weird_oh84
Joined: May 24, 2023
Posts: 207
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Posted on Apr 09 2025 07:04 PM
In the 4 or so years of studying Surf Guitar I’ve come to the conclusion that it is indeed one of the most challenging styles to play well…. No other genera of music do I find nearly as challenging or demanding of me as a player… clean technique being of extreme importance… some genres sound great with sloppy playing, like garage rock or punk , but definitely not surf…
It is simple , but certainly not easy….!
my admiration and respect for the first wave players (many under the age of 18!) and players of today grows every time I try to play a song in full , with minimal mistakes…. 
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edwardsand
Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 801
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Posted on Apr 09 2025 08:15 PM
I think one reason it is a challenge is because the music relies entirely on the instruments to create the feel/emotion for the songs. With vocals, you've got the singer(s) to provide much of that - guitar and other instruments still contribute a lot, of course. But with surf instrumentals, the lead guitar is essentially taking the role of the singer, so you've got to do more than be good at technically plying well.
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4549
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Apr 10 2025 04:30 PM
weird_oh84 wrote:
In the 4 or so years of studying Surf Guitar I’ve come to the conclusion that it is indeed one of the most challenging styles to play well…. No other genera of music do I find nearly as challenging or demanding of me as a player… clean technique being of extreme importance… some genres sound great with sloppy playing, like garage rock or punk , but definitely not surf…
It is simple , but certainly not easy….!
my admiration and respect for the first wave players (many under the age of 18!) and players of today grows every time I try to play a song in full , with minimal mistakes….
I had an instructor who was a stickler for proper technique. He insisted on strict alternate picking and precise LH technique with each note being carefully fingered for clarity and a clean release. I spent months practicing this technique, using the scale forms in the Johnny Smith Approach to guitar, playing slowly to perfect each note. It was rough, but I was determined to bring my technique up to that of my instructor.
I’ve striven to keep my technique at that standard, ever since, and Surf is my favorite exercise for doing this. I agree, that some of these young artists were impressive for their use of good technique. No less of an artist and innovator than Larry Carlton got his start playing Surf.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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