Practicing For Speed:

Practicing for guitar speed really takes patience and determination, and GOALS.

1. Speed has nothing to do with talent.
2. The ability to play fast, and the ability to play well, are not always the same thing.
3. There is no clearly defined “fastest”. Meaning, what is “fast” is different depending on the needs and skills of the student.
4. Speed, and the ability to play a phase consistently is a technical issue, but, not having adequate skill may also inhibit your creativity.
5. Learning to play fast and with confidence doesn’t automatically put you in the “guitar shredder” category. There are many examples of players who are virtuosos who are not metal guitarists.

Here is a variation on an exercise I use, and teach to my students:

I have included a short E harmonic minor lick. Here’s how it works:

Learn to practice using a metronome and follow the outline below exactly as shown.

1. Play this with a metronome. Find out how fast you can play it as relaxed and cleanly as possible. Let’s say for this example the fastest you can do it is BPM = 120.

2. For your next 5 practice sessions, play the same like for 5 minutes straight at 65% of 120. So 78 BPM. Play as relaxed as possible. Try to stay focused the entire time (this takes patience!)

3. The remaining breakdown is as follows, I’ll use the 120 BPM. 5 minute sessions each.

Start your 1st 5 sessions @ 65% = 78
Continue into your 2nd set of 5 sessions @ 70% = 84
Push 3 sessions @ 80% = 96
The next 3 sessions @ 85% = 102
Shoot for 3 sessions @ 90% = 108
Now we’re close to our goal! 3 sessions @ 95% = 114
Finally, the max! 1 session @ 100% = 120
Try to go beyond your max, 1 session @ 110% = 132

4. Check your max speed again, repeat the whole process. Over time, if you practice this way consistently, you will gain speed and control.

This is roughly 2 hours of practice spread out over time. So you can think about it this way, every time you log in two hours of this practice routine, you are getting better at your CORE goal. The important thing to remember is you have to keep track of your progress, and you have to be consistent. Having a teacher who can help you find your inconsistencies will also be very beneficial.