Question for serious shredders:

[horns666]

What's a radio ?? No, that's true.

I may play to any song I got on. Just anything over an entire random song. That's helps too.

It took 50 years..I just started to playing keys. That helped alot on guitar. I play for myself first, and if others like it..cool.

But I approach it like Shawn Lane. If you want to play fast. play fast. Start fast and get faster. He used to say that.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

I am not going to fault anyone for being in an original band or in a cover band, or even a tribute band.
But, I just want to point something out ----

We don't call Kanye West a cover artist even though he doesn't right his own stuff.
We don't call Nita Strauss a Tribute Artist even though she is on a stage doing the same Alice Cooper stage routine that has been done for twenty years.

I know that when we think of 'cover band' we think of the local guys in the dive bar every weekend. But the truth is, most of what is heard on the radio is a cover band in the sense that they aren't writing it. I mean, even Jimi Hendrix played just as many covers as he did originals right up until his death. They aren't all bad.

This is a good point. Most of the great guitarists/bassists I look up to (Lukather, Landau, Carlton, Beller) and a lot of the great musicians I know don't limit themselves to just one type of outlet for their playing. They'll do cover gigs, back up artists as sidemen, have their own stuff, etc...I think the holistic approach is the best way to truly improve as a musician.

[ginsambo]

First off, sorry about that, I like your resilient nature, because we all go that way one way or another at some point, so no point moaning about it. I don't know if you had any warning or any time, but I hope you are able to keep moving on as it's all any of us can do and is what we are made for. Celebrate but don't look back or dwell on anything. Remember the good times we are all in this boat together and the journey doesn't last long for any of us.

Second Malmsteen's way of advocating learning everything on one string, then two, then three etc is a good way to start. Start with scales runs, patterns, etc. up and down. Also focus attention, time and strength building to slides and bends and vibrato and such. But once you have lightening patterns on two strings you and more or less there, it's just a question of moving your forearm up and down.

Even more important than learning patterns though is memorizing how they sound. If you can draw it you can build it, if you can hear it in your head, you can play it.

Taking three months to listen to a few albums back to back without even playing anything will have some effect.

Don't want to be funny, but Banjo and folk/bluegrass fingerstyle is equally important to the ability to shred IMO. Alternative between the two and listening to Dokken back to back and life is made.