# Shawn Lane's nerve condition



## Charles (Apr 25, 2010)

What was it?

I was talking to my guitar teacher the other day, and he insisted to me that what propelled Shawn Lane to the freakish ability he was able to attain technically was the fact that he had some kind of nerve condition that enabled him to move his fingers faster. My guitar teacher cited this as the reason Shawn Lane was able to get so fast on guitar with (by the man's own admission) relatively little effort.

A) Is this true?

B) What was it?


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## xtrustisyoursx (Apr 25, 2010)

No, that's complete bunk. he had a disease that caused him to get fat and die, but nothing but practice and a genius mind allowed him to get that good.


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## Daggorath (Apr 25, 2010)

Never heard of that, the illness he had was psoriatic arthritis which was compounded by the constant use of steroid based treatments.

He was just so fast because of the way he practiced, especially on piano from an early age. Although he's scary fast generally, the scary fast stuff most of the time is nuts because of the groupings involved - no-one can play around the beat at that speed like Shawn could.


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## Demeyes (Apr 25, 2010)

Daggorath said:


> Never heard of that, the illness he had was psoriatic arthritis which was compounded by the constant use of steroid based treatments.


That's what I've heard, he didn't have a nerve condition I don't think. He was in a very uncomfortable state most of the time and the treatment he got had side effects that messed with his weight. And whatever he had certainly didn't help him play faster.


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## gunshow86de (Apr 25, 2010)

Yup, he had psoriatic arthritis just like me. Now why am I not as good as Shawn Lane? Oh yeah, he had natural talent and a great work ethic towards music. I've heard that makes a 'bit of difference.


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## Nick1 (Apr 25, 2010)

Paganini had Marfan's syndrome. Its been told that because he had this condition that gave him the ability to play at insane tempos. But due to the fact that this was back around the late 1700 to early 1800s its hard to be certain if it did in fact make him faster or was he just one of the first musicians to really "shred".

As for Mr. Lane. I havent heard about him having a similar condition. My guess is that maybe due to his health problems he pretty much gave up having any kind of a social life and just surrounded himself in his playing and writing.


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## FWB (Apr 25, 2010)

He claimed he reached the speeds he was at when he died by the time he was like 14. Given the multitude of other things that made him different then us, I would not be surprised that he was wired much differently then the rest of us. I believe his muscles twitched faster then ours.


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## Uncle Remus (Apr 25, 2010)

To the OP: Whatever it was/wasn't It won't be contagious so give up now


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 25, 2010)

It's been mentioned loads of times before but generally it seems that while he was mentally wired a little different - writing his name with one hand whilst writing his address with the other at the same time......playing one Bach piece on piano and singing another at the same time, along with his incredible facility for information retention - physically he was just very talented and had a great practise ethic....up to the point where he was 16 or so and didn't bother developing technique further 

Perhaps his double-jointed hands were a bonus, perhaps his picking style and innate ability helped.....and perhaps he was just a freak of nature that we'll never see the like of...R.I.P Shawn in any case.


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## gunshow86de (Apr 25, 2010)

Rumors about a nerve condition just reek of jealousy. People always look for some unnatural reason why others are more skilled at something, but 99% of the time it's just a mixture of hard work and natural ability.


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## shredfiend (Apr 25, 2010)

Actually,

Shawn did say this in one of his instructional videos......

But if you watch it, he was kinda of joking around and being sarcastic.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Apr 25, 2010)

His illness would have done nothing but hinder, it was amazing he played much at all yet alone as proficiently as he did.


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## MSalonen (Apr 25, 2010)

I would stop taking lessons from that "teacher".


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## gunshow86de (Apr 25, 2010)

Cheesebuiscut said:


> His illness would have done nothing but hinder, it was amazing he played much at all yet alone as proficiently as he did.





I have psoriatic arthritis, and there are days when my fingers seem like they are drunk.  And my case isn't nearly as severe as Shawn Lane's. I only use a topical cream at night to break down the tissue buildup. I really hope I never have to take the steroid injections. I'm enough of a fatass already.


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## Charles (Apr 25, 2010)

MSalonen said:


> I would stop taking lessons from that "teacher".



