Bearitto said:Mr Tulip said:
There's a tendency to confuse "fast" guitar playing with "good" guitar playing. I've got 40 years as a cellist. My fingers can, with enough drilling, keep up with any amount of notes. That's just dexterity - a trait learned through repetition barring physical limitation.
Clapton has the nickname "slowhand". He doesn't always play fast. The notes to "Sunshine of your Love" and "Wonderful Tonight" aren't tough. However, I don't "quite" sound like Clapton when I play. I sound like me trying to play Clapton. Our feeling of the music is different and personal.
My passion is drumming. I'm currently a drummer without a kit, but still in my heart a drummer. I can't not be. However, Ringo Starr is the perfect application of this trait. He never plays ostentatiously or boisterously. However, he feels the music and gives it what it needs. Learning to use silence as a sound is a trick that frankly more drummers need.
3 months into classical guitar, I'm hopeful that speed doesn't matter...at all.
It's great that you're doing this. It's really difficult to master, but it gives you a real understanding of the guitar and a great technical foundation for lots of other styles, especially jazz. That said, classical is still one of my favorite things to listen to. I haven't been playing the past few years, but plan to get serious again in retirement. You can't just dabble in it though, and I have too much else going on to do it justice right now.