General Music Chat

I don't like many virtuoso shredder guitarists.
But, these are a few:

Joe Satriani - Satch Boogie
http://youtu.be/r1MJAyRN3Lg

Steve Vai - The Audience is Listening
http://youtu.be/LKjkEiX0cHA

John 5 - Zugg Island Convict
http://youtu.be/u0fx2IQFwMo

Buckethead - Jordan
http://youtu.be/ZMze1viMric

I was never a big Vai fan, I saw him with Satch on a G3 tour and he was OK. But then I got the Zappa Plays Zappa DVD and he was awesome! I prefer McLaughlin or di Meola when it comes to "shredding" but the whole shredding fad reached its peak in the 80's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH1ybin4ZEU

"Phrasing issues"

"Remember it's just as much what you don't play as what you do".

Satch still does some tasteful stuff. Steve Vai is great when someone else is directing him. Otherwise you just get "look at me" wanking. My favorite of the highly technical guitarists is not considered a true shredder by most but he has the chops: Guthrie Govan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J503OvHWKko

"Phrasing issues"

"Remember it's just as much what you don't play as what you do".

exactly - most of the shredders have zero concept of essence

Ooh yikes, Keith "too much truth will cause an uproar".

Don't give away too much or they'll want you to move to a commune and be their "spiritual leader".

Gently lead them to the water trough and if they don't drink, just try to quietly move away..

I thought you were talking about me in this thread! LOL!


There are times when I really enjoy straight out shredding, doesnt really matter who does it, but most of the time i just find it to be mindless wanking, of course I get my fill every day around happy hour in my music room!

Im actually trying to record a couple of things that will fall into the shredder territory, I just have problems getting the drums the way I want, I ussually just play a static drum pattern with my drum machine, wish I had an easy way to program some drum tracks, you know a deal I could just hook to my forehead and imagine them and they are just there.

I thought you were talking about me in this thread! LOL!


There are times when I really enjoy straight out shredding, doesnt really matter who does it, but most of the time i just find it to be mindless wanking, of course I get my fill every day around happy hour in my music room!

Im actually trying to record a couple of things that will fall into the shredder territory, I just have problems getting the drums the way I want, I ussually just play a static drum pattern with my drum machine, wish I had an easy way to program some drum tracks, you know a deal I could just hook to my forehead and imagine them and they are just there.

oh, I gave up on drum machines decades ago. It's easier to manipulate loops of real players, imo, and SO much faster.

There is nothing that takes up so much time without due rewards as a pre-programmed percussion score.

Easy Drummer/Session drummer are easy enough to use but they sound like crap or exactly what they are. (canned drums)

Yod's right, easier to record the rhythm figure of the drum part and cut/paste or modify after the fact.

That crap where you take one patch and run it completely through the tune is a joke and live drummers are not really difficult to get what you need from them. The worst is that sometimes they overplay but you have that any time you use a real drummer.

"They think MORE is BETTER of maybe that's LOUDER is BETTER".

Wrong..in time is better at a consistent level.

One of my favorite Guitar players is EXTREMELY fast. and Very very technical; but no-one knows who he is because he played in an 80's band.

Chris Hayes.
Played with Huey Lewis and the News.
Very Very quick solos, very very tasty arrangements and Some tricky grooves.

Try playing the main groove from "The Power of Love"
It's just Guitar/Bass Drum, and some staccato keyboard clicks for effect.

Most of that band came from a Jazz background and are very high level technical players.

But in terms of Shred-heads , I can only really listen to Satriani, The rest sound like scale speed practice.

Gotta have context, and groove not just speed.

I admit my bias for adopted Dallas Texan, Andy Timmons, but I really do think he's the most passionate "shredder" you'll hear.

Really, he's not a shredder. He's a fantasically rounded guitarist who can shred. He's got a degree in classical from U of Miami, and a degree in jazz from NTSU, yet got his start with "Danger, Danger" (MTVs headbanger ball regulars in the 80s)

But the guy can do everything from Cuban music to Chicken'-pickin' Country.

In my opinion, shredding died with Darryl Abbot though Kurt Cobain had mostly killed it a decade earlier.

There is nothing that takes up so much time without due rewards as a pre-programmed percussion score.
.

Amen, bruthu!


I can remember spending days to get the drums programmed right for a song....but then losing all inspiration for recording the rest of it.

I started using Acid loops of live acoustic drummers. I can find the "general idea" beat and stretch it out to play for 5 minutes, spending about 10 seconds to do it. Then I can play the guitar part while the idea is still fresh, sing a vocal and add a few parts.

Once I've got a better idea of how the parts fit, I can then go back and edit the drums whenever I feel like it. Find a fill, a ride cymbal, a few crashes, etc...

It really improved my songwriting to be free of sterile-sounding and time-consuming drum machines. Not to mention that using actual recordings of real session drummers helped me understand how a real drummer would play.

The only drawback is when you're trying to do a song that has a lot of technical breaks and changes. It can be hard to find the right loop, or edit what you've got...but still not a lot harder than a drum machine in my case.

I admit my bias for adopted Dallas Texan, Andy Timmons, but I really do think he's the most passionate "shredder" you'll hear.

Really, he's not a shredder. He's a fantasically rounded guitarist who can shred. He's got a degree in classical from U of Miami, and a degree in jazz from NTSU, yet got his start with "Danger, Danger" (MTVs headbanger ball regulars in the 80s)

But the guy can do everything from Cuban music to Chicken'-pickin' Country.

In my opinion, shredding died with Darryl Abbot though Kurt Cobain had mostly killed it a decade earlier.

Danger Danger - Naughty Naughty
http://youtu.be/hetN7a9Maa0

Usually I can't even find what i am looking for in drum clips, so I modify everything I play to go with what I can find close to what I want.

Boring, yes. But after I am too old to pick, I can take all the bun files I have made and do the drum tracks later either with a live drummer or through editing.

So don't sweat the petty sh*t. Just get a track that can be used as a metronome and go for it. Worry about the real drum track later. I would prefer to have great drum tracks but I am a guitar player not a programmer. I bought a really nice drum machine several years ago. Great sounding programmable drum tracks.

After I read and memorize the New York phone book sized instruction manual that came with it maybe I can use that drum machine... if I ever become that desperate.

I think using a drum machine is quite acceptable as a substitute for real drums, if in fact an experienced drummer is doing the work. If acoustic guitarists can augment a song by switching to an electric/amplified guitar with effects, than an acoustic drummer should have the same luxary of pounding out patterns and beats with augmented electric kits (aka drum machines). The point being, it still takes professional musicianship to execute and deliver music with such devices.