Re: get through a song without shred
My inference that you were dissatisfied with your playing was in response to your initial post. "i can't seem to write a song without shredding of some form or another." "i always seem to sacrifice real tone for flurries of notes just to spice things up a bit." "i can't seem to get away from this kind of thing. can anyone help me train myself to play less notes or something?????" This sounded to me like dissatisfaction, and that you were asking for suggestions on how to improve the situation.
I wasn't comparing my experience to yours, I was offsetting my experience against your claim that "you obviously have some bias and lack of perception of the entire music industry." I made no comparison or comment about your levels of skill or who might be a "better" player. These are your own imaginings and require no response. However, I did once play at a retirement home. It was Christmas Eve, it was voluntary, and gratis. It also gave me a chance to play my tune "You Old ***** Are All Gonna Die Soon." They loved it!
There is bound to be a good reason why so many people say "well they can play fast but they don't have any feeling." However, the guitarists you mentioned all certainly made interesting and skillfully produced music, and had varying levels of success. It is a valid point, and it proves yet again that there is plenty of room in the world for all forms of expression.
It should be noted from your examples that Michelangelo produced some of his most notable works under commission to the Medici family, within fairly strict guidelines, which is why you don't hear the phrase "Hey, what's that rainbow colored cow doing on the Sistine Chapel?" Similarly, Mozart was a hired gun, and was in the patronage of the church and European monarchies. Die Zauberflöte, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and La clemenza di Tito were all commissioned gigs for Wolfie, and his continued patronage depended on pleasing his patrons. Also, those close to Hendrix say that he was deeply concerned with how his music was accepted, and he would often take acetates around to his friends to get their opinions, taking ideas back into the studio and changing things based on the responses. The idealistic notion that these people created without concern for how their works would be perceived is a myth. Led Zeppelin, on the other hand, suit your description perfectly. If it is the case that you have a band as good as Led Zeppelin and a time machine to take you back to the conditions of 1968, then you would have no need for advice from your contemporaries on an internet forum.
At first it seemed that you wanted some assistance in training yourself to play less notes, stop yourself from getting bored, and stop sacrificing real tone for flurries of notes, but it seems clear now that your intention was to prove to yourself why all of these things are totally acceptable, and indeed desirable. Since you have no concern for what anyone else thinks of the music you make, then you shouldn't be surprised that no-one else will be at all concerned with how you make your music. I think that is a noble stance in that if you experience success it will be purely on your own terms. Best of luck with it.
Cheers..................wahwah
