What Do You Think About "Shredding"?

[TSJMajesty]

I will always rate a well-crafted solo way above one that's just a flurry of notes. But I can also LOVE a fast solo, that incorporates unique musical ideas- diminished runs, harmonic minor, voice leading, etc.- because even though it may be getting into shred territory, I can still hear that there's much more to what's going on than just playing at a blistering speed.

But I also "get" that there's a time and a place for anything the player has to offer a solo. If that solo needs an ending that a blazing, ascending run up to a high D bent 1 full step to an E, played at 800 notes per minute, to sort of punctuate the whole thing, then hell yeah! In those kinds of solos, I feel it fits, musically, and yes, it's also impressive.

I find nothing wrong with being impressed by a guy who can do that, just as I'm impressed with how some people can write a piece of music that takes me on a journey, and raises the hair on my arms, and sounds absolutely spectacular through a killer system, because that person had also learned how to record it well.

But I will also add, that in my own tastes, and my mind's ear, there are players for whom shredding is all they seem to bring to the table, and they get boring real quick. I can hear that 'neo-classical' element that Yngwie has, but after 3 songs of being blown TF away, I'm done.

Like many things in life, it's about balance. I have mad respect for the shredders, as long as they have enough of all the other things that make a solo interesting.

 

[HotRats]

technique is just a tool in the musician arsenal, a tool you might or might not need/use to bring the music where you want to.

while I might admire an highly skilled player, what comes first for me is the music: I really don't care what the technical level of the players (and the music) is, if the music grabs me, speak to me.
I do love both dream theater and clapton for different reasons and I don't think Clapton is better than Petrucci or vice versa.

What I don't like at all are players that simply show off and players that use the word "feel" to cover their lack of skill.

Speaking of shredding in solos, I feel like there's a lot of useless show off in the history of recorded music and the 80s (for me) has been the worst decade.

 

[Eagle]

As a gigging guitarist in the 80's I was 20 in 1984 you can imagine the effect of all the guitar players on me. I saw EVH in 78 , YM with Alcatraz , RR on the Ozzy tour, SRV in 88 . AH whenever possible, Satch on the Surfing tour. Vai with Roth. The high quality players where night and day over Joe average metal band in every way.
The highlights for me were Jeff Beck and SRV for shear musicality. The shred capable guys where better in a band when they weren't in control. Vai was better with Roth than solo IMO. But I loved it all and still do . My favourite player these days is Guthrie for the combination of seemingly limitless technique combined with musicality, it is helped by him being a lovely guy.
I guess I can't do directionless one scale irrelevant notes anymore but that is as much a thing in classic rock and blues as it ever was in metal.

 

[Eagle]

technique is just a tool in the musician arsenal, a tool you might or might not need/use to bring the music where you want to.

while I might admire an highly skilled player, what comes first for me is the music: I really don't care what the technical level of the players (and the music) is, if the music grabs me, speak to me.
I do love both dream theater and clapton for different reasons and I don't think Clapton is better than Petrucci or vice versa.

What I don't like at all are players that simply show off and players that use the word "feel" to cover their lack of skill.

Speaking of shredding in solos, I feel like there's a lot of useless show off in the history of recorded music and the 80s (for me) has been the worst decade.

Were you there?
Its just vocabulary, the note choice is what makes the difference . The 80s had a lot of shit but SO much quality and an opportunity to take it out and sell it to the mainstream.

 

[HomespunEffects]

I just came to say that I love Yngwie.

The 80s was a magical time. You had entire albums with no vocals. Amazing!

Greg Howe’s first album is perfection. Marty Friedman’s Dragon’s Kiss is gorgeous. David Lee Roth’s Eat ‘em and Smile was capturing lightning in a bottle.

You really had to be there.

 

[HotRats]

Where you there?
Its just vocabulary, the note choice is what makes the difference . The 80s had a lot of shit but SO much quality and an opportunity to take it our and sell it to the mainstream.

Yes I was there and started paying attention in the second half when I began playing guitar myself in 1984.

I'm not saying 80s music is all bad (some bands/record from the 80s are among my all time favorite, actually),
I'm just saying that when it comes to shredding/shredders showing off for the sake of it, to my ears, the 80s are the worst decade.

I deeply dislike typical 80s hair metal stuff, I'm sorry.

