So, you want to learn how to shred. Well, in this lesson, I'm going to cover the fundamental elements of shred guitar and its history.
The History Of Shred Guitar
It started when virtuoso violinists and pianists started playing insanely amazing stuff on there instrumets. Good examples of those players are people like Nikolay Korsakov and Nicolo Paganini. They were two of the best songwriters ever. Then, a man named Yngwie Malmsteen saw a tv broadcast of a violinist covering a song by paganini, and decided that that's how he wants to play the guitar. He practiced for years, and then came to America in the eighties, right after Van Halen already got people playing there guitars much more with the advent of tapping. All of a sudden, Yngwie Malmsteen bursts onto the scene, and takes all that up a notch. Then, from there, people like Paul Gilbert and Jason Becker started popping up and getting big, and they took all the things van halen did and mixed it with Yngwies music, and got what shred guitar is today.
Techniques needed for shred guitar
Now, you probably just want to play guitar now, so I'll get to the lesson. Ok, I thought about all the different techniques needed for shred guitar and came up with the following:
Speed/Alternate Picking
Sweep Picking
Trills
Tapping
Hammer Ons and Pull Offs
String Skipping
So, thats alot to cover, but I'll try.
Hammer Ons and Pull Offs, and Trills
This is one of the Basic guitar techniques. For Hammer Ons and Pull Offs, all you really need to do is pick a note, and then, while you still hear the note, putting another finger on another note either lower or higher then the other, If you go higher, its called Hammer Ons, and if you go lower, Its called pull offs. When you do a pull off, you have to remember to take your first finger fretting the note off so you can hear the other note. Trills are just whrer yor hammmer on and pull off really fast. Here are some examples:
EX1
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----Hammer On------------------Pull Off------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------5h7-----------------------7p5---------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
EX2
This is a cool hammeron and pulloff lick
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------0h5h7-------0h5h7-------0h5h7------0h5h7p5p0---------------------|
D|--0h5h7---------0h5h7-------0h5h7------0h5h7-----------7p5p0---------------|
A|------------------------------------------------------------7p5p0----------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------7p5p0----|
EX3
These are some common hammerons and pulloffs in shred guitar
e|--13h15p13p12-----12h13p12p10----15p14p12-------15p12h13h15p13p12--12tr13--|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Alternate Picking is picking up and down very fast with a steady speed. When you get good at alternate picking, you can learn to do it really fast, and thats how shred guitarists can play super fast passages without sweep picking. To play faster, once you get good at going up and down consistently, if you keep your fretting hands fingers closer to the fretboard, you can play much faster then if you were to lift your fingers higher. Here are some good examples:
EX1
This is an example from Yngwie Malmsteens Far Beyond The Sun, you'd never be able to play this to speed unless you alternate pick.
e|13h14p13p10----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------14-12-10--------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------13-12-10------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------12-11-9----------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------12-11-9-8~~~---------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
EX2
This is an example from Racer X's Song Scarified.
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------6~-------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------6-7-9----------------------------|
A|----------------------2-4-----------5-7-9----------------------------------|
E|2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-4-5-----2-2-5-7-9----------------------------------------|
EX3
This is one of my favorite alternate picking riffs
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|----------12----------15-14-12---------------------------------------------|
E|-12-14-15----15-14-12----------15-14---------------------------------------|
Ok, string skipping is where you play a note(s) on one string, and then skip some strings and play a note on a different string. To do this, you can either alternate pick (like me), or economy pick, which I'll explain in the example.
Example:
Ok, this is a cool sounding example of string skipping, but to play it fast, you have to use the right fingering. To play this, use your index finger on the 16 on D, your middle finger on 18 on B, your index finger on the 16 on e, your ring finger on 19 on e, your index finger on the 16 on e, your middle finger on 18 on B, and to end, use your index finger on the 16 on D. Also, when crossing over the G string, you can either use a downstroke on the first two notes, or alternate pick all the notes.
e|-------16-19-16----------16-19-16------------------------------------------|
B|----18----------18----18----------18---------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-16----------------16----------------16------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
This is probably the most difficult technique to master. It took me 5 months of trying before I was any good at it. This technique is where, basically in a strumming motion (it looks more like an oval) you play an arpeggio on the strings. This is the technique that Jason Becker loved to use, and has been used by a variety of players in almost every genre of music. Now, when learning how to sweep pick, it's a good idea to look up videos of people sweep picking so you can figure out the motion. Also, you want to practice really, really slow so you can synchronize the right and left hands so you can sweep pick effortlessly. Here are some practice tips to help you get better at sweeping.
