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Define Shredder


Terrell

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What is a Shredder?

 

If someone can shred, does it make them a shredder or must they shred all the time to be a shredder? If they show a shred lick, then go back to holding the perfect note for 3 bars, are they still a shredder?

 

Is shredder a positive or negative?

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IMO of course-

Someone whose playing emphasizes speed and melody over phrasing and composition. Someone is a shredder if they play it often enough to identify as `their` style. Whether they can play anything else is irrelevant. Conversely being able to do it but not doing it, no that is not a shredder and that would apply to any other style as well.

Not positive or negative, but there are some who see shredder and pronounce it `wanker`. That`s their problem.

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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:

:

___________ http://cadmiumyellowskies.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/cheese-shredder.gif

 

http://www.arbornauts.com/images/shredder2.jpghttp://www.lotscapes.com/tree_shredder1.jpg

 

What doesn't make you stronger, kills you... ;)

 

Seriously, I don't really define the term any less loosely than I would any stylistic generalizations.

 

Skip's reply above is quite good.

 

Why do you ask, Terrell?

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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What is a Shredder?

 

If someone can shred, does it make them a shredder or must they shred all the time to be a shredder? If they show a shred lick, then go back to holding the perfect note for 3 bars, are they still a shredder?

 

Is shredder a positive or negative?

 

i think it's taken negatively by some, in some cases with good reason.

 

personally, i only consider the guys where that is their only/main bag in that category.

 

guys that CAN shred are a different story than the ones where that's all they ever do, if that makes any sense.

 

kinda like the diff between a gp doctor, and a specialist surgeon, i guess. one does all kindsa stuff, one only one thing, but that specialty is what makes them stand out in their field.

 

it's weird, i generally kinda think of the one-trick ponys as shredders, but after chilling with you here, i think my perception/perspective has changed a bit.

 

to me, just being ABLE to shred does not a "shredder" make.

if that makes any sense. ;)

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Why do you ask, Terrell?

 

Because, it's a term that's thrown around constantly. I think, we think we agree on what it means. Because, when it's obvious it's very obvious. But, in reality we are all over the place about where the category starts and ends or whether it's a term of endearment or shame.

 

I can accept there would be "good" shredders and "bad" shredders. What are your examples of shredders?

 

I'm trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up...

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I think it is someone who COULD potentially play fast difficult licks (in any genre).

 

I don't think of it in a negative sense.

 

Paul Gilbert is a very mature guitarist. He could play any style of electric guitar probably, and do it convincingly well.

 

He can also play fast--we all know that. He is a shredder.

 

But that word is so vague..

 

You could say a shredder is anyone who plays metal and places speed over music. But for myself that is misleading.

 

I would rather say stuff like, "yeah that guy rocks. He can SHRED, but he can also play some tasty eclectic phrases."

 

Is 'he' a shredder? Well, YES/NO..

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:rawk: Yer grater 'n' anyone, 'Zan! :D

 

That's a grater, Caevan

 

FWIW (as much as anything here ;) ), it was tagged as a "kitchen shredder"... but I digress... :D

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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The term came up originally in terms of playing speed.

Someone who could zip through licks or lines with machine-like facility.

I think it carries no inherent perjorative sense.

In fact, used alone, it would be a positive, since the ability to play fast is better than not being able to do so.

 

The prob here is that it's often used (as in the concurrent thread) to describe players who may have no particular ability other than machine-like speed.

 

FWIW, although it's usually applied to metaliers & prog-rockers, shredders have existed for a long time & in many genres, as well as on many instruments.

Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed;

Paganini, Liszt;

Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, Coltrane...

 

Dig ?

d=halfnote
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:rawk: Yer grater 'n' anyone, 'Zan! :D

 

That's a grater, Caevan

 

FWIW (as much as anything here ;) ), it was tagged as a "kitchen shredder"... but I digress... :D

 

I refuse to LOL and strictly refuse to ROF or LMAO!!! You are part of the problem here! Don't you see that?

 

I will only chuckle or giggle inside...

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The term came up originally in terms of playing speed.

Someone who could zip through licks or lines with machine-like facility.

I think it carries no inherent perjorative sense.

In fact, used alone, it would be a positive, since the ability to play fast is better than not being able to do so.

 

The prob here is that it's often used (as in the concurrent thread) to describe players who may have no particular ability other than machine-like speed.

 

FWIW, although it's usually applied to metaliers & prog-rockers, shredders have existed for a long time & in many genres, as well as on many instruments.

Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed;

Paganini, Liszt;

Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, Coltrane...

 

Dig ?

 

For better or worse, I guess I will be a shredder then... I feel like the Bike kid in the movie Breaking Away.

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Those are just cheap jokes; this is serious: I think drummers should be rechristened.

To increase their stature they might be called "drummists" (hey, that tactic worked for piano players).

'Course if y'view them with disdain they could be termed "drumbers"...

d=halfnote
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So, what do you call a fast keyboard player; a tinkler? :idk :facepalm:

 

:D

 

Those are just cheap jokes; this is serious: I think drummers should be rechristened.

To increase their stature they might be called "drummists" (hey, that tacrked for piano players).

'Course if y'view them with disdain they could be termed "drumbers"...

 

:rimshot:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Shredders... play lots of notes with no spaces of silence between the notes, and no long notes.

 

I've been doing a lot of jam sessions in local clubs to get my chops back in shape & constantly see musicians who overplay - including out of key wanking and pretty much bs in general.

 

Shredder = wanker is mostly due to amateurs trying to imitate the good players out there and not doing it right. There's no substitute for having good taste and playing in key.

 

I personally think George Benson is the ultimate jazz shredder plus this guy below is pretty amazing - but have heard it all & gets boring after the first 45 seconds:

 

[video:youtube]

Been round the block but am not over the hill...

 

http://www.bandmix.ca/jamrocker/

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If it sounds good, it is good...if it sounds bad, it is bad...really doesn't matter which technique you're using...anything that is repeated too many times in every song you play, is going to put people to sleep no matter how loud and no matter a fast and no matter how slow it is...
Take care, Larryz
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Why is it the skills of this Govan character leave me quite "meh", but someone like Tommy Emmanuel leaves me with goosebumps?

 

Both have incredible skills, but there is a difference. What is it?

 

Or am I alone; like a knocked up housemaid at the Schwarzeneggers? :taz::taz::taz::deadhorse::facepalm:

 

 

[video:youtube]

 

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I think what you`re referring to is taste-you know, the thing that there`s no accounting for. Personally I can listen to Both the above mentioned fellows and don`t really get sick of either. Now why is that-well so many discussions on this forum are technique this and technique that-in a way it`s a false paradigm to talk about gear and technique and ignore composition and, well-music. To me that is the difference. Even some of the players who are mentioned as greats, well they play well. But they have no idea about how to make music. It`s just a lot of technical flailing, and yeah after about half a minute I`ve had my fill. Many of those players get nowhere past the music community, until or unless they join a band, with some competent composers or arrangers.

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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I've always assotiated "shredders" as those guys who play "power" chords really fast while heavily fuzz-toned, and playing that kind of metal junk heard on wrestling shows, or maybe Jerry Springer.

 

I just can't bring myself to call Vladimir Horowitz a "shredder".

Whitefang

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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