Knowing how to read music will make you a drastically better guitar player no matter what kind of music you are into. How many of you spend hour after hour working on your speed? If you spent at least half of that time working on getting really good at reading music for guitar and learning the various relationships that exist between notes, you would learn the fret board in an extremely practical way that would improve your playing in every area, including speed.

The problem (as with everything for the guitar) is that there are very few books that adequately teach someone how to read music for guitar and there are even fewer guitar teachers that can sit down and read a chart. With other instruments, its a given that you learn how to read music. Most trumpet, horn, or piano players wouldn't be considered true musicians if they couldn't read music.

The point is that if you are still a kid and you are just learning how to play the guitar, learn how to read music. You have the time to do it. It will make you a far better player in the long run. I only wish that I would have realized that sooner. I would be an infinitely better guitar player than I am today.