super fast guitarists.

[billyporter]

whats your take on these players?

years ago i was into yngwie and bought some of his albums. i was impressed as i'd not listened to his type of playing much at all.
however i ended up getting bored in the end.

satriani i like. well a few of his albums. i've got them all up to and including the extremist.
after that he bacame too predictable so therefore too boring.

personally i'd like to hear someone like satriani or one of the other speed kings, make a record where he CAN'T play fast. i literally don't think that's possible, to be honest.

i get sick of people saying these fast player have no soul, but i agree. i just get sick of always seeing it!
and when they say these players are BETTER because they can play more notes, just makes me laugh.

a lot of the time i like solos that you can almost sing.
when i think of slow players i think of gilmour. one note of his says a lot, and is better than a dozen played by yngwie for example.

there is no, or very little, variation. personally i believe it takes more talent and dedication to play something like comfortably numb, than any solo a shredder plays.
i don't see how faster equals better.
why do so many people believe that, why is speed automatically better? surely its what you do with the notes?

 

[LG]

I don't mind fast/speed guitar players, Yngwie Malmsteen seems to get a lot of stick for his style of playing, but he is very talented.

On the opposite end of the scale is a guy like Mark Knopfler, I recall reading an interview and when asked why he's so laid back when he plays he said "Cause I Can't play fast, I have tried and the results are embarrassing, so I developed a pace I'm comfortable with." Something along those lines.

It depends on my mood, I like a hard fast metal album when I'm partying, like Dragonforce or any number of other metal bands I've gotten to know over the last 6 years.

 

[Magic]

I am not overly impressed with super fast "shred". Sure it takes practice to shred real fast, but for the shred to have rhythm & melody and become part of the music is hard to accomplish.


I would have to say my favorite shredders are:

Michael Angelo Batio
Buckethead
Joe Satriani
Yngwie Malmsteen
Chris Impellitteri


In that exact order

These guys are not only lightning fast shredders, but extremely talented guitar virtuosos.......

 

[Big Ears]

Yngwie is probably the best of the shredders, but they are not really my cup of tea.

Jimi Hendrix, Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Jeff Beck, Tony McPhee are all fast without belonging to the 'shredding' style.

I once read a review for a Groundhogs album, I think Groundhog Night, where the author said, "No-one shreds like Tony McPhee." He is certainly the perfect combination of feel and speed for me.

 

[architect]

Gary Moore is pretty slick and quick!

 

[Jake T]

Ana Vidovic


Jan Akkerman
Joe Satriani
John McLaughlin
Mark Bonilla
Eric Johnson
Steve Morse

 

[Magic]

Guitar World voted Michael Angelo Batio #1 fastest, and this poll was voted by the Readers, not some un-named panel of judges

Hands Without Shadows is an awesome album

The 50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time: Guitar World Readers' Poll Results | Guitar World

 

[Khor1255]

whats your take on these players?

years ago i was into yngwie and bought some of his albums. i was impressed as i'd not listened to his type of playing much at all.
however i ended up getting bored in the end.

satriani i like. well a few of his albums. i've got them all up to and including the extremist.
after that he bacame too predictable so therefore too boring.

personally i'd like to hear someone like satriani or one of the other speed kings, make a record where he CAN'T play fast. i literally don't think that's possible, to be honest.

i get sick of people saying these fast player have no soul, but i agree. i just get sick of always seeing it!
and when they say these players are BETTER because they can play more notes, just makes me laugh.

a lot of the time i like solos that you can almost sing.
when i think of slow players i think of gilmour. one note of his says a lot, and is better than a dozen played by yngwie for example.

there is no, or very little, variation. personally i believe it takes more talent and dedication to play something like comfortably numb, than any solo a shredder plays.
i don't see how faster equals better.
why do so many people believe that, why is speed automatically better? surely its what you do with the notes?

I agree with this almost to the letter. Well said. When I was much younger I was rather impressed with this hot dogging but rather quickly it became so predictable as to be extremely boring.

Yingwe seems to be able to play as a virtuoso rather than a one trick pont shredder like a lot of others in this category but maybe chooses not to.

In any event, I'd much rather hear someone actually playing music rather than trying to impress us all with how many notes he can cram into a (usually) souless arpeggio.

 

[gguerra]

Rik Emmett should have made that list. IMO he is way underrated

 

[Jake T]

Rik Emmett should have made that list. IMO he is way underrated

^^^
Also Michael Schenker. Maybe not the fastest, but always tasteful and clean.