Jimi Hendrix, Paul Gilbert, Jack White, Matthew Bellamy, Steve Vai, Jeff Buckley, Jonny Greenwood… All great guitarists in their own right, all with completely different playing styles and skill sets.



From John Frusciante to Josh Homme and from Eric Clapton to Prince. What makes a good guitarist? Ask 100 people and you'll get 100 different answers. But there are three things I like to separate out that provide some insight.

1. Instrumentalist

1. Instrumentalist

How well you can use the instrument. This means technique and knowing the instrument well enough to play what you want to play.

2. Musician

2. Musician

The skills you take with you when you switch instruments. Listening to others, being an empathetic player, being in control of your time, being able to play through changes, knowing when not to play, the ability to use music theory... And any other instrument-independent skills that are part of musicianship.

3. Artist

3. Artist

Your ability to create music that has some artistic merit. Music that resonates with listeners, that people hear and go ‘this is good’. This includes songwriting, arrangements, composition, having a story to tell when playing a solo... You could be a run of the mill instrumentalist, with average musicianship skills, but still be able to create music that people love to listen to because of your artistic ability.

How can you use this?

What I like about this mental model is that it provides some perspective on what people look for in a ‘good guitarist’. Technical ability is often the first thing we notice. Playing fast is simply more obvious than musical or artistic skills that are just as important, such as good timing or the ability to write a guitar part that gives the music exactly what it needs.

Having this distinction in the back of your mind helps you figure out what you want to work on yourself. Your technique might need some work (instrumentalist), you can train your ears (musician), but you can also spend a year experimenting with writing songs or guitar parts (artist). All of these activities will make you a better guitar player, but in different areas.

So what makes a good guitarist? Some guitar players are amazing instrumentalists and people love them largely for their incredible virtuosity. Other guitarists aren’t that skilled at their instrument, but have an incredibly ability to tell a compelling story with just a few notes. What do you think makes a good guitarist? Feel free to love a comment with your thoughts!