METALLICA’s lead guitarist Kirk Hammett is getting real about his guitar skills—and he’s not sugarcoating anything.
In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, the 62-year-old axeman opened up about the current landscape of guitar playing, particularly in the age of YouTube, where countless talented players are showing off jaw-dropping technique and precision. Rather than feeling threatened, Hammett seems genuinely impressed—and maybe just a little self-critical.
“I see a lot of [people on YouTube] and I’m frigging impressed,” he said. “There are some amazing players out there, where I’m just shaking my head like, ‘Why aren’t these guys working? Why aren’t they recording?’ But then I think… maybe they can’t. Maybe they have jobs, or families, or something they can’t leave behind.”
That moment of praise quickly turned introspective, as Hammett admitted that he sometimes questions his own development as a guitarist.
“I should be a lot better than I am,” he confessed. “I see some of these younger guitar players and I’m like, ‘Where did I go wrong?’ Ha ha!”
Despite the self-deprecating tone, Hammett also makes it clear that his focus has never been about technical showmanship or chasing perfection. His style, he says, is rooted in emotion and instinct.
“It’s hard for me to be objective or subjective for where I stand in all of this,” he explained. “I just know that I like playing the way I do; I know if I keep on playing from my cajónes, somebody is going to be able to relate to that.”
As for flashy solos and complex theory exercises, Hammett doesn’t feel the need to prove himself. “I don’t need to show off or get egotistical by being like, ‘Hey, check out this three-octave arpeggio with tapping in the middle.’ I can’t be f**king bothered! I have a bombastic way of playing – I’ve always been that way, even when I was just in my room.”
Source: metaladdicts.com
