why? i don't know. all i know is that it happened.
i am a big fan of petrucci. he is definately one of my favorite guitarists, but shawn lane is great too, also much faster. i haven't heard much of holdworth so i can't give a comparison on him. also there is Jennifer Batten, who most people don't realize exists but who has some massive chops as well, especially with that octo-digit tapping. you should check her out too.
To improve technique and of course trying to keep all as clean as possible. I know my own limits and speed limits and so on I never play anything I'm not capable of. That wouldn't make any sense. After three years of playing I tried to play everything as fast as possible and that sounded, I would say, like shit, and I didn't realize that if I'd play bit slower things than I was capable of playing then everything would sound much better.
--Aleksi Laiho - Advice to Play By
--Aleksi Laiho - Advice to Play By