Actually, he's very good, one of the best guitar players I've ever seen and explains things in a clear and concise manner that helps me advance. I don't see why him having heard something about Shawn Lane having a unique biological makeup would negate that.

EDIT: I think he saw the video as well where Shawn Lane mentioned (albeit jokingly) that he must have a "freakish nervous system".


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## shredfreak (Apr 25, 2010)

Charles said:


> What was it?
> 
> I was talking to my guitar teacher the other day, and he insisted to me that what propelled Shawn Lane to the freakish ability he was able to attain technically was the fact that he had some kind of nerve condition that enabled him to move his fingers faster. My guitar teacher cited this as the reason Shawn Lane was able to get so fast on guitar with (by the man's own admission) relatively little effort.
> 
> ...



I believe you mean this:


I doubt it was actually a medical condition, he refers to is as a freakish nervous system. Medical wise it might be a case of hyperactivity but that's about it really 

He simply describes his method as playing at warp speed & then cleaning things up as opposed to getting things clean & then go faster & faster.

Kinda reminds me i still need to hook up with my teacher again for some style lesson for shawn lane. His style is definatly one i want to get a very close look at.


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## MSalonen (Apr 25, 2010)

Charles said:


> Actually, he's very good, one of the best guitar players I've ever seen and explains things in a clear and concise manner that helps me advance. I don't see why him having heard something about Shawn Lane having a unique biological makeup would negate that.
> 
> EDIT: I think he saw the video as well where Shawn Lane mentioned (albeit jokingly) that he must have a "freakish nervous system".



Fair enough. I just find any musician's worth dubious if they believe something that ridiculous.


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## AliceAxe (Apr 25, 2010)

he died? that is so sad. He seems like a regular guy to me. But he grew up playing instruments. I think it makes a real difference if someone practices a lot from a young age, your body develops with the influence of the instrument. And playing different instruments like piano helps I've noticed with my students.

that makes sense with practicing something opposite, Ive been trying just that lately and it seems to be helping.Instead of trying to put pressure on the strings when I am hurting getting everything slow and clean, I just play light fast and sloppy it seems to be helping easy some of the stiffness. perhaps my muscles can adapt enough to clean it up. But he give me a lot of hope


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## IDLE (Apr 25, 2010)

Obviously he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads, how else would he have gotten so good?


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## WillingWell (Apr 25, 2010)

Anyone claiming a disease improving someone's ability is just a cop out move. It's in poor taste and just shows insecurity and immaturity.


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## Charles (Apr 25, 2010)

Just for absolute clarification, my teacher is NOT saying that Shawn simply had the disease and was able to play at lightning speeds. He acknowledged that Shawn practiced loads, but that he was "wired differently" from everyone else in some way. However, he maintained that the only way to get there IS to practice incessantly.

In fact, I said something like "where must I go to contract this disease?" (as a joke). He said "wherever you practice guitar."


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## CrushingAnvil (Apr 26, 2010)

OP is teh lolol.


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 26, 2010)

So much fail from OP's teacher. It's true to say that some people do have more fast twitch muscle fibres, less resistance in the joints allowing faster motion, better coordination etc, the likelihood of any one musician having all of those is tiny.

Shawn's speed was no doubt a product of incredible synchronicity. The barrier that most musicians face is that their hands cannot synch up beyond a certain speed, the picking cannot keep pace with the fretting or vice versa. You can force yourself to learn it through muscle memory exercises (scales against a metronome) but you can never truly attain that speed as a fluid tool in the way that Lane did, and thats just an unfortunate truth.

Shawn Lane was one in a billion though, as his incredible coordination would have been wasted were he not great at theory, improvisation, timing etc. He was the complete musical package, and some "nerve disorder" doesn't explain why he attained all of that.

Shawn Lane is so much more than speed, but unfortunately I think 99% of people who hear him just get caught up on that. Daggorath pointed it out, the speed wasn't incredible, it was the intricacy of his note choices and rhythmic groupings that made it impressive, and it would be impressive at any speed.


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## jycegrcia (Apr 26, 2010)

Shawn was fat from the steroid medication he had to take for his psoriatic arthritis and his terminal illness, pulmonary fibrosis and this was the reason for his death.Shawn was really gorgeous at guitar work.


