All about shredding?

[Ayatollah Watts]

as much as I love the blues, the REAL reason I got a guitar is to learn how to shred... not so much to do it all the time, but to have it on my "abilities" list... and ever since I've discovered buckethead (Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains LP) I have been spending more time on my lead than on my bass..

[Eric Iverson]

In thinking more about it, great technique is wonderful in reasonable doses!

 

I think of classical concertos, which have their moments of virtuosity, but usually have slow movements, too, for contrast, and to let you hear the man's tone and phrasing.

 

So I don't think it's one or other; it's possible to have both!

 

And I think of Coltrane and Holdsworth and others with great chops and harmonic sophistication, but who can also play slow melodies and bring a tear to your eye! Great musicians don't give short shift to the parts that are not multi-noted!

 

I read something from a classical violin book about interpretation where it says students with a lot of technique often don't interpret simpler pieces correctly because they don't take them seriously, since you can't show off with them!

[Eric Iverson]

PS - a little joke:

 

"Is so and so a noted player?"

 

"I don't know, but he sure is a MULTI-noted one!"

[Bluesape]

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Picker:

Hey, at least their not saying things like "soloing is for mindless wankers". Geez, the whole anti-virtuosic thing made listening to guitar players kinda boring for a while.

The "wanker" charge is interesting.

 

It only seems to apply to guitarists in certain styles of music. I've never heard Leo Kottke described as a "wanker", and yet his stuff is as technically demanding as any shredder's.

 

And it's not just acoustic guitarists that are protected from being called "wankers": I don't think anybody's ever called Ry Cooder a wanker either. Ethicky guitarists are apparently safe as well. King Sunny Ade seems to be safe, are classical guitarists in general.

[Eric Iverson]

And flamenco guitarists.. who are expected to play fast scales.. and bluegrass pickers in general. And lots of classical musicians, whose technique is excellent, but not all of them are striving for the limelight. At any rate, it's expected that they play the fast passages well; it's not considered an ego trip!

 

Of course, there is also Paganini, a serious wanker, but not a mindless one!

[Gifthorse]

I started playing in '87 and it was all about shred. IMHO, the average guitarist in the late 80s was much more advanced than the average player now. Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Vai, Satriani, Vivian Campbell, George Lynch, Vernon Reid, Paul Gilbert, Jake E. Lee, Malmsteen, Dave Chastain, Marty Friedman, Slash, Jason Becker, etc. were the idols of the day. All very talented musicians. I definitely agree that there was an over-emphasis on technique but there were a lot of great players around. If you saw some cover band playing in a bar somewhere, you could expect the guitarist to shred, even if the music sucked.

I agree there were more guitarists in well known bands that shredded back then. There weren't as many guys who could do it on the 'bar scene' though. I mean when my band played out in the early 90's, I was a shredder and I RARELY if ever played with another band where the guitarist shredded too. There were plenty of hacks at shredding then. Now alot of young guys are into it. Guys like John Petrucci and Dimebag Darrell are thier influences. In the 80's I only saw like 1 guy around here who did it.

 

More guys have good technique now than I ever remember. We played with a band a few months ago that had a total shredder as a guitarist, and he was good at it. I NEVER saw guys like that in the 80's. Now I see them and hear them in BARS more than ever. I do believe the internet has played a role in educating players faster. There used to be a certain mystery in shredding when Yngwie emerged and VH was in his prime. I mean alot of players had no idea how to approach it. I would take lessons from great players, but they couldn't tell me how Yngwie was doing that.

 

I would equate it with someone like Wayne Gretzky. He came in to the league with better skills than anyone and as a result changed the game. Now the skill level in hockey is greater than it was 25 years ago.

 

I think EVH or Yngwie did the same in their own

ways.

 

Nowadays there is so much online for someone to have access to as well as the old Napster (for like 2 years I was getting songs for free on this), and the new pay mp3 clubs. The new Windows media player even can slow down solos in pitch.

 

I have found, for rock players there hasn't been any shredders that impressed me in a while because none of them are bringing anything else to the table. It is all about the 'amazement' which has faded quickly. Everyone ends up sounding like Vai, who was/is amazing but he came out in 83'. Where will it go? I dunno but as I have said before, how much further technically can you go than what has been done?

 

I know that is a dumb thing to say, some guy will come along who plays with his tongue and change it again, but for now it is hard to go further than Allan Holdsworth technically, and if you do, nobody cares because it is probably unlistenable to someone who isn't into guitar.

 

Those are my thought, but of course they are all opinion.