free at your fingertips.

On the other hand, I cannot learn ANYTHING by ear. Not even the simplest of songs.

I find tab a pain in the ass to use, but I can play most stuff by ear.

[thetroy]

In hindsight I wish I never knew that tab existed, but it's too late now.

[wreckingcrew]

Yep..great thread Sav!

Youtube!! Any guitar hero these kids love..there is tons of them covering their songs. There is so much info, instruction, inspiration, competition ect..right at their fingertips. Its like the gunslinger shit from the 80's times a billion. We didn't have this shit. We slowed down records like Eddie to lear a simple riff..we were on our own. Our parents couldn't play fuggin' shit..Now everyon'e mom or dad shreds balls...that would be folks like us.

I bought my son a Jackson and Line 6 just over a year ago. He learned in one year what took me 30. He's got a tighter and faster right hand. His palm muted rythms are fuggin' insane. Get this, he does NOT know how to tune a guitar yet...he's not intrested in that..that's boring. He could play most of Eruption in a few months. BUT I gave him everything on a silver platter including decent gear to get great sounds. Unlike the cheap crap we were weened on. That makes a HUGE difference I think..decent gear. Alot of us would prolly sound like ass if we played our first shit guitar and Sears and Roebucks amp.

BTW..Isn't this MUCH better than what kids were doing 6-7-8 years ago..during the ebonic plague and NU age..boy, that was a really bad time for geetar IMO!

damn, he started with some good gear!! I started off with an HSS Squir Strat and a Drive amp. That was 3 and a half years ago.. I then moved to a 100 watt Johnson Blueline and a Fender Standard Satin Strat. Then got my self a Charvel and slowly added a few more guitars. Now my rig is a Vox Valvetronix half stack, MXR Dime Distortion, Dunlop Wah, and a Duncan Pickup Booster as well as quite a few different guitars.

There weren't that many great guitarists at my school. When i graduated, there were only 3 good lead guitarists and that was my friend/band mate Eric, this dude I knew who was awesome at blues, and myself. Eric is now more of a rhythm player though.

[Special-K]

They may have speed and technique but most of them lack on soul, melody, enegy and most of all the heart for music..

[Flatpicker]

Texting and surfing the internet (typing) will improve your dexterity, not to mention video games.

If you convince one of these kids to drop the pick and use both hands, you'll see a lot of 2-handed players.

Another important factor is they're in an entirely different atmosphere than we were. With us, back in the late 80s, if you weren't a piano or violin virtuoso at 9, your parents drilled it into your head that "taht noise you're playing" wasn't music, and you were wasting your time.

Today, the kids that can wail are the children of the people who listened to the music, and who could get the kid started, and knew not to tell them "you can't do that".

Agreed.
Back when we started, it was considered something that you did to rebel.
Nowadays, with us coming into the parent role, it's accepted and encouraged.

[Jayster]

ritalin - it's really speed