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## Demeyes (Apr 26, 2010)

> physically he was just very talented and had a great practise ethic....up to the point where he was 16 or so and didn't bother developing technique further


As most people pointed out, he was already lightning fast by the time he was in his teens. Here's a vid from when he was only 16, you have to think that this was years before Malmsteen and just after the first Van halen album.


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## Espaul (Apr 26, 2010)

xtrustisyoursx said:


> No, that's complete bunk. he had a disease that caused him to get fat and die, but nothing but practice and a genius mind allowed him to get that good.



He might had a disease that made him grow fat, but it was his obsessive smoking that killed him. His doctors told him that he couldn't live without a respirator, and that caused him to end his life.


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## AliceAxe (Apr 26, 2010)

I don't know , that last vid he doesnt even sound goo. he is just picking and twiddling around on a few close together notes realy fast.

Certainly a person can have a physical predisposition for certain skills, well known in sports and race horses.

what someone said about coordination between the 2 hands ,that hits the nail on the head. I do think there is nerve action involved. when my illness is acting up and I get uncoordinated it realy makes all the difference. Anyone can swing a bat but can you hit the ball in the right place at the right momment....

and yes steriods make you gain weight and are very bad. Do more harm than good IMO


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## jacksonplayer (Apr 26, 2010)

His double-jointed hands allowed him to do fret stretches that most of us mere mortals can only dream of doing. That's the only physical difference that I know of. 

Apart from that, he was simply a genius. In fact, in the Guitar Player magazine obituary/tribute to him, his friends said that he was pretty much a genius at everything he did. He read something like 10 books a day and had an amazingly wide array of interests beyond music. Unlike many guitarists, he could play creatively at warp speed and not just do rehearsed patterns and licks. His brain just worked that way.

In the last couple years of his life, I believe that his psoriatic arthritis did take a toll on his playing. He moved away from fast picking to more of a glissando thing that worked well with his evolving interest in Indian music. Check out the "Paris" video he did with Jonas Hellborg to see what I mean.


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 26, 2010)

jacksonplayer said:


> His double-jointed hands allowed him to do fret stretches that most of us mere mortals can only dream of doing. That's the only physical difference that I know of.
> 
> Apart from that, he was simply a genius. In fact, in the Guitar Player magazine obituary/tribute to him, his friends said that he was pretty much a genius at everything he did. He read something like 10 books a day and had an amazingly wide array of interests beyond music. Unlike many guitarists, he could play creatively at warp speed and not just do rehearsed patterns and licks. His brain just worked that way.
> 
> In the last couple years of his life, I believe that his psoriatic arthritis did take a toll on his playing. He moved away from fast picking to more of a glissando thing that worked well with his evolving interest in Indian music. Check out the "Paris" video he did with Jonas Hellborg to see what I mean.



It's interesting how his style evolved towards the end of his life to compensate for his condition, with the hyper-compressed clean tone instead of his early shredder tone, and the increasing emphasis on loop manipulation. It'd have been interesting how he'd have developed that style if he'd lived a little longer, as apparently he was reaching the point where he felt he'd exhausted his explorations of Indian classical music and wanted to get back to playing more western fusion stuff.


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## Daggorath (Apr 26, 2010)

AliceAxe said:


> I don't know , that last vid he doesnt even sound goo. he is just picking and twiddling around on a few close together notes realy fast.
> 
> Certainly a person can have a physical predisposition for certain skills, well known in sports and race horses.
> 
> ...



He's not trying to sound good, he's just playing any note in the groupings to help explain the sounds.

Shawns music speaks for itself really. He puts great emotion into his songs and only uses his scary technique in short bursts for effect. He definately didn't play fast to show off like some folk, he listened to fast music such as Canlon Nancarrow - he genuinely enjoyed the musicality and sounds that you could achieve at certain speeds. When he slows it down he has a sublety unlike any "shredder" I've ever heard.


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## viesczy (Apr 26, 2010)

I mean no disrespect when I say this, but I don't get the fawning love for Shawn Lane. Why?

I have his instructional videos, worked through all the exercises and I have powers of 10... IDK  Nothing overtly hard, musically or physically, for anyone who is an intermediate/advance player. 

His speed isn't any faster than many other shredders, and honestly, to my ears his music leaves me cold. While it is played with skill, there just isn't any 'push', or 'power' to the music. Remember what Frank Zappa opined about Steve Vai's playing? To me the same can be said about Shawn's playing... and many others in the same vein/genre like Guthrie, Gambale, Garsed and such... 

Maybe its the fact that I have so much pipe organ (don't laugh as I was playing full Bach pieces by I was 8 on my dad's B3, which RULED as I had the Leslies LOUD and I wish I still had that rig), but along with the lack of push/power there is no 'logic' to my ears. I guess to folks whose ears aren't used to hearing those sorta lines like what Shawn plays it all sounds amazing, but Lane (and the others I listed) just have alwas left me cold. 

Or maybe my ear is just 'jaded'? 

Again I mean no disrespect, just stating my opinion.. YMMV

Derek


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## lava (Apr 26, 2010)

viesczy said:


> Remember what Frank Zappa opined about Steve Vai's playing?



What did Zappa say about Vai's playing?


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## Deathbringer769 (Apr 26, 2010)

I believe he said something along the lines of.. Steve you're a good guitar player.. but your tone is like a stale ham sandwich.


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## Daggorath (Apr 26, 2010)

viesczy said:


> I mean no disrespect when I say this, but I don't get the fawning love for Shawn Lane. Why?
> 
> I have his instructional videos, worked through all the exercises and I have powers of 10... IDK  Nothing overtly hard, musically or physically, for anyone who is an intermediate/advance player.
> 
> ...



I'd love to hear your playing if you think Lanes playing contains "nothing overtly hard, musically or physically, for anyone who is an intermediate/advance player. "

And your sentiments concerning Guthrie, Gambale and Garsed are also staggering. I can see how people can not be a fan of their music but to criticize on that level is boggling to me. Care to suggest another guitar player with better technique than those listed? Or more "push" and "power" to their lead playing?

Ah, ofcourse. We all have untrained ears!

You're entitled to your opinion just as much as anyone else, but I'd love to know what you're smoking.


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## Xiphos68 (Apr 26, 2010)

Lane knew all the music he played well. I mean this improvised solo is awesome!


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## Ricreech (Apr 26, 2010)

Shawn Lane its everywhere dude everytime his music and soul its even in the air we breath I mean his music its so big it feels like something spiritual makes me feel calm and joy : )


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## MJS (Apr 26, 2010)

viesczy said:


> His speed isn't any faster than many other shredders



 Sure it is. He was _cleanly_ alternate picking around 18 notes per second. 


These are just for clean alternate picking:


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## Xiphos68 (Apr 26, 2010)

Ricreech said:


> Shawn Lane its everywhere dude everytime his music and soul its even in the air we breath I mean his music its so big it feels like something spiritual makes me feel calm and joy : )


He music is insanely beautiful and calming.

Anybody's opinion counts.

But what would you say to be the best CD to download of Shawn Lane?


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## Xiphos68 (Apr 26, 2010)

MJS said:


> Sure it is. He was _cleanly_ alternate picking around 18 notes per second.
> 
> 
> These are just for clean alternate picking:


To see that is ridiculous what he did.


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## Ricreech (Apr 26, 2010)

Xiphos68 said:


> He music is insanely beautiful and calming.
> 
> Anybody's opinion counts.
> 
> But what would you say to be the best CD to download of Shawn Lane?



not sure dude ive heard lots of songs that are not even in his albums to be honest his best work was not even recorded andit was improvised but i love powers of ten and the tri-tone fascination as well I would say also my favorite song are The Way It Has to Be and One Note At a Time from the tritone fascination


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## Xiphos68 (Apr 26, 2010)

Ricreech said:


> not sure dude ive heard lots of songs that are not even in his albums to be honest his best work was not even recorded andit was improvised but i love powers of ten and the tri-tone fascination as well I would say also my favorite song are The Way It Has to Be and One Note At a Time from the tritone fascination


Thanks!
But where can you here his best work?


