Zakk Wylde believes the future of the guitar is secure in the hands of younger players, and he welcomes the availability of YouTube playthrough tutorials as a positive development for the music community.
The debate over whether “guitar is dead” has surfaced numerous times among guitarists, particularly with the rise of social media shredders, which has left many traditional players both impressed and, in some cases, a bit envious. However, Wylde feels that practicing should be enjoyable rather than a chore. If social media helps the next generation find joy in music, he is all for it.
In an interview with Scott Lipps of Lipps Service, Wylde shared his thoughts (as reported by Ultimate Guitar): “Obviously, we never had [YouTube] when we were growing up. You had to listen to [music] on the turntable. A lot of times it was kind of cool because it was your interpretation, even if you were learning [a song] wrong. Eventually, you’d [realize], ‘Oh, that’s how it’s being done’… But no, I think it’s great that kids can go on YouTube and see a tutorial on how to play something.”
He further elaborated, “A couple of years ago, someone told me, ‘Oh, don’t you think maybe guitar is dead?’ I was like, ‘What? It’s alive and well, it’s doing fine.’ There are so many amazingly talented young players, which is a beautiful thing. You want kids to be inspired and want to play, especially with so many other avenues of entertainment available. But there have always been distractions. Even when we were kids, there were sports, skateboarding, and all kinds of other stuff going on.”
Wylde emphasized that anyone dedicated to music should not need to be forced to practice. “If you want to play, you’re going to play… I tell kids, playing music is just like playing video games — you enjoy it. You don’t practice playing video games; you play because you’re having a good time and you love it. Music is the same way. Ask any musician who loves playing; it takes you into other worlds.”
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