View post (Good shredders/Bad shredders)

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sambob
Registered User
Joined: 08/09/03
Posts: 450
sambob
Registered User
Joined: 08/09/03
Posts: 450
01/13/2004 12:27 am
Although you DID put Rusty Cooley on your good shredders list, I think in the next few years he'll be even closer up to the top. I'm fairly sure he plays some fusion/jazz things, as well as just neoclassical and rock, I have a feeling with some of the guys he seems to like (Frank Gambale, Shawn Lane), that we should be hearing totally good things from him (Even better than his first album, which although it had a few songs...had a few great songs too.. Under The Influence, Dominion, The Butcher, etc).

However, if I made that list.. Steve Vai would be on the BAD shredders side. Why? He always plays the same thing! Of all the live records, bootlegs, and videos I've heard/seen of him, he plays nearly the exact same thing on all of his songs. Now, the guy doesn't hardly EVER screw up, and thats good. But if I played the same thing every night I don't think I would either. A good example of a shredder thats always pushing the limits (in my mind at least), is actually Joe Stump. Some may see him as a cheap Yngwie knockoff.. but having seen him live a few times I can assure you he most definitely not! He's always pushing himself beyond what I'm assuming he thought were his limits (As you can tell by the surprised look on his face during some solos). Some call it sloppy, but when you're pushing yourself like that I don't think you expect things to always turn out 100% right, but its always interesting to see how far he can push himself.

So I see guys like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani.. not really as shredders. Talented players, great songwriters, but not shredders.

As for Michael Angelo..either he's the greatest guitar player ever (I've never heard him miss a single note), or like I was mentioning above, he just never tries anything new.

To get an idea of what I mean about joe stump, check out the video on his website! http://www.joestump.com Its amazing to see how even a veteran player like him can improve so much over just a few years (listen to his first album, then his newest stuff).