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## Ricreech (Apr 26, 2010)

Xiphos68 said:


> Thanks!
> But where can you here his best work?



well I bought both albums in the itunes store 
also you can hear them in youtube YouTube - MyShawnLaneVideos's Channel 
that youtube channel have all the shawn lane live recordings that could exist


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## Xiphos68 (Apr 26, 2010)

Ricreech said:


> well I bought both albums in the itunes store
> also you can hear them in youtube YouTube - MyShawnLaneVideos's Channel
> that youtube channel have all the shawn lane live recordings that could exist


Awesome thanks what songs do you think are his best on here?


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## gunshow86de (Apr 26, 2010)

MJS said:


> Sure it is. He was _cleanly_ alternate picking around 18 notes per second.
> 
> 
> These are just for clean alternate picking:



Petrucci at only 15 nps? I've heard he can pick 20,000 notes per second and control the earth's rotation with the special chemicals he absorbs through a coffee cup. He must have broken the machine when they tried to count him.


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## MJS (Apr 26, 2010)

gunshow86de said:


> Petrucci at only 15 nps? I've heard he can pick 20,000 notes per second and control the earth's rotation with the special chemicals he absorbs through a coffee cup. He must have broken the machine when they tried to count him.



The original article said he was clocked at 19,989 NPS, but he was disqualified because he had the World Domination Mode button pushed in on his rack unit.


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## onefingersweep (Apr 28, 2010)

I don't think it's true, however I do think the disease is a part of it but not in that aspect. I think he just practiced way more than anyone else to obtain the ability in his joints and therefore he got good.


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 28, 2010)

viesczy said:


> I mean no disrespect when I say this, but I don't get the fawning love for Shawn Lane. Why?
> 
> I have his instructional videos, worked through all the exercises and I have powers of 10... IDK  Nothing overtly hard, musically or physically, for anyone who is an intermediate/advance player.
> 
> ...



Man we get some good trolls around here


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## viesczy (Apr 29, 2010)

I think it was in Live @ Astoria commentary that Steve states that Frank describe Steve's playing as the "whitest" playing he's (Frank) has ever heard or that Steve's playing is too "white". 

As for my opinion/statement, it is equally valid as anyone's opinion that likes Shawn Lane. Listening to Shawn's music, or Guthrie's, or Garsed's, or Gambale's, while intelligent and astounding... isn't very moving _to me_. It goes by, you say wow, and after the 3rd track you're wondering how quickly you can delete it from you playlist. The drums don't push, the lines are all well thought out, sound in theory and are as sterile as an operating room _to me_. 

If I'm going to listen to well thought out lines I'll just listen to Vitalij Kuprij (different instrument), anything by Paul Gilbert, anything by MacApline, the too few releases by Jason Becker, anything by Ron Jarzombek. Their music is just as ferocious, play their instruments as ferociously as Shawn and the music backing their ferocity equals that ferocity. 

As for those who can play as fast, that provided GP or GW list sorta shows all who are in the same category.  Doesn't Guiness currently list somebody playing @ 23 NPS? Doesn't really prove any point though does it?  

As I said, I meant no disrespect, our tastes/choices are that, _our tastes/choices_.

YMMV

Derek


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 29, 2010)

viesczy said:


> I think it was in Live @ Astoria commentary that Steve states that Frank describe Steve's playing as the "whitest" playing he's (Frank) has ever heard or that Steve's playing is too "white".
> 
> As for my opinion/statement, it is equally valid as anyone's opinion that likes Shawn Lane. Listening to Shawn's music, or Guthrie's, or Garsed's, or Gambale's, while intelligent and astounding... isn't very moving _to me_. It goes by, you say wow, and after the 3rd track you're wondering how quickly you can delete it from you playlist. The drums don't push, the lines are all well thought out, sound in theory and are as sterile as an operating room _to me_.
> 
> ...



Jarzombek is a fucking wizard, and his phrasing is excellent but not as good as Lanes', Macalpine is a good improviser but again no Lane. Becker was alright, and as much as I love Gilbert and his monsterous pick attack, he is a very simplistic player compared to Lane.


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## viesczy (Apr 29, 2010)

Esp Griffyn said:


> Jarzombek is a fucking wizard, and his phrasing is excellent but not as good as Lanes', Macalpine is a good improviser but again no Lane. Becker was alright, and as much as I love Gilbert and his monsterous pick attack, he is a very simplistic player compared to Lane.



