How many times have you heard or read someone saying things like this?:
“I was into shred when I was younger but now I’ve matured and it is boring”
“I was a shredder and now I’m into Jazz because I’ve matured”
“I was a really good technical player but now I’ve matured and play with my heart”
“Shred is boring, play some Jazz or Blues”
“It doesn’t matter if you can play fast, what matters is the music”
“Shred guitar has no feeling”
“All Shred style music sounds the same”
“Shred is boring, predictable, repetitive and the notes are not understandable, …”
“A shredder is not a guitar player”
“Why do you want to play so fast? There’s no point with playing fast”
“Shred is just gymnastics for the fingers”
Well, I’ve heard/read those things A LOT and you know what I think? The people who say things like this have SERIOUS misunderstandings about what Shred guitar is all about.
Let me explain to you why this attitude toward shred guitar is UNWISE. It is unfortunate, but many guitar players have been, are and will be influenced by those people who claim themselves to be guitar/music “experts”. Ok, I know some recognized shredders from the 80’s say similar things, but I bet their words have been taken out of context or perhaps they also have misunderstandings in their own thinking.
Some people do not really understand what shred is and they just repeat what they have heard/read from the media without asking themselves -Is this REALLY true? These people are just trying to make themselves look wise, but generally have nothing to back up their grand sweeping dismissal of shred guitar.
Let me explain why I think some of these attitudes towards virtuoso guitar playing are unwise:
“I was into shred when I was younger but now I’ve matured and it is boring”
This guy probably had a frustrating experience trying to play shred and he’s now dismissing it because he could never master the skills necessary to play it. In general, he’s jealous of those who can play this style…and so it is easier for him to badmouth it rather than face the fact that his skills are inferior.
“I was a shredder and now I’m into Jazz because I’ve matured”
Whether you are a shred lover or a jazz lover, this has nothing to do with one’s maturity level. Those who prefer jazz to shred, or vice versa just have different tastes—One is not necessarily better than the other technically or theoretically. So this statement is completely immature. Many times one’s age has nothing to do with maturity.
“I was a really good technical player but now I’ve matured and play with my heart”
Again, some guitar players seem to confuse sincerity for maturity, don’t get confused. If somebody asks me if I am playing with my heart when I’m shredding I’ll say OF COURSE!!!!! It doesn’t matter if someone with 20 more years of life or experience tells you that shred is not a style played with the heart. If you FEEL it then you’re playing with your heart, regardless of the style. Some feelings demand certain techniques to be expressed.
“Shred is boring, play some Jazz or Blues”
DON’T GET ME WRONG, I like jazz and blues but some people are too close-minded. They think everyone should think like they do. Ok, perhaps your current music is boring even for you but you know what you want and you’re developing your compositional skills. Recognizing your own need to grow and develop as a musician and composer is different than having someone tell you that your music is boring. If your audience loves opera it doesn’t matter if you play shred or jazz or blues you’ll bore them. So you have to choose between playing what you like or playing what others like.
“It doesn’t matter if you can play fast, what matters is the music”
Do you want compositional boundaries? Do you want performance boundaries? Of course not! We know the music matters (rhythm, melody and harmony) but the speed matters too. Imagine the “Flight of the bumblebee” played at 30bpm, it would lose its feeling. Now imagine any musical piece played at 1/10 of its “normal” speed, it will lose its feeling. Of course it is true that speed is not much without a good composition and clean technique– but fast virtuoso playing matters.I hope this will open up some minds and provoke some thought and conversation. Don’t let other people form your opinions—think for yourself!
See you!
Angel Zamora
Visit Angel Zamora at angel-zamora.com & shred-metal.com
©2006 Angel Zamora All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission
