The reason I said 'hit the strings as hard as you will when you play, and see if they slap the fingerboard,' I'm paraphrasing, is that some guitarists
will set a low action, and when they practice or even rehearse they will not hit the strings as hard as when they are actually performing.
When I was in the business, the retail and repair end, the most common
request was "low action, but no buzzes," to the point where the strings were as close to the 21st fret as they were at the nut!
"Low and fast" action can be a "security blanket" of a sort. It takes more effort, it's more work, to play higher action and/or heavier gauge strings.
Sometimes it produces a very different change in style.
When I listen to recordings of myself from the 60s,70s, 80s,90s,00s, there's a profound difference, and I don't mean speed, or, "nailing someone elses lead." I'm my own worst critic. Those who know me from then to now, say I'm playing the best I ever have, now.
It doesn't matter what I think, it's what the audience thinks, and I play the highest action I've ever used.
The other thing is the preoccupation with "nailing" someone's solo "exactly
like the record."
Well, we all, of course, start out that way. Being able to reproduce someone else's playing style is a validation, especially among other guitarists.
All except for the performer who played the solo to begin with.
I purposely do NOT copy leads note for note. You have to develope
your own voice, and copying won't do it. You can hardly avoid taking bits and pieces from other artists to begin with, let alone note for note.
Try this.
Next time you are performing, live, and it time to solo, take your hand off the neck, CLOSE YOUR EYES, and begin.
