To all you shredders...

[sfregias]

Re: To all you shredders...

Shawn is right.

Anyways many guitarist hide behind the "shred without melody is boring" thing only because they never learned to play so fast... [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[Hotrodder]

Re: To all you shredders...

Ripping out a Pagini solo on stage will get you a bunch of dudes in the front row, with their arms crossed staring at your hands.

Pounding out TNT, or Back n Black on stage will get you a bunch of chicks bouncing in the front row.



Nuff said.

[diablomozart]

Re: To all you shredders...

hmmm...i don't consider myslef a shredder by any stretch of the imagination...but...just work it slowly til you build up speed...youll notice it after a while...lol...d.m.

[TommyD]

Re: To all you shredders...

> When I first really got bit by the bug that make young guys want to play guitar,I was guilty of putting the cart before the horse. I was very sloppy but fast,open strings ringing all over the place,etc. This was still a year and a half before the Steeler album with Yngwie hit the stores. I was really into Dokken and Ratt,and was pretty much dead on with the tape,but something was still missing,namely a solid palm/fret hand muting technique. Yngwie finally became a thing,and typical of kids around here,everyone wanted to play like him. I was actually scared to even try it,knowing that playing that speed and with the kind of bravado he plays with would sound like ass if done sloppily. So I went backwards and messed with things like the first 2 Boston albums,really listening to it and trying to recreate all the nuances,and super clean. By the time Rising Force came in,I was onto something. No matter what it is,it helps to have good/great technique. Of all the guitar players I have ever seen,to me Yngwie is the most fun to watch,along with SRV. He may get repetitive,Yngwie that is,but I love the way he attacks his Strat and just has this superhuman air of total authority over it. SRV was the same way when he was on,even though their styles are so opposite. What I like about Petrucci is even as complex as some of his parts are,he never plays things the same way twice and never looks like he's even straining. The "Speed Kills" clip I have from Michael Angelo is about as insane as chops get,but who other than a guitarist would listen to him? It is natural to want to play the instrument well,just apply yourself and it can be done,but true musical talent comes from the heart. Some of us have a talent for writing our own music,some don't,just like any other field. Tommy D.

[OnlineStageGear]

Re: To all you shredders...

It all depends on what you want to do. If you want to be the best technique player there ever was, fine, more power to you. If you want to make music that touches people's hearts, then all the technique in the world won't amount to a hill of beans if all you are doing is throwing a bunch of notes together. Monkeys can be taught to play notes.

I always tell people to get enough technique to be able to play what you hear in your head. Use your technique to get that melody in your head out.

I have always hated people who describe themselves as “Melodic”. IMHO, anything else is just a bunch of noise.

Matt

[mm2002]

Re: To all you shredders...

Exactly Matt. One thing I've always thought to is that a guitar player should approach a performance in the same way as a vocalist, but using the guitar to "sing" instead of his vocal cords. A guitar piece that creates a mood and a ambience and is played from the heart and soul has much greater appeal than someone just ripping scales at 1000mph. That doesn't mean it can't be fast at the same time but if it is it better be good! IMHO George Lynch and Randy Rhoads are/were two of the best at walking that fine line.

[KYJoe]

Re: To all you shredders...

If you rush to shred, you'll regret it I KNOW...I spent years paying for it. I am also self taught, and didn't learn proper fingering (what's a pinky?) and I spent years paying for that as well. Lesson learned: it's more important to be a good guitarist than a fast guitarist.

It's like building a house, your foundation MUST be strong! Work on chords, scales, etc until you can see the shapes in your sleep. Learn to play clean and accurate, without starring at the fretboard all the time...You can't attract girls that way! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Speed will come with time, although it should only be one tool of many in your arsenal. Good soloing is about find the balance between speed and emotion, tone and attack, fast AND slow.

