Spreading It Thin, how many styles should you learn Options

[Patrik Berg]

there are so many styles of guitar playing and they all have their unique techniques, how many styles is too many to be working on? Should we learn just one style before moving onto the next? Personally I play Flamenco, classical, folk, metal and rock. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Meh. I'm having fun with them

[Daniel Realpe]

I would go for variety, think Guthrie Govan, one of the most versatile players out there...

In the other hand, I think it's important to take one style at a time at first, so you can really get into the details of the techinque

[thefireball]

there are so many styles of guitar playing and they all have their unique techniques, how many styles is too many to be working on? Should we learn just one style before moving onto the next? Personally I play Flamenco, classical, folk, metal and rock. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Meh. I'm having fun with them

I say if you are having fun tackling all of them, then keep on at it. You have only bit off more than you can chew when it becomes a burden to you. Sounds like you are doing great with what you are practicing.
-Brandon

[Alex Feather]

Hello! It's a very good topic! I think all styles are not that far from each other as you might think!!! About how many styles you should know... I think all of them or at least be able to "fake" it well if you want to work as a musician and get gigs. If you are doing it just for fun you can get into styles you like and interested in!

[Cosmin Lupu]

Versatility is a very important aspect of musicianship! As Daniel pointed out, Guthrie is one of the best examples out there - the guy can flawlessly adapt to virtually anything. Now there are two approaches:

1) You can be extremely tedious and learn each style as deep as possible, getting acquainted to all intricacies and details. This means you have to give it time, but the results can be overwhelming and filled with satisfaction.

2) You can borrow only specific elements and incorporate them in your own style spicing it up in time and getting faster results.

The main idea is that versatility can only lead to your personal development as a musician, as long as you do not stray from the path of understanding what you are playing. If you know a country lick, for instance, you can incorporate it in your metal contexts, as long as you first understood it in it's country context and managed to find a proper way of implementing it in your field!

[Ivan Milenkovic]

It all depends what you want to do. If you want to pursue your own musical direction/style, concentrate on one thing. If you seek versatility, you need to be aware of famous players/music styles, and what are they known for, and how to emulate that.

[Gabriel Leopardi]

I agree with Cosmin approach. Versatility is very important for me but the most important thing for a player is to build his own style incorporating styles, techniques and licks from different styles.