Let us not forget, that through all the discipline and technique that Classical music employs, it is also about expressing moods and situations. Classical music takes you through a musical journey of highs and lows, softness and rigor, calm and distress, beauty and terror. A piece of music usually portrays a story or a scene to the listener. Through sound, the music engages the listener and tells it's story through a "theater of the mind" experience. Granted, not all pieces of music are stories, but they usually express a certain mood or emotion through it's movements. I play Classical style Rock myself, but I cannot read music, I don't understand half of the things said here on this forum. But I do have enough technique, scale knowledge, and heart to express the message and feeling that Classical music requires. Understanding this wonderful style of music is very important, and I'm afraid that the message sometimes gets lost in the fascination with speed and lightning fast arpeggios. All that is great and impressive, but Classical music is deeper than that, at least in my humble opinion.

Agreed ^^ Here are some of my thoughts to add. I look at speed as a tool... I don't believe that these guitarists are playing fast just because... they can... They have trained for that speed for a good reason. How would you like a guitarist that played at the same slow tempo all the time... boring. Yngwie, for example, plays fast when he needs aggression, or that feeling in his music, and he plays slow when he needs that feeling in his music... you must have both... and because Yngwie's technique is so diverse he has way more possibilities for his music and is NOT RESTRICTED BY TECHNIQUE, he can do anything he wants. Speed is just another tool in the tool bag... Someone like Kurt Cobain has very few tools in the tool bag (I'm not here to argue about Cobain)

This reminds me of a situation I had at school, some guy said all I could do was shred which is funny because I couldn't have gotten there without playing slowly. Back on topic, old classical in my opinion is so much better than anything our society now can produce. Mostly ( :lol: ) at the fact that no one these days has the dedecation like the people like Mozart and Beethoven (even though it was against their will). Classical is simply amazing and I hope one day I can make something even 1% of the amazingness that something like Beethoven's 9th is.

Agreed... it is pretty intense how a lot of the classical musicians that became known as virtuoso where made that way by there fathers forcing it upon them... Paganini is the perfect example, as well as the castrato singers, who had there balls cut off so they could sing (very uniquely) and support there family in the future. Although, from what I know Beethoven and Mozart where not forced by there father, they were more introduced into it by fathers and took interest at a young age. Beethoven's father was quite a dick though...

Though I do think having dedication is just as easy or easy to achieve in music. If you have the drive it is far more effective than getting slaved.

I'm not 100% on Ludwig van, but I know Mozart was forced by his father.

This is very interesting to me, I did not know that some of these artists were forced into their craft.

as devon said it wasn't just composers, this even happens today in some eastern cultures. In China the kids who compete in the olympics have almost no education except in their sport, they also only get to see their families a few hours a week. I'm glad I'm not in that situation.

Im not sure about Mozart I will do some research and get back :)

Sorry sir, im afraid Mozart was no forced at all. If your interested read the "family and years" section in this wiki article on Mozart, its pretty clear about father, and son friendship, and how Mozart expressed musical interest himself. It is clearly sited as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart