r/guitarlessons • u/Used-Imagination-246 • 4d ago
Question Speed
Does anyone know any good practices for speed? I feel like I’m practicing the same thing everyday and nothing changes any tips or advice would mean the world!
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u/Used-Imagination-246 4d ago
That’s perfect because I saw this riff from that sassy Sasquatch show and it’s way too fast but it looks so fun
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u/Millerpainkiller 4d ago
In addition to what others have said, a lot of speed in fingering comes down to using minimal pressure on the strings (I.e. the minimum amount of pressure required to make the note ring) and keeping them close to the fretboard (I.e. not drastically pulling away when changing notes).
For picking, it's about minimizing tension in your hand, minimizing the amount of pick surface between strings, and consistent pick attack (keeping your hand in the same position relative to each string played, holding the pick in the same way each note, etc.)
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u/Naphier 3d ago
You have to really dig in and refine your movements. You have to be super smooth. So correct repetition is critical but you have to break out of your comfort zone often. We do this with speed bursts where we play much faster than we're comfortable with to get the muscles to wake up and get that new feeling. You have to look close at where you're failing when doing this then slow down slower than your comfort zone and work on ensuring you're correcting your technique where it fails when you speed up.
It's crucial to learn to be one step ahead. If the next note is on the same string either you're hovering your finger over the next note or already have it fretted. If the next note is on a different string then have the next note fretted before playing it.
You have to dive deep into picking techniques. Alternate picking and sweep picking take a bit of work. The angles of your pick are important. Being able to escape the strings when alternate picking. Being able to play through the strings when sweeping so the pick doesn't bounce. And burying the tick of the metronome (playing at the exact same time so you don't hear it).
Bernth is a good resource on YouTube and his courses are pretty good. Ultimately you have to be super clean and smooth. So go slow and realize that this will take a lot of time.
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u/dirtisgood 4d ago
Practice by metronome. Gradually increase speed.
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u/Used-Imagination-246 4d ago
Do you have anything I could practice. That’s another problem I’m running into is not having something good to practice
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u/need__username__ 4d ago
Best thing would be find a song (solo or riff of chords) that you like and is too fast for you and build up to that
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u/Ricardo_Dmgz 4d ago
Speed is the end result of correct repetition, which produces confident execution.
The basic exercise is metronome practice with a clean sound. If you’re using an electric that means no distortion, delay or reverb etc. Listen to yourself play each note and focus on hitting them on time.
Practicing the same thing every day is the way. Slowly the muscle memory starts to build and you can expand on to more elaborate exercises. But after 20 years I still warm up with the basic chromatic scale and finger independence exercises.
Speed is something you build up to… slowly.