Virtuoso

[Livingston]

What exactly makes someone a guitar Virtuoso?

Does someone simply decide they have achieved the proper level to consider themselves one and just start using the title? Or do they wait for other people to start calling them one or what?

Or is it a case of having a specific amount of skill with particular technical skill sets?

[Millertime]

Haha, well it would be a bit conceited to start calling oneself a virtuoso. It generally just means someone with excellent technical and musical skill. Generally critics/media of some sort will be the source of that sort of name. A piece of music can be considered virtuosic, as can the playing of such a piece. Usually just means it's fast and difficult.

[Galadithin]

^^ Covered it pretty well.

"Virtuoso" can mean:
1: an experimenter or investigator especially in the arts and sciences : savant
2: one skilled in or having a taste for the fine arts
3: one who excels in the technique of an art ; especially : a highly skilled musical performer (as on the violin)
4: a person who has great skill at some endeavor <a computer virtuoso> <a virtuoso at public relations>

(according to Merriam-Webster).


Assigning the term "virtuoso" can be as arbitrary as delineating an individual as a "genius" in a particular field; everyone has their own defintion of it and there is no "official" way to determine one's virtuoso-ness (as far as I know).
Splitting hairs probably isn't worth it.

At least there are some guitarists, e.g. Vai, Petrucci, who I'm pretty sure stand intransigently as virtuosos.

[MetalZ0n3]

Virtuoso = Jason Becker.

[Zoso_Player]

As Malcolm Gladwell might say, you need at least 10,000 hours of dedicated practice in one area to be an expert. If you've ever taken a look at Steve Vai's 30 hour guitar workout, that seems about right.