Slash once named his greatest weakness as a guitarist
Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash is famous for being one of the instrument’s greatest ever players, with his distinctive hard-rock style fusing natural technique with unfettered passion. However, the self-taught player has always been realistic about the parameters of his talent.
Whether this be openly effusing about those he draws inspiration from or explaining that he came to the instrument relatively late, Slash has always been one of the more genial titans of rock. For all of the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll attached to his band’s name, his attitude could not be more different.
One of the most enlightening chats with Slash came when speaking to Music Radar in 2018. During the conversation, Slash reflected on why practising is good for his craft and revealed his most significant weaknesses as a guitarist.
Asked, “What about practice regimes, being such an accomplished…”, the guitarist quickly interrupted: “…haha, that’s bullshit! I’m playing my guitar all the time because I’m trying to keep this shit going. I don’t know what your question was going to be, but there’s no sense of accomplishment. You have to constantly play and play; that’s the only way I can feel confident and comfortable in what I do. If I go for a long time without playing, I start to feel really insecure as a guitarist.”
Asked to name his greatest weakness as a guitarist, Slash noted rhythm as the main issue before advising budding players to concentrate on improving their downsides. He said: “Playing rhythm is one of the main ones. There are specific things I practice before a show; for the first 20 minutes, I won’t do anything too outrageous and just loosen up. I think it’s important to remember those techniques are a key part of what I play.” The guitarist continued: “You don’t want to be stiff when it comes to those right-hand patterns, so I might play any number of songs. ‘Pinball Wizard’ is always a good one!”
“And then for lead stuff, I might try to find things that move up and around the neck, random patterns I’ve picked up from other players that sound interesting,” he concluded. “It’s about finding the things that help you do whatever it is you do before you walk out there and play. Don’t think about set rules or anything; just try to focus on your weaknesses.”
Watch Slash live in action below.
