Shred guitar, eh? There’s nothing more likely to cause a rock or metal fan to snigger into his pint than the merest mention of the likes of Michael Angelo or Rusty Cooley. These are genuine players who could run rings around the majority of guitarists in terms of technique, yet have a popularity rating somewhere below that of Gary Glitter. And yet the truth is that most fledgling guitar players want to play as fast as possible.
But it takes years of focused dedication to get even half as good as you think you are. – arguably the best-known shredder of the lot – has produced a 10-hour guitar workout specifically for public consumption, while former Mr Big axe grinder practised for a minimum of eight hours a day for a decade. How many teenagers do you know who possess that level of dedication? Having said that, there’s absolutely no correlation between being an awesome guitarist and even just an okay songwriter.
is no face-melting shredder, yet his songs define the term ‘hard rock’. is of a similar ilk, and the affable man is always dragged up on stage whenever Vai or are in town, resulting in him feeling (in his own words) “humbled..
. a fish out of water”. More than likely, the sentiment is probably mutual.
But there’s always an exception to the rule: who is arguably the only jaw-droppingly technical shred guitarist who is also in a massive band? . Guitar instrumentalists – possibly a more precise definition of ‘shred guitarists’ – are subject to the .