We're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one Oze. I freely admit that I cannot "shred", largely because I have no wish to, and have never tried. When Jimmie Vaughan starts to play like that, I might feel tempted, but not till then. :lol:
As for playing fast, I suppose I do (or try to) when we play Red House. It's not my favourite song, but it was in the band's set list when I joined, so I'm stuck with it. I'm no Hendrix, but it seems to go down quite well at gigs. Mind you, it's amazing how much a Tubescreamer flat out and a wah pedal can cover up - accuracy becomes less important, and subtlety flies out of the window (well it does when I play it!). But it keeps the punters happy, and I kinda enjoy it. It's been an interesting challenge to learn to busk that one.
I think the problem is that you cannot begin to imagine how much I hate Gary Moore. Sitting through his suport slot on B.B.King's final tour (what a terrible choice of support act
)was truly awful, mainly because he claims to be a blues player, but he's not. If he claimed to be a heavy rock player who occasionally played a blues number, that would be fine. I hate his playing style, his tone, his volume, his band, just about everything really! He even sold the Les Paul that Peter Green sold him - what a ****!
I love Rory Galllagher, Billy Gibbons, Hendrix, I even think I would enjoy a Motorhead gig, but if anyone ever said to me "You sound like Gary Moore" I would want to shoot myself. :-? Or the person who said that to me....
Now, Danny Gatton or Roy Buchanan, that's something else. I would love to be able to play like that, but I'm just not good enough (yet). Mind you, I'd like to learn more jazzy chords, more of those country licks that Steve Cropper throws into soul numbers, more of the rhythm stuff that Nile Rodgers and Jimmy Nolen play, more of the melodic stuff that Ronnie Earl plays, etc. etc. I'm not short of things that I can't play but that I would love to learn. And maybe one day I'll manage it.
But I'll be happy if, when I die, I still can't shred.