Opeth and Shredding

[Alex78]

actually I'm convinced Mikael would be capable of incorporating a shred part in a way that would seem natural. I'm not thinking of 2+ minutes wanking though

 

[Stimuli]

I think that really decent musicians who have developed a style over the years have a sort of musical vocabulary and way of communicating things much like a writer does. Shred is not a part of Opeth's expressive vocabulary, as I see it. It's like wishing that Jackson Pollock would try some representational painting for a bit, or that John Grisham would write sonnets. What these people pursue is how they best express themselves, and it's what they probably enjoy creating most. I cannot imagine Mikael, or anyone else in Opeth, imagining a part that would be enhanced somehow by a shred solo. That's not how they communicate.

And I can pretty well imagine what Opeth + Shred =. The answer is not Opeth. Besides, I'm mildly bothered by Steven Wilson's presence on Opeth albums, never mind some ax-slinger for hire...

This is very true. Using your writing analogy however, I would argue that increasing chops is the same as improving your vocabulary, diction and eloquence...

When I said chops result in better music I was not referring to shredding or solos specifically...

 

[Don Corleone]

fuck shreds, just listen to that amazing (a bit oriental sounding) blackwater park solo...who needs shreds when we have that?? why should we hear wankery when we have the chance to hear brilliant, killer solos of that sort?

 

[shark22]

White Cluster solo has some shred elements.

 

[Rocky Raccoon]

fuck shreds, just listen to that amazing (a bit oriental sounding) blackwater park solo...who needs shreds when we have that?? why should we hear wankery when we have the chance to hear brilliant, killer solos of that sort?

Agreed, I like some shred stuff, but stuff like Gilmour or whoever are much better musicians in my opinion..
Alot of the time its not what you play, its what you leave out..
Most of my friends don't understand this concept so I don't expect many here to grasp...

 

[Sean Casey]

Alot of the time its not what you play, its what you leave out..

yes. pausing during the solos and just building them up makes them a lot more memorable.

 

[metal_wrath]

Fuck shredding, nobody can match the depth and emotion in Opeth's acoustic riffs.

 

[soundave]

This is very true. Using your writing analogy however, I would argue that increasing chops is the same as improving your vocabulary, diction and eloquence...

When I said chops result in better music I was not referring to shredding or solos specifically...

Agreed. Thank you for expanding my analogy!

 

[Sean Casey]

Opeth solos just have so much more power and emotion in them than shredding can ever have.

 

[westknife]

Opeth solos just have so much more power and emotion in them than shredding can ever have.

they make me cry imo

 

[vampyré]

Cool to hear.

 

[R0l0]

they make me cry imo

emo

 

[affinityband]

A good shred solo( not total shred, but still some quite fast bits) Is the solo on Moonshine Delerium by Arcturus. Fucking good song too.

 

[a rofl nazi]

I can't remember specifically right now... but there is some shred in Opeth songs...

but anyone who thinks that Mike and Peter are truly some amazingly technically proficient guitarists must be retarded... if they could shred better i fucking garuntee you would hear more shred on Opeth songs...

to me. people who hate on shredding are one of two things...

a) not musicians... meaning their opinion doesn't matter at all...
b) shitty musicians who use the "its not my style" excuse to avoid practicing harder...

not all shredders play like Yngwie, and the more chops you have the better your music will be. People will laugh at me for saying that...but thats fine...you probably dont understand what I mean anyways...

wow what an idiot... i didn't know that it was possible to be so fucking dumb

 

[Tubbs]

I personally like shred better than slow emotional solos that have substance, yet only take subtle amounts of talent. The little nuances are the only things that could make it seem like it's more difficult to copy. That's right, I'd rather hear someone wank on a guitar for 2 minutes. Or 5 or 20 for that matter.

 

[derbeder]

20 minutes is probably pushing it

 

[samlazzari]

The merits (or lack thereof) of shredding aside, it's obvious it would absolutely not fit into Opeth's music at all. So how anyone can think this is actually a good idea is beyond me.

 

[steel102]

tubbs, why exactly is it that you like opeth?

 

[Tubbs]

I've already said I like the slow emotional solos if they have little nuances through them, which Opeth has. I've also liked Opeth for a long time, so I can't possibly give them up.

 

[MegaMoose]

I personally like shred better than slow emotional solos that have substance, yet only take subtle amounts of talent. The little nuances are the only things that could make it seem like it's more difficult to copy. That's right, I'd rather hear someone wank on a guitar for 2 minutes. Or 5 or 20 for that matter.

To play music that has substance and meaning takes infinitely more talent than playing a bunch of notes fast. As I recall someone on this board saying a while back, playing with really good technique is like being good at a video game. Some get it much more easily than others, but most people can eventually get it. However, not everyone can play a slow, emotional solo with tons of nuance. It's a different kind of musical talent than working up your chops, but I think in the end it requires more talent. That being said, I don't dislike shredding, and depending on my mood, I soemtimes like it better than slow emotional playing.