History question - what is the origin of the term 'shred'?

General Music Discussion
#1

Hi hi

because I am historically interested, I would like to find out how the career of the term “shred” for virtuoso guitar began. Since when people called virtuoso guitar shred? Where does it come from? Who said it “first”? Was their a music magazine or guitar magazine that helped to establish the word for virtuosity? TV? By word of mouth in subcultures and music scenes? How common was it? Did you use it for other instruments back in the days, too?

So many questions, but maybe you all have a clue (especially the 80s veterans here :wink: ) or an advice where I could look it up and find an old mention

I am looking forward to reading your ideas :slight_smile:

Judaspriester

#2

I don’t remember hearing ‘shredding’ much in the 80s. Not like I hear it used now.

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#3

If I had to guess, I’d say it has some sort of association with the Shrapnel label…?

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#4

No idea, but I like to think it has something to do with this guy:

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#5

Think you’re right. Mid-to-late 80s is when I recall first hearing the term shred, right around the time Shrapnel Records started getting popular.

#6

im going to go out on a massive limb here and say it probably dates back to the 50s lol. Seriously. I bet it came out of jazz. Blowing, ripping, shredding.

“Charlie Parker we really shredded that joint” etc

Yngwie on the term ‘shred’

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#7

Interesting stuff here. My guess is it’s some extension of the “wood shed” musical practice analogy. Like wood shedding evolved to wood (i.e., musical instrument) “shredding”?

#8

I could be mistaken, but I swear I remember surf guitarists using the term to describe some of the fast low note tremolo playing in the 50s (Like Dick Dale).

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#9

I found the word in a dictionary of sociolects and US american slang. It probably comes from Californian surfer language and means “to excel”. One book to document that is for instance the “Surfer’s Almanac” by Gary Fairmont Filosa from 1977,

But probably you are right and you can date it back further. + Dick Dale was a surfer himself + the famous Shrapnel shred school from the 80s is Californian

Finally, a friend of mine who is a skater says it is frequently used by skaters to acknowledge skaters who are not posers but good performers with style and skills and so “virtuosos” of skateboards

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#10

Also good evidence! Sounds plausible