Shred Guitar ? - what exactly is it

Don't know ?

Depends on who you ask.
Generally it usually means a guy who can play overdrive guitar with a bunch of scales and sweeps really quickly with no feeling in his playing whatsoever.

Originally Posted by: schmangeDepends on who you ask.
Generally it usually means a guy who can play overdrive guitar with a bunch of scales and sweeps really quickly with no feeling in his playing whatsoever.

Now now, Schmange, let's not be mean. I call the Moog Boog "shredding," but it's still a song with a strong melody and plenty of feeling.

Well.. that's because I'm marvelous. :cool:

Originally Posted by: schmangeDepends on who you ask.
Generally it usually means a guy who can play overdrive guitar with a bunch of scales and sweeps really quickly with no feeling in his playing whatsoever.

Thanks - I think I could be a natural ??????

It's musical weightlifting. It means playing just about as fast as possible. Steve Vai and John Petrucci are a couple of the finer shreddies.

yea guys, this is gonna be a paradox, but guitar can output feeling without bends.

Some beutiful melodic runs can impact the same feeling. Just look at classical music.

Well, just like rock music, there's good and bad classical music.

I think the 'Shred' label just reminds people of so many beginner guitar players that sound exactly the same. They've spent 2 years learning nothing but scales as fast as they can play them. Meantime, they don't know anything about dynamics or the emotion that needs to go into music. They don't know any other forms of music or styles. There's no variety in their playing.
They're just inflating their ego with how fast they can play.
There's guys that post here that sometimes get into the 'who can play fastest' competition.
It's like.. great... but what else can you do?

Speed is not everything but it can certainly enhance a piece of music. Anyone who says that "shred" is emtionless has never listened to Vinnie Moore, John Petrucci, Joe Satriani (Surfing With The Alien era), Michael Romeo etc etc.
Shred is just a term for music that is faster than most can, or want to play, it doesnt have to be ultra fast from start to finish. People always bitch about this type of music but it's mostly though a lack of ability to play at the same level OR simply from not hearing what gifted players can produce.
There are greats in all styles. Fact is most guitarists only fiddle with scales no matter the style. 99% of most blues and jazz players sound like they are just playing up and down scales or rehashed phrases. There is a lot that can be learned from the above players with regard to composition, technical ability, soulful input, original phrasing and innovative ideas that I think most guitarists would benefit from.
This whole shred is stupid line of thinking can be just as easily aimed at any other style of music including the old composers. Paganini for example... not much different in approach than Yngwie Malmsteen's solos breaks (technically brilliant, great melodic struture but devoid of any emotion) but nobody seems to bash him.

Originally Posted by: SuperhumanSpeed is not everything but it can certainly enhance a piece of music. Anyone who says that "shred" is emtionless has never listened to Vinnie Moore, John Petrucci, Joe Satriani (Surfing With The Alien era), Michael Romeo etc etc.
Shred is just a term for music that is faster than most can, or want to play, it doesnt have to be ultra fast from start to finish. People always bitch about this type of music but it's mostly though a lack of ability to play at the same level OR simply from not hearing what gifted players can produce.
There are greats in all styles. Fact is most guitarists only fiddle with scales no matter the style. 99% of most blues and jazz players sound like they are just playing up and down scales or rehashed phrases. There is a lot that can be learned from the above players with regard to composition, technical ability, soulful input, original phrasing and innovative ideas that I think most guitarists would benefit from.
This whole shred is stupid line of thinking can be just as easily aimed at any other style of music including the old composers. Paganini for example... not much different in approach than Yngwie Malmsteen's solos breaks (technically brilliant, great melodic struture but devoid of any emotion) but nobody seems to bash him.

I bash Paganini all the time. With the exception of a few compositions, he's a heap of junk.

is to go insane while your playing to loose your self in the music to venture into space. to propel the trust out your guitar engine soft smooth hard or fast is is to explore new levels to shoot for the moon then mabey the sun into cosmos and know you just shreded

I dont have much respect for any guitarists who actually call themselves shredders.

If you noticed, no shred guitarists really puts the word shred into any of their interviews, songs, or comments.

Though there are unfortunate counter-examples such as Joe Stump, Rusty Cooley, Micheal Angelo Batio, ect.

The name Shred came from viewers watching people like Van-Halen ripping through the fingerboard and it looks like their shredding off the wood of the neck.
(haha,If you apply this theory to any type of guitar, I guess blues players are called benders... :p )

Originally Posted by: AkiraWhy's that exactly?

I never really labelled myself as a shredder until people started calling me a shredder, so I guess now I say i'm a "shredder".

Ditto to that Akira. It's just a word that means you play fast music. I don't mind saying I play "shred" at all.

Just my own opinion, but I dont' consider Van Halen to be a shredder.
Nor Satriani or Vai for tha matter.
When I hear the term 'shredder' I think of a guy I saw at a guitar competition once.
Everybody else was playing these complex 5 minute solos that included a variety of different styles. Really great stuff. Then he comes along and basically goes nuts on the guitar running around the stage, playing scales as fast as he could, flying his hair around with the lights flashing. Meantime he's missing notes and he's really sloppy cause he just wants to look like a 'rocker'.
All his friends are cheering him on and applauding, but every other guitar player in the audience is sitting there, laughing their heads off.

Originally Posted by: AkiraWhy's that exactly?

ahh mainly cause calling yourself a shredder is quite cocky in my opinion. But if someone else were to tell you, its a complement.

Its hard for me to explain... :confused:

Kinda like when Joe Stump has songs called NIGHT OF THE LIVING SHRED, and WHERE NO MAN DARE SHRED.
...its so damn cocky

Originally Posted by: AkiraSo what do you consider Satriani and Vai as?

Rock guitar players I guess.

Originally Posted by: alucard0941ahh mainly cause calling yourself a shredder is quite cocky in my opinion. But if someone else were to tell you, its a complement.

Its hard for me to explain... :confused:

Kinda like when Joe Stump has songs called NIGHT OF THE LIVING SHRED, and WHERE NO MAN DARE SHRED.
...its so damn cocky

But... Joe Stump does kick ass when it comes to "shredding". I suppose he can afford to be cocky seeing as he teaches at Berklee and actually plays most of his work in one take, sometimes jammed through from start to finish. Not that all of his stuff is the easiest to listen to though...

Satch is an intelligent, melodic guitarist who rarely 'shreds' and has been given the unfortunate title of a 'Shredder'.

Still don't see the problem with the term shred... it's just like thrash, speed, death, power, grunge, neoclassical, nu etc...
Maybe I should just call the style I play "man with guitar" so as not to be prejudged...

Originally Posted by: ericthecableguySatch is an intelligent, melodic guitarist who rarely 'shreds' and has been given the unfortunate title of a 'Shredder'.

Yeah I know, I'm a blues guitarist but I love listening and playing his music.
When I first heard of him, everybody said he was a shredder, so I wasn't looking forward to listen to him. Mainly because at the time my impression of a shredder was: plays fast, tons of scales= crapola! Wrong! His playing had so much more dimension than that to it! I was shocked! That is true though, the title shredder really kinda deflects some audiences.