Top 10 Guitar Techniques Used in Shredding

Shredding is a fast guitar-playing style. Shredding isn't just a single technique. It's a broad term. Many different techniques are used in shredding, and there isn't one fixed or permanent technique for how to shred.

Shredding varies from guitarist to guitarist, but these techniques are more commonly used in shredding.

The Top Ten

Alternate Picking

Every shredder uses alternate picking, especially with arpeggios. Instead of down-picking, alternate picking is more technical and sounds more unique.
Sweep Picking

A lot of people think shredding is sweep picking. Well, sweep picking isn't shredding, and shredding can be done without sweep picking. However, sweep picking is very popular in shredding, especially among guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Loomis, and Jason Becker. Jason Becker is the most prominent sweep picker in this case.
Tapping

Eruption by Van Halen is a prominent example in this case. Techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, alternate picking, and whammy bar abuse were used before this song, but his two-hand tapping created the prominent licks that many shredders now follow. Buckethead uses tapping a lot.
Hammer On

Shredding requires chord progression. Hammer-ons and pull-offs are used for chord progressions, especially for building speed.
Pull Off

Same as hammer-on. It's like when you form a chord, it's a hammer-on, and when you release it, it's a pull-off.

This image defines a pull-off.
Legato

It's associated with hammer-ons and pull-offs. Legatos are commonly used in shredding.
Whammy Bar

Not sure if I should say whammy bar abuse or whammy bar use, but the whammy bar has lots of different techniques that are used in shredding. Ritchie Blackmore was a regular whammy bar user.
Note: By whammy bar, I mean its uses, not just the vibrato lever.
Tremolo Picking
String Skipping

Not sure if it's a technique or not, but most people agree that it is a technique. Regardless, it has been used in riffs and solos.
Dive Bombing

I know it's a technique of the whammy bar, and I was running out of items here. That's why I had to include it. But the dive bomb is one of the most used and prominent techniques of the whammy bar.