The "shredding has no feeling" rant

[canuck brian]

Hey y'all.

/rant

I'm relatively new here, been playing guitar for 15 years and I love shredding. I may not even be that good at it, but i still love it. (i can pull off Paradigm Shift.)

So i'm in the local music store going as fast as humanly possible because...that's what i like to do.... and i hear the most dumb assed comment of "that's just noise, no feeling at all." Noise? I didn't say anything back...just kept playing.

Is it just me or does anyone else get the instant desire knock someone's teeth out when something like this is said? I worked hard to get technique, speed and accuracy, and i'm positive everyone else who has the shredding bug loves going playing to the most extreme of their ability. It just pisses me off when some stupid fat asshole playing a store Gibson at near earbleeding volume thru a Twin (and badly) makes comments like this.

Almost every shred video on youtube has some jerk saying "oh there's no feeling in there" or crap like that. Are shredders allowed to make rips on people like Clapton with "he's just not playing fast enough?"

/end rant

I like ss.org's emoticons.

 

[Kagami]

stuff with no musicality might as well not be played, I went to a jazz ensemble last night and their lead tenor sax could play but his solos all sounded like shit because he just played quickly and jumped around, it didn't flow at all.

 

[technomancer]

stuff with no musicality might as well not be played, I went to a jazz ensemble last night and their lead tenor sax could play but his solos all sounded like shit because he just played quickly and jumped around, it didn't flow at all.

+1

Shred is great, but there's a big difference between putting shred to good use and just wanking off.

 

[canuck brian]

I'll agree on the mindless shredding really having no point.

My problem lies on people who either cannot or have no interest in shredding routinely dismissing it as stupid...just because it's fast.

 

[The Dark Wolf]

stuff with no musicality might as well not be played, I went to a jazz ensemble last night and their lead tenor sax could play but his solos all sounded like shit because he just played quickly and jumped around, it didn't flow at all.

^

Ken Burtch, a guy who can legitimately shred his fucking ass off, posted a demo on here recently. And, while he definitely shows some of his amazing chops on there, I was FAR more impressed with his phrasing, sense of melody, feel, and timing. Most shredders nowadays could seriously use sititng down at a woodshedding clinic for about a month or so with Ken.

So, technique is good. But if it's just widdly wah! widdly widdly wah!, well, it gets old fast, IMO. Even if I'm suitably impressed for 5 minutes, I'm bored after said minutes.

 

[Emperoff]

Well, I've always thought that MOST shredding has no feeling. I mean, since the heavy metal was born, It's like the "role" was to demonstrate all the "posers" that metal was the music most agressive, technic, blah blah blah... So that fixation of being THE BEST OF THE BEST (high pitched voices, light-speed solos, and all that stuff) made a lot of bands forget what really was behind, the music.

I've heard countless bands, and most of the guitar solos sound the same, same scales, same phrasing, nobody does something different that really catches the attention of my ears. And even less solos are there to enhance the song. Its kinda "here's the solo, play whatever you want, but it has to be FAST!". Very sad.

For me there are really a few (well known) guitar players that do something original, musical, and with good feeling with the song. Talking about metal, I'd say Dimebag Darrell and Jeff Loomis right now, I'll have to think about this more But for instance, few weeks ago I went to a prog-rock gig, and in on of the solos, the guitar player did some kind of arabic solo very fast, but with a lot of groove, and some chics around started to dance. THAT is nice

I like the guitar solos on the last album of All That Remains, they're not übershredding and they're short, but fit in the song very well

 

[Nik]

I'm gonna have to disagree with you to a certain point. I can't stand mindless shredding. Having said that, I can't stand most of Eric Clapton's stuff, either.

I believe in having the ability to shred; I've said this before, and I'll say it again: for me, good technique is when your technique does not limit your imagination. Shredding should not be viewed as a playing style, but rather, as simply as a useful tool at your disposal. For example, if you're playing a build-up, super emotional solo, what better way to create tension than to throw in some super fast runs leading up to your tonic high up there on the fretboard?

However, I hate it when people use shredding as a musical genre. For me, the worn-out, cliche' neo-classical shredding genre is about as annoying as the latest steaming pile of hip-hop bullshit on MTV. Both have no musical value.

Music should be about making a pleasing song, not about showing off and amending your insecurities. And if the pleasant song you're making requires a little shredding, that's fine! But if you shred for the sake of shredding, then it becomes irritating noise.

I know I may be going against the grain here, but I hated most of Rusty Cooley's debut album. I don't need 3 solid minutes of crazy sweep-picking arpeggios in "Dark Matter." They don't advance the melody. That part of the song has a sort of "I'll just play these sets of apreggios over and over really fast and call it a melody..." And it sounds like shit at the end of the day.

Some examples of shredding that work, IMO, include Dream Theater's "Train of Thought." The shred solos fit the super-heavy feel of the album very well, and somehow they remained memorable. As for shredding with emotion, just listen to the guitar solo for "Beyond the Pale" by Pain of Salvation. That's a perfect example of an emotional solo featuring shredding.

Also, I don't want to offend anyone here, but few things piss me off more than the people that go to guitar stores in order to shred and show off. I can't stand it when I'm standing in line buying strings and some asshole has turned up the volume on one of the stacks and is showing off directly into my right ear-lobe Showing-off and shredding might be enjoyable for the person doing it, but at the end of the day, it IS just noise that's irritating to others.

Make music, not shred.

