This was my first thought when I saw the title of this thread.Originally Posted by Spudman
I think the reason why guitarists tend to be more competitive than other instrumentalists is because a guitarist (along with a singer) is a focal point of a lot of popular music (e.g. rock), so they have the limelight to compete for. And the limelight/celebrity is a much more powerful motivator than the love of music, at least for less experienced players -- that's kind of what Spudman touched on when he said that people get less competitive over time.
For the other instruments, you could be the world's greatest bassist or drummer and you're still basically relegated to cult status. Smart players on those instruments realize it's a losing battle to try to be noticed and come to terms with the idea of playing for the music itself.
The competitiveness of the guitar world wears on me too, but it only tends to be that way because of the role they play in the band. It's the same way that violinists and trumpet players are a bit more tightly-wound than tuba players.
I went to a bass gathering a couple of weeks ago thinking I would hear a bunch of really cool grooves being played all day. Do you know what I heard? Bassists shredding, presumably to try to out-do each other. So the competitiveness doesn't go away just because you're a bassist. It just gets expressed in different ways, and more importantly, I think the bass and drums attract a different type of personality.
Sorry for the disjointed thoughts. But the point is that I notice it too and it's a difficult part of the guitar.
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