Are you good?

What is a good guitarist?

That's the wrong question. Let's try again:

What is a good musician?

Disagree if you wish, but it isn't the mastery of specific techniques that makes a guitarist a good guitarist. Those things are an important part of it, but they aren't the final picture. There are lots of guys (more every year, it seems) who can play circles around a hummingbird. There are lots of guys who have great touch and can play very expressively (less than the hummingbirds, but still not in short supply if you know where to look).

Maybe it's because so many people play this thing, and the ratio of good-to-bad is skewed. Maybe it's because the proliferation of small combos has put the guitar in front, regardless of whether or not it should be. Regardless, I just haven't heard that many who give me a whole package worth emulating outside of my bedroom jam sessions.

Play less, say more
The most common deficiency I see in guitarists, including myself, is that we play way too much. I'm not talking about practicing or getting experience. I mean that, within the context of a single song, we play entirely too much. But what do I mean by "too much"?

1. I'm your density. Just because the thing has six strings doesn't mean you have to play them all at once. We guitarists have this bad habit of looking for chord voicings that use as many strings as possible. Unless you're playing by yourself, this is seldom necessary. Just you, bass and drums? Try some three or four-voice chords. A piano or synth, too? Try one or two notes at a time. If that concept sounds ridiculous to you, you probably aren't doing much listening when you're playing. Either your extra notes are getting lost in the mix, or they're having a negative effect on the sound. Don't waste effort, and don't hurt the sound. Trust me.
2. Tip-toe through the tulips . . . err, the changes. A rhythm chart that doesn't tell you to drop out is not a license to be right there, all the time, up in everybody's face. Your hands don't have to be moving every eighth, or even every quarter note. Again, unless you're playing by yourself, it isn't your job to fill the entire song with sound. It *is* your job to contribute a part to an entire unit of sound. Don't step on the other parts. Don't hurt the sound. Please!
3. Arpeggio! Gesundheit! It may look cool and powerful to strum, strum, strum like you're the Beatles fixing to take over America, but it is rarely a good song-long strategy. Don't be so eager to fill up the sound (see #2). Chords are often the right choice, but try spreading the notes out and playing arpeggiations instead. Two sequential notes of a G chord when the melody rests? Yes, please!

Obviously, your musical situation may dictate different things, and if you *are* playing by yourself, there's nothing wrong with that. This is mainly aimed at most of us, we who bring our bedroom approach to the rehearsal room or the performance without considering how to interact with, rather than play over top of, the other instruments.