1. Practice slow
2. Make sure you can hear each note cleanly, which means you make sure the previous note is making no noise when you pick the next one.
3. Don't be afraid to experiment with sweeps different then the normal sweeps you see all the time.
4. Also, finally, learn the song neoclassical sweep by Gentaro Satomura, it really helped mean and they have a good video of it on youtube.
Ok, so now that I have given you some practice tips, here are some examples.
EX1
This is a very basic sweep, a good one to start with. When you play this, start with a downstroke until you get to the pull off, which you upstroke until you get to the 12 on G, which starts the pattern over with a Downstroke.
|= upstroke
v= downstroke
v v v | | v v v | | v
e|-------12-15p12----------12-15p12------------------------------------------|
B|----13----------13----13----------13---------------------------------------|
G|-12----------------12----------------12------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
EX2
This is one of my favorite five string sweeps, and it works good over an E5 power chord. You can repeat this as much as you want
v v v v v | | | | |
e|----------------12-17p12---------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------13----------13------------------------------------------------|
G|----------14----------------14---------------------------------------------|
D|-------14----------------------14------------------------------------------|
A|-12h15----------------------------15---------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
EX3
This is another 5 string sweep
v v v v v | | | | v v v v v | | | | v
e|-------------12-15p12----------------------12-15p12------------------------|
B|----------13----------13----------------13----------13---------------------|
G|-------12----------------12----------12----------------12------------------|
D|----14----------------------14----14----------------------14---------------|
A|-15----------------------------15----------------------------15------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
EX4
This is part of Gentaro Satomuras Neoclassical Sweep
| | v v v | v v | v v v | v v v | v v v
e|-13h17p13------13h17p13------13h17p13-------10h13p10-------10h13p10------10|
B|---------15--15--------15--15--------15--15----------11--11--------11--11--|
G|-----------14------------14------------14--------------10------------10----|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| v v v | v v v | v v v | v v v | v v v
e|h13p10-------10h13p10------10h13p10------10h13p10-------15p12----------12--|
B|------11---11--------12--12--------12--12--------12--12-------13----13-----|
G|--------10-------------10------------10------------10------------12--------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | v v v | | v v
e|--15p12------12-15p12------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------13--13--------13--13------------------------------------------------|
G|---------12------------12--------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|Now, once you understand and have mastered all these principles you can play this, a solo I wrote that I guess I will call Green Slime.
Green Slime (Neoclassical Guitar Solo)
e|-15b-13h15p13p12----------------------12-13-15p12----------12-15p12-17p13--|
B|-----------------15-13-12----12-13-15-------------13----13-----------------|
G|--------------------------14-------------------------12--------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|---------13-17p13-15p12----------12-15p12-17~--13-------13------13-----13--|
B|15----15----------------13----13------------------15-17-----------15-17----|
G|---14----------------------12-----------------------------15-17------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|15-17-13-----13-----13------13-------17-13---------------------------------|
B|--------15-17---------15-17----------------15-------15---------------------|
G|---------------15-17--------------------------14--14--14-----------------14|
D|------------------------------------------------16------16------------16---|
A|----------------------------------------------------------17-14--14-17-----|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------15----------|
e|-----------13-17-15-13-15-13-12------------------------12-13-15-13-12------|
B|-15------15---------------------15-13-12------12-13-15---------------15-13-|
G|---14--14-------------------------------13--13-----------------------------|
D|-----16-----------------------------------14-------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------12-13-15----------14-15-17----------16-17-19-21b~/-0----|
B|-12-------12-13-15----------14-15-17----------16-17-19----------------0----|
G|----13--13------------------------------------------------------------0----|
D|------14--------------------------------------------------------------0----|
A|----------------------------------------------------------------------0----|
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------0----|
Well, thats it. I hope you enjoyed the lesson and that it taught you a little bit about neoclassical shred guitar, Oh, and good luck on the last piece, its hard.
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