Originally Posted by: CW14So because Fade to Black is easy to play, that means that it's musically inferior to something by, say, Yngwie?

It seems to me as though speed and technique is the only thing that you are basing your opinions on. There is more to a solo than rapid note-hitting.

Listen to a solo like "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. It sounds easy to play, but it's still a musical masterpiece

You've got me wrong, I also take into account how well the playing complimented the song, how cool it sounded, and how much feeling was put into the peice. I used Yngwie and Corgan as an example because they're miles apart. But when guitarists are in the same genre, that encourages speed and technique, I felt it should be used as kind of a tie-braker.

While Yngwie is more technicaly proficient than guys like David Gilmour, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Carlos Santana, Dimebag, Slash, etc., I'd much rather listen to their stuff because on average it's better written and played with more feeling.

Steve Vai's stuff is "harder to play" and is in most cases a "blatant shred fest" compared to Satriani, but I'd rather listen to Satriani because, again, I think he writes better, catchier tunes and has more feeling.