Want To Shred Like YNGWIE? Study The Science Of Speedy Picking

December 4, 2006

Chris Harris of MTV.com reports:

A few years ago, when Troy Grady's relationship with his longtime girlfriend ended, he decided to start his own band — thinking, of course, that it would be an excellent way to pick up girls. But it had been years since he had even touched a guitar, having shelved his mighty ax for most of his college years at Yale University.

Before heading to New Haven, Connecticut, to hit the books, Grady had spent years practicing the guitar. He worshiped the masters — guys like Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie Van Halen and Paul Gilbert — and had studied their instructional videos in pursuit of playing perfection. But in time, Grady realized he'd plateaued. He'd gotten as good as he was going to get, and no amount of practice was going to make a dent.

But his renewed interest in the instrument, following what he called his "girl drama," inspired him to ask a number of questions: First and foremost, why isn't everyone who picks up a Strat able to shred as fiercely and adroitly as Malmsteen? It was a question that plagued him. Why was it, he wondered, that with the guitar, there were the greats and the schlubs, but no one in between?

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