Why Shredding Is (Not) Bad — Obsession Is
“Why do you always critique shredding?”
“Why is playing fast a bad thing?”
It isn’t.
Speed is not the enemy.
Obsession is.
Speed is a tool, not a goal
Listeners don’t care about your BPM.
They care about:
- melody
- connection
- emotion
- feeling
Speed doesn’t guarantee any of that.
Speed only works inside music — not instead of it.
The maintenance problem
Here’s the reality nobody tells you:
speed is high maintenance.
Stop training for a month and it fades.
Stop playing songs for a month and… the songs are still there.
A great melody lasts.
A signature tone lasts.
A musical identity lasts.
Raw speed doesn’t.
The career trap
I’ve seen it too often:
- insane shredders
- flawless technique
- zero audience
- zero career
They built circus tricks — and forgot to build music.
The correct mindset
Train speed if:
- you love it
- it makes you happy
- it serves your music
But if you want impact and longevity:
build songs, not a stopwatch.
Transcript
Someone asked me: ‘Why do you always critique shredding? Why is playing fast a bad thing?’
Speed isn’t the enemy. Obsession is.
Speed is a tool, not a goal.
Listeners don’t care about your BPM. They care about melody, connection, and how you make them feel.
And here’s the cold truth: speed is high maintenance.
Stop training for a month and it fades.
But a great song?
A signature tone? Those last forever.
I’ve seen it too many times: brilliant shredders who realized too late they built circus tricks, and forgot to build a career.
Train speed if you love it and if makes you happy.
But if you want impact and a career: build music, not a stopwatch.
Take Your Guitar Playing To The Next Level!
Wouter Baustein
Music Producer, Music & Mindset Coach
If you like clear, practical guitar and music coaching instead of random YouTube tips, you need structure. My guitar books and coaching programs give you that structure, so you can finally make real progress and level up your playing.
