One thing that irks me, especially from the standpoint of a jazz guitarist, is the term “shredding.”

Why?

“Shredding” surfaced in mainstream lingo as a way to describe the playing of hard rock or heavy metal guitarists who were viewed as otherworldly due to the amount of speed and facility they possessed. Listeners were wooed so much by the physicality these players demonstrated, that the content was easily and often overlooked. And there lies my point.