Just because you can't play as fast as Shawn Lane or Yngwie doesn't mean you're not a good guitarist in your own right. Guitarists listen to guitarists, people listen to music and what the song needs is what matters most. The song will tell you if you only listen. If you are only it this for the worlds fastest guitarist title then disregard this message and best of luck to you. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Joe

[Thor Von Clemson]

Re: To all you shredders...

hey there. I am 20 and I have been trying to become more skilled in the ways of shredding for many years. The best advice I can give you is to never give up. Shredding, to me, sometimes seems like an unattainable goal. Still though you practice everyday. I promise you this though, if you put the time and effort into becoming the best guitar player you can be, something good will come out of it. Something that helps me a lot is to watch videos of people playing. Whether it be from people here on the forum to guys like Chuck Schuldiner or the dudes from cryptopsy... Watching helps me learn. You just have to take things slowly, practice your ass off, and remember you are young man... dont get discouraged if you see other dudes who seem to be more skilled than you. Speed will come with time and practice. (I think someone else said that somewhere here on the forum?)

[Charvelman]

Re: To all you shredders...

There are also some great guitarists who can shread extremely fast but choose not to do so because they have found a style that fits them that doesn't include it. Just play what you like to play. If it's BB King or Malmstien as long as you love it.

[SpiralArchitect]

Re: To all you shredders...

Okay guys, dumb question, but where can I get the speed mechanics dealy?

I've been playing for 14 years and just do my own thing, but I'd like to have a look at this!


Thanks if anyone can help!

Chris

[Model 88]

Re: To all you shredders...

You can pick it up at Amazon.com. Here is the link to his site http://www.stetina.com/.I bought it and the finger strenghting exercises alone was worth it to me.

[Chameleonfong]

Re: To all you shredders...

Originally posted by gold moon soloist:
hey there. I am 20 and I have been trying to become more skilled in the ways of shredding for many years. The best advice I can give you is to never give up. Shredding, to me, sometimes seems like an unattainable goal. Still though you practice everyday. I promise you this though, if you put the time and effort into becoming the best guitar player you can be, something good will come out of it. Something that helps me a lot is to watch videos of people playing. Whether it be from people here on the forum to guys like Chuck Schuldiner or the dudes from cryptopsy... Watching helps me learn. You just have to take things slowly, practice your ass off, and remember you are young man... dont get discouraged if you see other dudes who seem to be more skilled than you. Speed will come with time and practice. (I think someone else said that somewhere here on the forum?)

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I got my speed when i lock myself in a room and pratice for an average of 6-8 hrs daily for a month.

Guess what, not only did i get the speed, i got myself some problems with my pickin elbow too. I was lucky that the damage wasn't premanent but still i have to stop for a couple of months because of that.


So my advise is; no matter how much you want, always know your limits. You'd rather be late than never.

Just my .2 cents of crap
Cham

[ApeDosMil]

Re: To all you shredders...

i thought i was pretty good, until my friend comes over and totally kicks my ass...

oh well

[pro-fusion]

Re: To all you shredders...

Virtuousity in music is a totally valid thing, and all of the "I only play for the song" crapola doesn't change that a bit. It is present in all forms of western music, and most non-western forms, as well (think Indian raga music).

Did Charlie Parker suck because he played a million notes a minute in his bebop jazz music?

Did JS Bach suck because many of the preludes to his keyboard suites are mind-bendingly difficult to play?

Not!

Basically, if your goal is totally mastery of your chosen instrument, then, yes, speed is one very important measure of a guitarist's ability, along with many others, such as tonal quality and variety of phrasings. A player who can play 16th notes at 200bpm is more of a virtuouso than a player who cannot do that. Doesn't mean that you have to play that way always, or even often, but there is nothing wrong with playing that way, or having the ability to do so.

If your goal is just to put chicks in the front row at your concerts, then the quality of your wardrobe and hairstyle are much more important than anything you do on guitar. In fact, it's the lead singers that get the chicks, anyway, so you'd be better off hucking your guitar entirely and picking up a microphone. And nowadays, you don't even have to be able to carry a tune!