Playing sustained 16ths at 180 is something that anyone with enough time, discipline and determination can acheive. I have never believed that anyone is born with or without the capacity to achieve something.... it's all practice / application. Maybe you're born with a predisposition to be musical, but not with the skill.
It seems the 'what makes a virtuoso' question has taken over, so my thoughts on that one - Platonic... your definition of virtuoso exceeds the accepted definition by a distance, and accordingly very few players make the cut. The definition of the word, depending on source, is someone who has 'masterful technique' or 'excellent command' of their instrument in a musical context - if we use this as the benchmark, alot of the guys around here would make it. On Gilmour above - if he inspires awe, then by your definition, he is a virtuoso regardless of why that awe exists.
When I play live, I hope people cheer because they enjoyed the music, not because they assume that I read music, have a grip on theory, and have passed through music education.
We talk about speed because it's a tangible benchmark. There are many guys who play with more feel than me, but I'm faster. I think they're better, they think I am - I think it's about wanting what you don't have. That's why for the most part only people who can't play fast run down playing fast (and I did it myself once too when I couldn't :eek: )... while guys who can often focus on it to the detriment of everything else (Which I've also been guilty of back in time).
The cops don't pull you for speeding because that's the most dangerous thing on the road, they do it because it's easier to bust you for doing 80mph than it is to say they had the feeling you weren't very safe. If all the discussions on speed here had been 'Who is the most tasteful guitar player?', how would you measure it?
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