My Argument for Shred

[MONSTERheart]

Just to start, this is about guitars. The shred genre, to be specific. In case you don't know, "shred" is defined as highly technically proficient guitar playing that is more based in showmanship than anything else. I will also be discussing why I think it is one of the best genres of rock and music in general. Before we begin, go into YouTube and type in "shred" or "shred solo" or anything like that. Watch a video and read the comments then come back. (here's a good one if your too lazy to look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2JlKzMokv0 )

Go ahead. I'll wait.

Read the comments.

A decent 1/3 of them were about how the shred genre sucks dick, right?

Right.

Maybe they're correct when they say that.

I like to disagree with that, and this is my thinking behind that:

The most common argument for saying that shred sucks is that "it lacks emotion" or "its just a guy playing fast but putting no soul into it". Seriously. Look back at those comments again. But really, what the hell does that even mean? He lacks emotion? So, what, because he's playing fast and not putting quite as many bends in there its not emotional or in any way channeling the players thoughts? There is something a bit wrong with that statement. It's sort of like saying its not quite a pie because it doesn't have enough apples and there isn't any whipped cream.

Really, this ridiculous idea of playing needing emotion stems from something: We have, as an audience, forgotten what the purpose of music is. You might say it is to fill in the emotional stimulation people need. I will say, however, that if you say that you are wrong. The purpose of music is, and always will be, to ENTERTAIN. Let me ask you, when was the last time you listened to a song because you wanted to be entertained and not just to have some background noise while you work?

With that in mind, think about this: what genre's of music do you hate? Rap? Techno? Rock? Metal? I used to tell myself I would never get into any of this modern hip-hop/rap/r&b stuff, but eventually I did find some songs I liked. I didn't like these songs because they were good or because they filled some emotional void. I liked them because, well, they were pretty damn fun to listen to. Which is why I always tell myself now: No genre of music is inherently BAD. Only the song can be bad.

So, how does the shred sub-genre of rock and metal fit into this? Well, it is, first and foremost, a genre COMPLETELY focused on entertainment. It is a genre based around showmanship and competition. As I'm sure were all aware, flashiness and competition are peoples favorite things to watch (the Super Bowl, for example, features live music and shows as well as an intense showdown between the two best teams in the league). When someone watches it, they are going "wow, holy shit that is FAST" in their head. Never mind the slow, emotional stuff; This guy on the screen is playing a DOUBLE GUITAR HOLY SHIT THAT IS AWESOME ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rutyA12z3Ok ).

Of course there are bad examples of shred. The guys that just aren't that good or songs that don't make you say "damn, that is badass" will always be there. But isn't this true of every genre? Hits and misses?

And by no means am I saying that slow, emotional stuff is worse than shred. I would surely listen to Dave Gilmour before I have to listen to Yngwie Malmsteen and I would definitely put Hendrix over Satriani; I'm just saying that emotion is not what its all about.

Thoughts? Disagree?

(Keep in mind that the whole thing about entertainment can be applied to any music genre. If it is entertaining it is good. No questions asked.)

 

[Iron Criterion]

-snip-

Its about balance. When my band is playing a gig of course we want/need songs that have epic shred solos so our audience is entertained and has also worn themselves out by the end of the night. But you also need more emotional ballad style songs, not only so you can recuperate your energy in between the more speed metal orientated songs but because an hour long set with insanely fast solos does surprisingly just all blend together; plus it looks like you are showing off.

 

[Layz92]

I don't like it so much when it is just whaling on the 3 highest notes possible but when the solos throw in all the licks and riffs that arn't all screeching high notes it is actually quite good. Like Buckethead or Zack Wylde for example are great.

 

[zen5887]

Nahh.. Really really not very good.

Sure, they can slay most people with their speed and agility on their neck but there's more to a solo than playing as many notes as you can. A lot of the time they substitute quality for quantity, I didn't hear any notes that were remotely interesting or challenging, I would wager that these guys don't leave their minor pentatonic (my ears aren't that good, feel free to correct me).

I really find this stuff dull. When I listen to shread I hear myself saying "Okay.. They are playing lots of notes.. What else?" In a good solo you'll here passages, sections, ideas and motives. It will build up, it will peak, it will slow down and it might build up again. Sure it might have blazing fast parts but it will also have melody and space, which keeps the solo interesting.

Emotion comes from the notes the soloist uses and doesn't use. It is pretty much your basic "Minors are sad, majors are happy" with more complex variations in Jazz and such. Soloists choose to add tension by playing (or not playing) a certain note against the chord, which is something Shread lacks, their note choices are so bland because the patterns are there on the fingerboard and it makes it easier to play fast.

I would advise listening to Jazz. Try to avoid jazz guitarists at the start, and hear what other instruments that (because of physical limitations) don't play fast can do.

Also - The last part of that video was horrible.

I'm not going to convince you that this stuff isn't good, its what you're into and you'll stick to that no matter what I (or anyone) says. That's why I'm not going to post any vids featuring better solos.

 

[S.R.S.]

