We had a topic a while back on the fact that beauty is in the eye of the ear of the beholder. Now, when I talk to some people about my favorite artists, Satch, Petrucci, Johnson, etc, they seem to get upset and tell me that they're all show boat artists.

Heres the question: What is music to you? Does it necessarily have to be one thing? I mean for some, like a blues musician, its a total release of emotions. Lyrics are often left out, its just them and the music. Somebody like Steve Vai doesn't seem to write out of emotion, imo anyways, but he does a hell of a job organizing a piece and making it appealing to the ear and flow smoothly. Some write because they wanna get famous and bang a lot of chicks.

What is the reason that you write music? Sometimes for me, its not always a release in emotion. Its just appealing to my ears and it gives me satisfaction to create. Other times I find inspiration in events in my life and I try to convey that into music.

Thoughts, comments? I'm just sick of people telling me that the virtuoso guitar players are jerk off artists. They don't seem to understand what I/we do.