“Half My Age and Double the Talent”: South Africans Marvel at Learner’s Shredding Guitar Solo

• A video posted on Reddit showed a girl playing her guitar for staff members and classmates in a school hall
• She shredded her guitar to a classic rock song and received applause after her stellar performance
• Members of the online community responded with positivity and were mesmerised by her talent in the video
• Briefly News spoke to an intermediate guitarist, who shared more information about the art of shredding

A schoolgirl took the internet by storm when she casually shredded her guitar in front of her peers. The online crowd was in awe of her talent and applauded her calm demeanour.

Redditor Cape-Tune uploaded the amazing clip on 27 October 2025, showing the nonchalant girl effortlessly playing her guitar to rock band Bon Jovi's 1986 song, You Give Love a Bad Name.

The school's hall erupted into cheers when she finished her solo.

How does one shred a guitar?

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According to Guitar Noise, the art of shredding starts by plucking each string downward in a slow, controlled sweep, moving from top to bottom before switching to the next chord. One should focus on clarity, volume, and smooth transitions without unwanted noise. Many beginners may rush, so it is important to note that starting slowly builds precision.

The guitar-loving information portal shares that once the downward sweep feels comfortable, add an upstroke. This increases difficulty because the fretting hand must mute unused strings to keep everything clean.

While sweep picking isn't the only shred technique, it is one of the most efficient for moving across strings quickly. Guitar Noise notes that one can also alternate-pick a single string for a fast tremolo effect, use tapping, or occasionally whammy bar accents.

More about shredding

An intermediate guitar player noted that one doesn't need a specific guitar for shredding, stating:

"It's good to know your scales, mainly your minor pentatonic scale; it's what's mainly used for shredding. The girl in the video is using trills, tapping, slides, and a hammer-on, which gives the melody and notes a bit of flavour."

Redditors impressed with young shredder guitarist

Thousands of social media users gathered under the post, in awe of the high school learner's talent.

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shockedperson was thoroughly impressed and wrote:

"Half my age, and double the talent. You go, lady!"

QuieroTamales told people on the internet:

"I usually keep the sound muted when I'm scrolling through Reddit, and just by watching her play, I could tell she was playing the solo to 'You Give Love a Bad Name'."

avid333 added in the post's comment section:

"Right... that was brilliant. Now, somebody get her a proper guitar and a pedal board. That talent deserves better equipment. However, this is South Africa; she probably kept the genuine stuff at home."

GratefuLdPhisH was in awe and wondered:

"How can she shred that hard and not make the guitar face while doing it? Very impressive!"

A curious therandom92 remarked:

"I'm sorry, but can someone explain what happened in the second half of the video?"

Cape-Tune replied to the Redditor:

"It's a technique called tapping. She used her left hand to fret the strings normally, but used her right hand to physically tap a note on the fretboard rather than strike the string."

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Watch the Reddit video here, as posted on Cape-Tune's account.

3 Other stories about talented learners

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a learner went viral when he showcased his handmade Bluetooth speaker, which he cleverly crafted using household items.
• Two Reddam House Helderfontein pupils earned great success in the dramatic arts. While one learner received a scholarship abroad, the other starred in a prominent musical play.
• A viral video showcased a Grade 10 learner from KwaZulu-Natal speaking 15 languages, 10 of which she is fluent in. The online audience praised the girl's parents for exposing her to multiple languages.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News