“Playing music is just like playing video games. You’re playing it because you’re having a good time”: Zakk Wylde says the guitar is safe with the next generation
The kids are alright, according to Zakk Wylde – he thinks that guitar is safe within the hands of younger players, and that the existence of YouTube playthrough tutorials is a welcomed positive for our community.
The argument of ‘guitar is dead’ has been put to countless numbers of guitarists over the years, and the rise of social media shredders have been leaving classic players both in awe, and in some cases, a little envious. For Wylde though, he thinks practice shouldn’t feel like work, but like fun – if social media does that for the next generation, he’s happy.
READ MORE: “If Dime played my No More Tears solo, it would have his touch – you can’t escape that”: Zakk Wylde on why guitarists should embrace their own sound
Speaking to Scott Lipps of Lipps Service, Wylde explains (via 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 would be kind of cool because it’s your interpretation, even if you’re learning [a song] wrong. And eventually you [realise], ‘Oh, that’s how it’s being done’… But no, I think it’s great that kids could go on YouTube and see a tutorial on how to play something.”
He continues, “I remember somebody was telling me a couple of years back, ‘Oh, don’t you think maybe guitar is dead?’ I was like, ‘What? It’s alive and well, it’s doing fine.’ There’s so many amazingly awesome young players, which is a beautiful thing. You want to have kids who are inspired [and] want to play because there are so many other avenues of [entertainment]… But there’s always been, though. Even when we were kids, you had sports, skateboarding, this and that, and all this other stuff going on.
“So, if anybody is dedicated to music, you [shouldn’t] have to force somebody to practise. 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 practise playing video games. You’re playing it 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.”
Zakk Wylde joins Philip Anselmo, Rex Brown, and Charlie Benante as part of Pantera for their continued tour in 2025. They will play across Europe and the UK before heading back to the US and Canada as part of support for Metallica. Tickets are still available.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
