is it safe to say na as we grow old, we become better players, we play lesser notes?
sinu na nga ba nagsabi ng Choose your notes wisely?
Playing less notes and more space, more than anything, comes from realization that YOU DON'T HAVE TO PLAY ALL THE DAMN TIME, I think. But it is always nice to know that, when you feel like it or you feel like going that direction, you can. Kumbaga, when you learn to speak better, you learn that you don't have to use so many words to get your point across (but you can still spew 'em like JJ FAD if you have to).
I've lost a bit of speed (I was never fast to begin with) but my bends are more in-tune now and my vibrato is way better than it was when i was 10 years ago. And I've lost a lot of endurance so I don't splatter 3 minute solos with non stop runs anymore. Nangangawit na agad kamay ko
but I have gotten better at dialing in my sound so I can now afford to let some notes ring out and sing.
Yung genre change, I think exempted nako kasi I started listening to and TRYING to play the much older stuff from the 60s and 70s over 10 years ago and, even though I've always listened to metal, I can't say I've ever sat down and tried to learn a heavy metal tune (heck, even Enter Sandman, parts lang ang inaral ko and I never tried to learn all of the song note for note). That genre is more a spectator sport to me (with me as a spectator) than anything.
But I do see myself trying to learn some classical stuff (just because I've never tried that). I completely suck at sight reading though so I'll have to work on that first.