 

[Seedawakener]

The man was just jealous. Most of the times the people who say these things are TOTAL N00BS. The reason why you here that is because the only things these guys can do i bend (and that badly) and play 10 notes a minute (maybe not that slow ). But I love shredding, or at least listening to it often amazes me if its good.

 

[Roundhouse_Kick]

I live in a town where pretty much the entire music 'scene' is anti shred (apart from about 3 bands, mine included). So I'm used to getting a lot of crap about playing fast and liking technical music.

The thing that REALLY grinds my gears is when these closed minded idiots dismiss truly awesome, inspiring music as feelingless crap because it has fast playing in it. A guy on my uni course said of petrucci "all he does is play loads of chromatic scales" Or some other guy in a truly shit band talking about vomiting and stabbing his eyes out when listening to people like petrucci and romeo .Two of the most musically gifted 'shredders' of this generation! But I'm used to it, so it only really gets to me when I'm in a bad mood, or drunk!

If you enjoy what you do, stick to it whatever people say!(And that includes the neighbours!)

 

[Ken]

^

Ken Burtch, a guy who can legitimately shred his fucking ass off, posted a demo on here recently. And, while he definitely shows some of his amazing chops on there, I was FAR more impressed with his phrasing, sense of melody, feel, and timing. Most shredders nowadays could seriously use sititng down at a woodshedding clinic for about a month or so with Ken.

So, technique is good. But if it's just widdly wah! widdly widdly wah!, well, it gets old fast, IMO. Even if I'm suitably impressed for 5 minutes, I'm bored after said minutes.

:blush:

and

 

[spooky breakfast]

yeah, i go into guitar center the other day and what do you know. theres a 17 year old suburban yuppie *string of obceneties* playing a les paul through a hot rod. i'm sitting there just trying to tune up the dkmg i've been thinkin about and go along my merry way, but no. seven nation army starts blasting through my head. so th sales guy walks over and after having to shout for him to get the guy to turn it down he leaves, two minutes later my ears are still hurting, now strained by...you guessed it, smells like teen spirit. so i crank up the peavey i was sitting at and the first thing that comes to mind is slayer. 4 minutes later, angel of death in all its entirety has been played and i am appeased and turn the amp back down and go about my merry way. my opinion on shredding versus feel is this. playing fast for the sake of playing fast has its appeal, but if its all you can do it gets boring really quick. feel is important, but you cant feel something that is barely even registered. my first song was raining blood, but i spent maybe close to a year playing tool and chili peppers. its good to learn speed, but use as just another piece of your set, like a pedal. its great to learn everything you can, but in the end, the control and vision that go behind it make you a musician.

 

[Ken]

I'm gonna have to disagree with you to a certain point. I can't stand mindless shredding. Having said that, I can't stand most of Eric Clapton's stuff, either.

[edited so as to not use the entire Internet's bandwidth ]

Make music, not shred.

In my younger years, I was guilty of going in to music stores and shredding just to try to impress people. It's true what they say: "youth is wasted on the young". Or at least it was on me.

Well said, Nik. eRep for you.

 

[includao]

What could you musically express in a 6-string arpegio that produces 33nps?

 

[abyssalservant]

Almost every shred video on youtube has some jerk saying "oh there's no feeling in there" or crap like that. Are shredders allowed to make rips on people like Clapton with "he's just not playing fast enough?"

I do.
I've been ripping Clapton and Page and who-all else for god knows how long for doing shit that any moron can do within 10 seconds of being handed a sheet with a pentatonic scale on it.
Gilmour's different, for the record.

Give me shred or give me death!

And yes, there's a lot of boring, emotionless shred. Who gives a shit? There are a lot of people who suck at a lot of things. I'd rather have boring shred than really good "rock/blues" solos any day.

I hate all people who play with excessive volume. If you're in a store, keep your playing to yourself.

 

[Nik]

Thanks Ken

I'd rather have boring shred than really good "rock/blues" solos any day.

Ummm...

To each his own, I guess.

 

[XEN]

I'm with you man. A store clerk asked me to stop my "chainsawing" once saying that it was getting irritating. I can understand ripping someone for pure show-off wanking IF said wanking is released as a CD and touted as music. If you are in a music store and are trying to test the capabilities of the gear you're interested in I venture to say that it is the appropriate time to shred your fucking ass off. Otherwise how will you know if the guitar, amp, or effect can give you what you want when you want it?? If you go to a store just to show off, put the guitar down, leave the store, and go home. If you're there to test out some gear, test the shit out of it even if it means looking like you're there to show off! You can explore your feelings with your guitar in the privacy of your own room, 'cause frankly I don't want to know about your feelings in that way.

 

[Mastodon]

To me alot of what I've heard from Rusty Cooley sounds terrible. (I do however like Outworld)

Whereas I've loved almost everything I've heard from Yngwie.

So I definately agree that it depends on the phrasing and what not.

 

[Metal Ken]

What could you musically express in a 6-string arpegio that produces 33nps?

that seems kinda like a loaded phrase. What could you possible express with a 5 note scale that produces 2 nps?

 

[Invader]

Shredding has no feeling?

My T-shirt knows better.

 

[skinhead]

Assholes say that shit becuase they cant play that, so they are jelous.

That's the point, i like shredding, but maybe my style it's rythm.

Don't listen what assholes say, do what you feel and what you want, or say that guy if he can play some shreddy things.

Saludos!