“How is this even possible? It takes years to play that way.” Fans could scarcely believe what they were hearing when 9-year-old Chinese guitar prodigy Maituo effortlessly shredded guitar icon Jason Becker’s masterpiece “Altitudes”. It is truly breathtaking to see the level of mastery that the youngster has achieved. Just when you think he’s reached the peak of the guitar solo, he takes it to another level with blistering tapping licks. And the best part? He plays with such feeling, and shares such joy with his buddy while jamming out the epic shred.
Becker’s original track has long stood as a benchmark for technical virtuosity. Seeing a kid barely old enough for fourth grade dive into such intricate phrasing caught the attention of guitar fans in a big way. Composed as the opening track of Becker’s 1988 solo album Perpetual Burn, “Altitudes” is legendary for its sweep-picked arpeggios, rapid-fire runs and expressive bends. Guitar Techniques devoted eleven pages of dense notation to its transcription. Maituo, who began studying classical guitar in 2020 before picking up the electric guitar in 2021, brings those daunting passages to life with remarkable fluidity after just four years of playing guitar.
It has to be said that young Maituo absolutely nailed Becker’s tone too. “Altitudes” carries heavy emotional weight across the guitar community. Becker first broke through as a teenage prodigy in Cacophony alongside Marty Friedman, establishing himself among the finest players of his era. His battle with ALS eventually took away his physical ability to play, making his recorded guitar work an enduring, revered catalog. Hearing a young musician interpret “Altitudes” keeps that musical legacy vibrant, bridging the decades between Becker’s early solo recordings and modern online audiences.
This was not Maituo’s first moment in the spotlight. A month earlier, Guitar World highlighted a blistering 240-bpm arpeggio drill from his channel, an exercise that drew stunned reactions from content creators like Tyler Larson. Tackling Becker’s work showed that he could translate technical drills into a demanding composition. See Maituo’s viral take on Bon Jovi’s “Bed of Roses” below, which found an audience of 1.8 million viewers.
Maituo uploaded his take on “Altitudes” to his YouTube channel MaituoGuitar, where it hit 529,000 views. Viewers added comments such as “That he is laughing and playing effortlessly… just another day. Truly epic” and “The lord put his hand on you young man. For you to play like that at such a young age is gift from god.”
What stands out most is the musicality behind the speed. Neoclassical shred can easily become a mechanical exercise, but listeners praised his skill and musical potential. As viewers pointed out, reaching that level usually takes decades, adding that it will be fascinating to hear where his personal style leads in the years ahead. For now, Maituo has delivered a striking tribute that honors Becker’s genius while showcasing his own remarkable talent.