 

[FuzzyAce]

"Shred" can be very musical. It's all about context. Guys that could take you on a melodic journey with pure shred (hard to do) for me are Holdsworth, Satch, Garsed, Lane, Vai, Howe, and many others. SRV and Jimi shredded in their own way, and jazz guys like Stern, Metheny or Benson. They all can/could rip, but also capable most importantly of playing for the song and not just making it a showcase of their prowess.

 

[Eagle]

Yes I was there and started paying attention in the second half when I began playing guitar myself in 1984.

I'm not saying 80s music is all bad (some bands/record from the 80s are among my all time favorite, actually),
I'm just saying that when it comes to shredding/shredders showing off for the sake of it, to my ears, the 80s are the worst decade.

I deeply dislike typical 80s hair metal stuff, I'm sorry.

I get it but there’s always wannabes that just don’t really get it but try and do it anyway. The good far outweighs the bad though.

 

[Eagle]

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This is so much fun.

 

[OrganicZed]

I love it when a guitarist can melt your face with speed. It is fun and impressive. Obviously, this can be done poorly with simple repetitious patterns that don't offer much melodically. That gets old pretty quickly. The top tier musicians play harmonically and melodically complex lines at shred tempo. For example, the stuff that Guthrie Govan plays in Fives is really interesting and simultaneously shredtacular.

 

[Eagle]

I love it when a guitarist can melt your face with speed. It is fun and impressive. Obviously, this can be done poorly with simple repetitious patterns that don't offer much melodically. That gets old pretty quickly. The top tier musicians play harmonically and melodically complex lines at shred tempo. For example, the stuff that Guthrie Govan plays in Fives is really interesting and simultaneously shredtacular.

Yes this is fantastic .

 

[HomespunEffects]

... I deeply dislike typical 80s hair metal stuff, I'm sorry.

Even Ratt?

 

[metropolis_4]

I have an appreciation for musicians who have the control of their instrument to fully express their ideas, to where their technique is no longer a limitation to expression. And speed is a big part of that.

When “shredding” is bad, it’s not the fault of the technique or the speed, it’s because the player lacks musical discipline or creativity. They’re either trying to use it where it doesn’t belong, showing off, or lack musical ideas.

I’m not a big fan of instrumental soloing in general. I get bored with any kind of solos really quick (one time through the changes between choruses is plenty), but I suppose that’s neither here nor there in this topic.

I’m a bigger fan of composed music that uses speed for impact.

 

[Eagle]

I have an appreciation for musicians who have the control of their instrument to fully express their ideas, to where their technique is no longer a limitation to expression. And speed is a big part of that.

When “shredding” is bad, it’s not the fault of the technique or the speed, it’s because the player lacks musical discipline or creativity. They’re either trying to use it where it doesn’t belong, showing off, or lack musical ideas.

I’m not a big fan of instrumental soloing in general. I get bored with any kind of solos really quick (one time through the changes between choruses is plenty), but I suppose that’s neither here nor there in this topic.

I’m a bigger fan of composed music that uses speed for impact.

It’s very hard to play fast totally improvised with anything like the same musicality

 

[JiveTurkey]

I love it. I suck at it. It has to be in the context of an overall killer composition to be enjoyable for me though.

 

[metropolis_4]

It’s very hard to play fast totally improvised with anything like the same musicality

Definitely. I think when improvising everyone reaches more into their prepared bag of tricks when it comes to fast parts.

A lot of us depend on the muscle memory of those well known licks to be able to play that fast when we want a flourish.

I’m often jealous of the players who have the technical facility to not have to lean as much on prepared licks for that.

 

[DrewJD82]

While I definitely spent a lot of time learning how to do it, it’s the first thing that’ll get me to turn off/skip a video if it’s the focus of the song/clip/music because I relate so much of it to muscle memory rather than anything musical.

These days I prefer the short bursts of speed within a well paced solo, regardless of the genre/song tempo. That said, sometimes it IS fun to just burn and not really make any kind of emotional statement with a solo. I can thank Petrucci with “As I Am” for that mentality, ‘Fuck it, just fuckin’ go for it cuz we’re rockin’ out’

 

[Rock Chalk]

I deeply dislike typical 80s hair metal stuff, I'm sorry.

This does not compute..........

 

[Eagle]

And acoustic shred with musicality anyone?

Playing this style seriously sorts out the theory and makes you dump all the cliches ( possibly in favour of new ones) but seriously good for your playing because there’s nothing to hide behind.

 

[sleewell]

Doesn't interest me at all. I love that HC doesn't really have solos.