Any tips for playing faster?

Matthew_Taylor

Has anyone got any tips for playing faster other than just practise? Thanks

Phil_aka_Pip

accurate slow practice. no mistakes. program in exactly what you want to play. scales, arpeggios, favourite licks. if it's all in there, brain AND muscle memory, accurately, it'll come out again a lot easier and faster.

hobbio

Use a metronome. It really works, and you can see your progress so it keeps you motivated too.

steamabacus

Relaxation.

digitalscream

Find a better playing position than the one you have.

Seriously, it's helped me no end.

ElectroDan

Play very slowly and analyse your technique. Where are you going wrong? Try to keep your picking hand motion economical.

I've said this before in other threads, but different licks/scales can need different picking strategies.

When I got to the point where I was frustrated at my lack of speed increase, I always assumed my left hand fingers were the problem. Realising that the majority of issues are caused by the picking hand, was the start of really improving for me.

At the risk of sounding like a loop pedal, Troy Grady's "Cracking the code" will help enormously (I'm not on commission... but I should be).

mike_l

Using a metronome has helped my picking technique a lot. Despite having a few weeks lay-off, picking up again my technique is much better.

Alternate picking accurately quavers, semi-quavers and triplets at 55bpm, got to 75bpm in a couple of weeks.

I'm using simple fretting patterns at the moment (2-4-5  4-5-7  5-7-9) to gauge speed. If the speed is off at say 75, then go from 55-70bpm, if your picking is accurate at 75, then maybe try 80bpm.

 

viz

As well as the above, just close your eyes and feel it, mistakes don't matter. In practice. I know if you want to play fast and accurately you have to go the metronome / build-up-slowly route, and that's a good discipline, but I believe for people who want to play what's in their heads, not accurate twiddly twiddly twiddly stuff, but bursts of runs where and when you need them, the most important thing is to feel the music first, and learn how to play fast 2nd, and the best way is to just get those fingers moving and PLAY and enjoy it.

mike_l

@viz I was like that, but the lack of discipline has held back my finger speed (I think) and over all accuracy.

viz

I completely know what you mean, I really do, and I've practised for literally hours if not days on technique without stopping over the years, but ultimately the question is, are you chasing Art or Technique, and which is holding you back? After all it's not a race, and who's to say speed is an appropriate objective? For me, technique has not really held me back as such. I have been held back and have needed to try to work on what I wanted to say, not how to say it. I have tried hard to develop and give birth to the melodies in my head before commiting them to the fretboard. On the occasions that I've managed it, the technique hasn't really held me back at all, because at the nub, my best ideas are not actually fast, and they're not actually difficult. They're just melodic. Obviously it's a 2-horse race and the more advanced your inner voice becomes, the more advanced your technique MIGHT need to become, and yes I've then worked hard at it, but I seriously think the first thing to crack is the muscles in your head and heart not the musicles in your fingers, and most people struggle with the former more than the latter.

thomasross20

viz said:

As well as the above, just close your eyes and feel it, mistakes don't matter. In practice. I know if you want to play fast and accurately you have to go the metronome / build-up-slowly route, and that's a good discipline, but I believe for people who want to play what's in their heads, not accurate twiddly twiddly twiddly stuff, but bursts of runs where and when you need them, the most important thing is to feel the music first, and learn how to play fast 2nd, and the best way is to just get those fingers moving and PLAY and enjoy it.

Have you been reading my website lol? 

tommysixstring.com (damn, seems to be down just now)

Agree about closing eyes and feeling it (it's on one of my blog posts).

Make sure you work on fretboard knowledge etc at the same time. No point being super fast but only being able to play in the one position. 

Totally agree about the muscles in your head thing. You already have the tools (your fingers) - the head just doesn't know how to use them properly yet! Also try repeating one exercise constantly for 5 mins straight - stamina!

Tension is the killer - isolate any tension and get rid of it.

Clarky

play the lick nice and tidy slow..

pay great attention to fingering the licks in question so that you are constantly playing the same way every time.. and not thinking..

pay great attention to the picking, especially when / where to make transitions between alternate and non-alternate methods.. again the strategy is to be consistent / auto-pilot..

when the lick is 100% nailed and played exactly the same way reliably, start lifting the tempo with a click initially in 5 bpm increments..

when you're getting scruffy, back off 20 or 30bpm, nail the lick and start increasing in 5 bpm increments again..

speed comes with time and effort.. there are no short cuts..

but just like growing up, you rarely notice that you're getting taller because the process is so slow, it just happens..

things to note:

- playing posture is everything

- pick type, shape make a difference

- many folk present the pick too deeply to the strings.. you'll just snag.. only the tip of the point..

