I dunno....I have sat with my 17 year old son and listened to Jimi, Stevie, Al, Wes, Jango, John, Carlos, Jeff and many, many other of the greats of yesterday and today. And I have sat and listened (or did a darn good job of faking it) to some of the stuff he and his friends listen to, I don't even know the names....
He does not deny the greatness of the (my) greats...but he likes the other stuff too. He says it is just different and when you get into it you can begin to appreciate the subtleties of the thrash, crash and bash. Listening to him practice, I can hear the subtleties...but then he plays it 20 times faster and it is all lost on my ears and head. Yet....in the past couple of years...I must admit that my appreciation of some of it has increased...and….oh no...I actually like some of it. Still don't know the darn names... And for him, it is not art...far from it. For him it is something to do, makes him feel good...and the girls like it too. Come to think of it...that was the way I felt about it when I was 17....was I ever 17...oh yeah....a long time ago.
Point being...an amazing thing this music...to be able to touch so many people in so many ways with so many different sounds, progressions, speeds...truly a wonderful thing...and a gift in my eyes. Not to mention being something he and I can still sit down and talk about, argue about, marvel at together. That in itself is a gift.