That is the greatest thing about music, we all can have our likes and since it is the artist's expression, nothing is right/wrong. 

I still revisit the videos for the exercises, but Shawn music never moved me. 

Derek


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## MJS (Apr 29, 2010)

viesczy said:


> As for my opinion/statement, it is equally valid as anyone's opinion that likes Shawn Lane.



I don't think anyone gave you a hard time about your opinion of Shawn Lane. I think you got the hard time for coming off like everything he does is easy for you, without anything to back it up. 

Plus, calling something that's wrong an opinion doesn't make it less wrong.

This part alone was pretty much asking for the replies you got: 



viesczy said:


> ... Nothing overtly hard, musically or physically, for anyone who is an intermediate/advance player.
> 
> His speed isn't any faster than many other shredders ...



 

Where are all of these intermediate players at Shawn Lane's level and why are some of the most popular shredders out there 5 NPS behind him? 

He's far from my favorite guitarist out there, but I still like to keep my musical opinions at least loosely based on reality.  




viesczy said:


> As for those who can play as fast, that provided GP or GW list sorta shows all who are in the same category.  Doesn't Guiness currently list somebody playing @ 23 NPS? Doesn't really prove any point though does it?



Note that the list is only for *clean* _alternate picking_ speeds. Even the people on that list can beat their own numbers with economy, sweeping, or even slightly sloppy picking. 

If I remember correctly, he even dropped a few people that were at slower speeds for hitting two consecutive notes in the same direction, so that list is really more of compliment to those players' discipline than their actual speeds.

The single string elbow spasm crowd can also go faster. Plus, those elbow guys & some fast sloppy pickers only seem to be able to do certain patterns fast.

I've never heard of anyone cleanly alternate picking faster than Shawn--especially while making actual music. A lot of people seem to think MAB is the fastest, but even he's 2 NPS behind Shawn.


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## shredfreak (Apr 29, 2010)

+1 for that

Lane is undoubtable the fastest clean player out there.

His one note per string technique is probaly one of the hardest to learn & use as effective as he did it. Also need to add aswell to it that his patterns aren't piss easy as some of nowadays speed freaks out there.


Does this look intermediate/advanced to anyone else? I'm kinda calling this masterclass really


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## Xiphos68 (Apr 30, 2010)

shredfreak said:


> +1 for that
> 
> Lane is undoubtable the fastest clean player out there.
> 
> ...


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 30, 2010)

MJS said:


> >snip<
> 
> I've never heard of anyone cleanly alternate picking faster than Shawn--especially while making actual music. A lot of people seem to think MAB is the fastest, but even he's 2 NPS behind Shawn.





I'd agree with everything you said which I took the liberty of snipping for the sake of brevity. It's constantly amazing to me how much people fixate on Shawn's (admittedly astonishing) speed when he offers so much more as a guitarist and musician but I guess for sheer gunslinger attitude then that Almightt NPS rating is what counts..

Then suddenly, a new challenger appears:



Riiiiiight.....

Shredfreak - Yep, that 1 nps technique is just crazy. If I ever check out any of the videos where he slows it down to let you see what he's doing and then moves it back to "normal" speed I simply can't comprehend how anyone has fingers that strong, dextrous and quick.

Gotta be pneumatic I reckon


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## Dyingsea (Apr 30, 2010)

viesczy said:


> I think it was in Live @ Astoria commentary that Steve states that Frank describe Steve's playing as the "whitest" playing he's (Frank) has ever heard or that Steve's playing is too "white".
> 
> As for my opinion/statement, it is equally valid as anyone's opinion that likes Shawn Lane. Listening to Shawn's music, or Guthrie's, or Garsed's, or Gambale's, while intelligent and astounding... isn't very moving _to me_. It goes by, you say wow, and after the 3rd track you're wondering how quickly you can delete it from you playlist. The drums don't push, the lines are all well thought out, sound in theory and are as sterile as an operating room _to me_.
> 
> ...


 
In you're first statement you claim that you just don't get it and any intermediate player can handle it. Now you're saying it's nothing that moves you. So which is it? 

Please feel free to post your videos playing Lane, Guthrie, etc. songs note for note.


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