- a lot of people change their technique when playing slow and fast.. I personally see this as a hindrance and try to keep my picking technique consistent at all speeds..

Beexter

I've recently started trying to improve my speed and I'd echo the metronome suggestion. Play stuff slowly and accurately first and gradually increase the speed on the metronome. By starting slow, you're getting your basic technique and muscle memory in order which is essential as the speed builds.

Also, try some different picks. I couldn't believe the difference it made. I'd only ever used Dunlop Tortex Yellow's for years. Tried a Jazz III and felt I was cheating! It was SO much easier to pick faster. Not sure that it will be my general playing pick but for picking technique/ scale practice, it's my go to choice.

ElectroDan

Yeah, Jazz III is like night and day with one of those big blunt tortex things.

mike_l

ElectroDan said:

Yeah, Jazz III is like night and day with one of those big blunt tortex things.

I moved to the Tortex sharps, feel ike normal Tortex, but don't "stick" to the strings like normal tortex

MatthewShreddery

Lots of good advice here. One thing I'd like to add is that you should also simply play as fast as you can, warts and all, ignoring mistakes etc. You get better at playing fast by playing fast. You absolutely need to work on technique at slow tempos, and building up speed gradually. This works. But if you only play slow, you'll only be good at playing slow. Sometimes you just need to blast out as fast as you can. Your brain works differently when you go fast. It's not the same slow as it is fast. Technique changes, thoughts change. Etc etc etc.

Matthew_Taylor

mike_l said:

Using a metronome has helped my picking technique a lot. Despite having a few weeks lay-off, picking up again my technique is much better.

Alternate picking accurately quavers, semi-quavers and triplets at 55bpm, got to 75bpm in a couple of weeks.

I'm using simple fretting patterns at the moment (2-4-5  4-5-7  5-7-9) to gauge speed. If the speed is off at say 75, then go from 55-70bpm, if your picking is accurate at 75, then maybe try 80bpm.

 

I will try this, sounds good. Do you recommend thicker or thinner picks? I have been using dunlop gator grip 96mm as I felt with thin picks they feel like they will snap if I strum to hard. I also use 1.14 tortex if the song if mainly chords but I much prefer the matte feel of the gator grip as it doesnt slip as much after long playing sessions from sweat. What do you recommend for faster picker and easier playing? Are dunlops the "best" picks you can get or are there many different brands you enjoy using?

MatthewShreddery

Any pick from around 0.88mm up is good for fast picking. You don't want to use a floppy pick as it will bend when you attack the string, causing losses of energy and accuracy. Buy a bunch of different picks and see what you like

mike_l

Matthew_Taylor said:

mike_l said:

Using a metronome has helped my picking technique a lot. Despite having a few weeks lay-off, picking up again my technique is much better.

Alternate picking accurately quavers, semi-quavers and triplets at 55bpm, got to 75bpm in a couple of weeks.

I'm using simple fretting patterns at the moment (2-4-5  4-5-7  5-7-9) to gauge speed. If the speed is off at say 75, then go from 55-70bpm, if your picking is accurate at 75, then maybe try 80bpm.

 

I will try this, sounds good. Do you recommend thicker or thinner picks? I have been using dunlop gator grip 96mm as I felt with thin picks they feel like they will snap if I strum to hard. I also use 1.14 tortex if the song if mainly chords but I much prefer the matte feel of the gator grip as it doesnt slip as much after long playing sessions from sweat. What do you recommend for faster picker and easier playing? Are dunlops the "best" picks you can get or are there many different brands you enjoy using?

I've changed to Tortex sharps, 1mm (the blue ones) which feel much easier for picking. I've also stepped down to 9 gauge strings, due to old hand injuries from rugby. I prefer my picks fairly rigid, but pick choice is a personal thing.

I will say, using the 2-4-5 etc has made me fret much lighter as I've been practising accurate speed picking, which doesn't work with heavy fretting. I have noticed playing much more gently with both hands, picking wrist is more relaxed etc.

I'll be getting back to proper practise next week (just getting back into playing after surgery). Half an hour per day of dedicated picking practise with a metronome really has helped me.

mike_l

As an extra, I'm using crotchets, quavers, semi-quavers and triplets to vary my picking speed.

IE

Crotchets = 1 note per click

Quaver = 2 notes per click

triplets = 3 notes per click

semi-quavers = 4 notes per click.

Clarky

mike_l said:

As an extra, I'm using crotchets, quavers, semi-quavers and triplets to vary my picking speed.

IE

Crotchets = 1 note per click

Quaver = 2 notes per click

triplets = 3 notes per click

semi-quavers = 4 notes per click.

another useful one is sextuplets = 6 notes per click