I want to start off basically by saying that this post is all about playing guitar faster, not learning to play guitar quicker. The ability to play rapidly once in a while will come naturally but most guitar players will have to sincerely work at it. And frequently I would say the routines you need to do to play ultra fast are usually boring.
You can’t learn to play guitar fast by merely picking up your guitar and attempting to play fast. You’ll wind up playing a great deal of rubbish and people will look at you funny. I’ve seen it happen.
The secret to play guitar fast will be to discover how to competently execute two specific things: picking between guitar strings and in addition alternating picking. Alternating picking essentially implies that you pick straight down on 1 note after which you’ll pick upward playing the next. If you fail to do this you will never play fast.
The next piece of the puzzle really should be to learn how to pick using as little effort and movement as possible. By picking with very little effort and very little movement a guitar pick winds up a great deal nearer to the next guitar string after the picking motion and you can play that note that much faster. This is where I notice almost all guitar players making a mistake. They think that to play guitar more rapidly it’s important to play it harder. This could not be more wrong.
If you ever positively wish to learn how to play the guitar ultra fast you need to understand how to play guitar slow and deliberate first. Virtually no unneeded motion, a gentle touch on the guitar pick, and you have to strike each guitar string with the exact same degree of force every single time. When you have really learned playing ultra fast it will become pretty much effortless to pull off.
Read on for some routines to help you get rolling.
Your initial routine will be to put into practice picking between guitar strings. You’ll play one guitar string by picking straight down or upward and then strike the following guitar string the exact opposite way. So that your guitar pick is consistently striking: down, up, down, up etc. The actual training is to play all these guitar string combinations consecutively. The numbers symbolize each guitar string.
For the purpose of this exercise I typically number the lower E string as # 1 and then the higher E as number 6, but the fact is one can in the same way easily practice it the opposite way. You will enjoy the very same end result. Rehearse playing these combinations always keeping an even speed. Only speed up when you can execute each pairing at the same speed as any alternative pairing:
1-2,1-3,1-4,1-5,1-6,2-3,2-4,2-5,2-6,3-4,3-5,3-6,4-5,4-6,5-6
Let me suggest another picking drill. Play the following guitar string combination hitting every guitar string four times: up, down, up, down:
6, 5, 4, 3, 5, 4, 3, 2, 4, 3, 2, 1
At this time to the left hand. The two keys to teaching yourself to play very rapidly with the left hand: making use of your pinky and only raising your fingertips as far off the guitar fretboard as you need to. A considerable amount of guitar players just do not learn how to make use of their pinkies. They’ll rarely become capable of play as fast as individuals who do. Irrespective of what you’re playing, even if you’re merely fingering chords begin the habit of employing your pinky as much as possible.
OK, this is a rather simple left hand practice for increasing your own guitar playing speed potential. Before you mess around by means of stuff like bends, and tremolo you should get the basics down. The basics are merely learning how to switch between all fingering combinations. During the next drill I have numbered your left hand fingertips as follows: 1-index,2=middle,3=ring,4=pinky. Each digit must be on a different fret.
Work on these combinations one after another. Begin with your upper E string on the 12th fret, playing only that guitar string. Perform each combination by using alternating picking then shift to your B guitar string and then repeat. Next shift to your G string, etc.Once you end on the lower E guitar string, relocate back over to your higher E guitar string however this time start on the 11th fret. Keep working in this way until you finally end up on the lower E string on the 1st fret.
Listed here are the combos:
1-2-3-4, 1-2-4-3, 1-3-2-4,1-3-, 1-4-2-3, 1-4-3-2, 2-1-3-4, 2-1-4-3, 2-3-4-1, 2-4-1-3, 2-4-3-1, 3-1-2-4, 3-1-4-2, 3-2-1-4, 3-2-4-1, 3-4-1-2, 3-4-2-1, 4-1-2-3, 4-1-3-2, 4-2-1-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-1-2, 4-3-2-1
Run through every one of these drills. If you’ve got access to a metronome I highly recommend that you practice with one, noting each and every time the highest speed in which you perfectly performed the exercise. Gradually over time increase your speed. I guarantee that when you try out those drills for 2 weeks straight exactly as I have suggested, you will end up being able to play at a higher speed than you ever imagined. By simply doing exercises in this way there is no limit to the speed at which it is possible to play.
For more free information on how to play a guitar take a look at this website: Free Guitar Lessons.