How fast do you have to play to be "shredding"?

[jtm622]

As for me, I can play some stock "rote-from-memory" licks fairly rapidly; but back in my heyday (the mid to late '70's), the term "shredding" did not even exist - nor did "High-Gain" amps... So I've always wondered: what is the difference between "playing fast" and "shredding"?

[shredtrash]

If you sound like an angry mosquito, you're shredding.

[Tone_Terrific]

This was sort of kicked around before and I leaned that shredding is now what you do when you play 'shred.' I don't know when shred became its own genre.

I'm pretty sure Chet A, for instance, and any highly accomplished players can play at shred level speeds but they don't play 'shred.' Ok? I'm confused.

[Millul]

From a technical point of view, you're in the shred-zone when you're able to play, let's say, 16th notes at 160+ BPM

From a stylistical pov, shred as a genre is often (not always!) an inrelenting endless sequence of note plaied at blistering pace, with few pauses and even less real music in it.

Just an example: Rusty Cooley is, technically, simply amazing, but listening to his music bores me to death. Jhon Petrucci's technique is as much spellbinding, but his music is more musical, if this makes any sense!

All the above is IME, IMHO etc etc

[semi-hollowbody]

Work with a metronome and slowly build your speed...once you get to the point where what your playing is so fast it is no longer musical, play a tad bit faster and you are officially a "shredder"

next go to Guitar center, crank the amp, and drive em all crazy!!! ;)

[bowie3141]

If you sound like an angry mosquito, you're shredding.yes and i was thinking flight of the bumble bee:RoCkIn

[Dog Boy]

Anything above 10 r 11 notes a second. Doesn't matter what notes. Get practicing ya stoner.

[bowie3141]

Anything above 10 r 11 notes a second. Doesn't matter what notes. Get practicing ya stoner.
thats funny:bong

[HHB]

if you sound like a weedeater your doing it right LOL

[RichieRich]

if you sound annoying and look like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb5QaCfm7bg

you're shredding

dislclaimer - i've seen batio play some tasteful licks, too.

[bowie3141]

if you sound annoying and look like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb5QaCfm7bg

you're shredding

dislclaimer - i've seen batio play some tasteful licks, too.
i hope he's not the poster boy for gold's gym!!!:eek:

[Aaron Cheney]

Trying to "draw a line" in terms of speed is a fruitless labor, IMO.

Every single note you play should say something. If you're playing more than that, you're shredding.

ac

[CharAznable]

You are shredding if you abide by the rule that each solo must contain at least one of the following:

a) speed picking
b) a dive bomb
c) tapping
d) sweep arpeggios

It's not even about speed.. it's about delivering those tricks when your fans expect it. You must abide by the rules!

[Ulysses]

Trying to "draw a line" in terms of speed is a fruitless labor, IMO.

Every single note you play should say something. If you're playing more than that, you're shredding.

ac


Still highly subjective but I think that's pretty good.

[jazzandmetal?]

Trying to "draw a line" in terms of speed is a fruitless labor, IMO.

Every single note you play should say something. If you're playing more than that, you're shredding.

ac

I nominate this to be put in Websters Dictionary under shredding.

[Scott Miller]

Every single note you play should say something. If you're playing more than that, you're shredding.

But you can very slowly say nothing, too.

[Aaron Cheney]

But you can very slowly say nothing, too.

Better then to keep quiet for a measure or two. Great music lives, after all, in the spaces.

Shredders abhor a vacuum.

ac

[Bearded]

Faster than you should be playing.

:ducks:

[neastguy]

i cant shred.. me fingers dont move that fast.. either does me other hand... I like to play as few notes as possible, i get tired fast... I do like paper shredders though..

[kselbee]

Interesting question. It seems to be a popular opinion here that if you plays blues licks fast (SRV for example) then it's cool and heart felt. But if you play at the same speed but add a few more notes (like say, the whole aeolian scale) then it's senseless.

[Ulysses]

Interesting question. It seems to be a popular opinion here that if you plays blues licks fast (SRV for example) then it's cool and heart felt. But if you play at the same speed but add a few more notes (like say, the whole aeolian scale) then it's senseless.

I don't believe that speed = shredding at all. You can pick just about any four measures of a Charlie Parker solo at a blur, slow it down and most times find a melody that would make a respectable head. Same with Pat Martino, Bireli especially, or even the Mahavishnu back in the day. Although speed is not at all necassary to convey melody, with these examples it translates to a highly stimulating experience for the listener while remaining rewarding in melody with intense bursts of emotion.

Slow down some of the playing that many call shredding and you'll find what sounds more like rudimentary exercises, repetitive scales and arpeggios. Playing them at blinding speed may be somewhat intense but lacking for many listeners in musical content.

[ZachariahG]

Jennifer Batten's cover of "Flight of the Bumblebee" is absolute shred.
that girl can play guitar.

[TaronKeim]

When you're more concerned with technique than substance, overall, I believe that is shred. Most of my shred buds are concerned with "sounding" a specific way, they want a sheet/flurry of notes, as long as they go with the song, but they don't care what order or purpose they fill aside from that specific "sheets of sound" technique/timbre.

If how complicated a piece is to play becomes more important than what it says, or you're more concerned with challenging yourself technically and showing off your technical skill to audiences and players, I think that puts you as a shredder.

I think shredding is a mindset, and the "genre" is a direct product of that mindset.

There are players out there that shred, but still put function over form ala. Pat Martino, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Guthrie Govan... and countless others; these players speed came naturally to them with standard practice and they were just expressing themselves using all the tools they have; where as shred players specifically work at the speed as a form as opposed to a function of expression.

Also... I believe speed or shred can simply be seen as a technique or a sound/timbre. You can woodshed one solo that fits the mood of a song, something to captivate and add that specifica element that only fast playing can provide, whether it be an alien sense of melody or inertia or the feeling of a musical climax (ala. classical music) and a method of representing tension and release via. tempo. Form and function meet at this point and you are simply playing a "shred solo" or a "shredding tempo" as a form to satisfy your musical function - this however does not make you a "shredder".

So in other words, I don't think it is "how fast" you're playing... but the intent of your speedy finger work... because not all shredders can play at the same speeds, but they are all considered shredders, even the slow ones;)

_TJK*

[jtwang]

Shred is a state of mind, an attitude and a lifestyle. Seriously. You don't say things like "I'm going to give YOU the keys the Lamborghini." because you play warp speed heavy metal - you play warp speed heavy metal because you're dying to use that Lamborghini metaphor.

[Kalalau Hiker]

so fast that the room is left empty.

oh, I'm sorry.. that's SHEDDING yourself ... of an audience! :jo....;)

[darth_vader]

Not sure speed wise, but I suspect it has something to do with straight alternate picking, avoiding use of legato, and using a lot of sweep picking.

[shane88]

it's quite simple ... if i want to listen to it, it's playing fast ........ if i don't want to listen to it, it's shred

[henry_the_horse]

Probably 'round this fast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evTTHS9hwvU&feature=related

or this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAGDRDds3tw&feature=related
;)
Regards

[ThugLife]

well first, you need to be diesel picking. then, work your way up to world domination mode. you'll hear it when you cross the threshold into shreading

[BIGGERSTAFF]

Interesting question. It seems to be a popular opinion here that if you plays blues licks fast (SRV for example) then it's cool and heart felt. But if you play at the same speed but add a few more notes (like say, the whole aeolian scale) then it's senseless.

You can play blues with no taste, or you can play exotic scales with no taste. It's not the speed that determines taste, as there are plenty of examples of both slow and fast tasteful players.