Music is your own opinion man so what? Who cares if no-one but you likes it.
All music is inferior to Iron Maiden.
At 43 seconds it gets epic

 

[Ked]

i recon it is down to emotion
alot of the people you see on youtube are playing fast because they have learnt that and nothing else.
some shredding soloist scream out emotion, exaple: Buckethead, Dimebag ect.
but most of the stuff you see in youtube is absolute shlock

 

[Avaholic03]

Since when were youtube comments worth arguing against? I don't necessarily disagree with anything you said, but I also don't really find that kind of music appealing. Just personal preference I guess. You're never going to convince anyone, no matter how long your post is. People are either going to like it or not.

 

[x0ny]

I looked at several videos and all I could see were people praising the guitarist and envying how they couldn't do that. It was a very positive atmosphere overall, I typed in shred solo, clicked on 220bpm Speed Metal Shred Solo.

 

[The Maddest March Hare]

I agree the shred has has its own little niche in music for those who crave entertainment, but I'm afraid I am not one of its appreciators. There are some examples of it which I find interesting, such as the Speed Kills video that S.R.S. posted, but I have to say that your guitar battle example is handily showcasing the bad side of Shred. They all seem to start good, at a medium pace and a little melody to their playing, then they start shredding and it all goes to hell as notes become muffled and scratchy and generally it loses the entertainment for me because it reminds me of a child banging a xylophone very loud and fast for attention.

I'll stick to my metal songs, where the solos are just long enough and technical enough to be really impressive without diverging into the realms of a simple shred.

 

[BonsaiK]

Just to start, this is about guitars. The shred genre, to be specific.

Oh yes. Shred guitar.

I used to listen to this stuff back when it was initially trendy in the mid to late 1980s. I got kinda bored with it pretty fast though. Fast guitar playing is nice but after a while it gets to the point where it's just like "meh, another fast guy, who sounds like all the other fast guys". I'm not against it per se, I think all styles of playing have their time and place. But I do think that the last segment of that competition video is horrid. I don't believe in "music as sport", I think that is damaging to music as it reduces art to the level of a competition. Music is what I initially got involved in to explore my creativity and get away from the 'sport' attitude of "I must be better/faster than you".

Now let's talk about "soul" because that's an interesting discussion. When I talk about "soul" I don't necessarily mean "emotion" because that's such a highly subjective term. All guitar playing has emotion of one kind or another, even if that 'emotion' is boredom! Soul to me means something else.

Michael Angelo Batio is for me, the epitome of a "soulless" player - he has undeniably incredible technique, but he sounds like a computer reeling the notes off. Apart from the speed itself, there's no real personality in his playing - blindfold me and play me him and ten other shredders who play equally as fast doing random songs and I couldn't tell you which one was Michael Angelo Batio.

Someone like Brian May, Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour or even Yngwie Malmsteen(!) is the opposite of that. You hear them play guitar and you can tell who the player is instantly. That, to me, is "soul" - when your inner creativity comes out through your instrument in a distinctive, personalised way. It's got nothing to do with how fast or slow you go (Yngwie can surely play as fast or almost as fast as M.A.B.), it's about your ability for self-expression regardless of musical style, speed or format.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I guess it's impressive what they're doing. But I found that immensely irritating. Kurt Cobain played more interesting solo's than this, and he had no idea what he was doing. He did know how to create something worth listening too, though...that's the key.

 

[MONSTERheart]

I guess I didn't really include any examples of a GOOD shred song. These ones are fast but plenty of that 'feeling' and 'soul' stuff.

Radiator by Paul Gilbert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Z2TzYYTQM
I actually find that song to be a LOT better than some 'classic' rock songs. (This is also one of my favorite songs)

Kill The King by Rainbow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3ZfrCPKEqM
It's old, but this is Ritchie Blackmore at his best. And who says shred can't be mixed with vocals?

I'm sure were all familiar with Eruption.

an unnamed live solo by Tracii Guns: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EEgKvpLFh4&feature=PlayList&p=71440DF397E1E058&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=28
Pretty self-explanatory. Good balance between intensity and speed.

There are more of course. These are just some of my favorites. Probably should have included these in original post.

Since when were youtube comments worth arguing against? I don't necessarily disagree with anything you said, but I also don't really find that kind of music appealing. Just personal preference I guess. You're never going to convince anyone, no matter how long your post is. People are either going to like it or not.

It's not just YouTube. People say it to me in real life. My friends especially. The always say "Yeah so I was listening to this metal song and then the guy started playing some stupid, fast solo that did nothing but show off" or something like that. Then I try to tell them that whole "entertainment" thing in the OP.

Also - The last part of that video was horrible.

I'm assuming you're talking about the MAB video? Which I can sort of agree with. I just put it up there as a "holy shit" example.

I know he isn't considered a shredder, but Petrucci is the best example.

Since when was he not considered a shredder? I was unaware of this.

 

[Outright Villainy]

Well you're entitled to your opinion of course, you don't need to defend your tastes. Not that I agree with you, personally I find nearly all shred completely uninteresting.