Increasing finger speed when playing lead!

[Dave Merrill]

This is probably my slow brain rationalizing, but to me, big concentration on speed is misplaced.
I get impressed by speed, but not moved.
The songs that stick don't do that with speed, but with emotion, originality, and class.
Well good songwriting first, then that stuff.

I'd concentrate more on being comfortable doing just about anything, so your imagination isn't constrained by ruts and ability.

I'll show myself out...

 

[Rex Rox]

This is probably my slow brain rationalizing, but to me, big concentration on speed is misplaced.
I get impressed by speed, but not moved.
The songs that stick don't do that with speed, but with emotion, originality, and class.
Well good songwriting first, then that stuff.

I'd concentrate more on being comfortable doing just about anything, so your imagination isn't constrained by ruts and ability.

I'll show myself out...

That's not rationalizing at all. SW agrees with you. I do too. David Gilmour would be on most guitarists short list of greatest ever - he was never a speed demon. His note selection on leads was what set him apart. Solo on Comfortably Numb? Slow, deliberate and reaches right in to pull at your heartstrings.

Some genres require the Olympic sport version of lead guitar. There's nothing wrong with aspiring to do both I guess. But "Flight of the Bumble Bee" at 150BPM will never be as compelling as that solo on "Comfortably Numb."

 

[Chromatizm]

Can you elaborate on this? I know who Taranto is but I have not taken his course

He and his buddy Jake offer online picking masterclass from time to time, notification over their Instagrams. It's a meeting of spirits (typically ~20 spirits in on zoom meeting), where they both show details of their picking techniques and also discuss differences and similarities with technique of guys like Gilbert, Petrucci, and even MacLaughlin. Well spent $100, would recommend 10/10.
They provide a recording of the masterclass for participants but obviously for private use only.

 

[MattBowman]

Is this just a matter or repetition? I.e. the more repeats of practicing a song the more efficient your fingers move and less the resistance to negative forces?

Or are the better ways to increase speed?

Cheers!
dsouza
www.AdrianDsouzaRocks.com

Playing something slow over and over develops muscle memory and helps you figure out the technique, but will not increase your speed. Think of it this way, when you're a toddler you first learn to crawl, then take baby steps, then start walking. Those all develop coordination and the necessary skills to be able to move quicker but until you actually try to move quicker, the moving slow didn't increase your speed. Jogging will develop endurance but it doesn't train you to sprint, the only thing that'll get you used to that is actually sprinting. So on guitar, if you want to increase your speed, you have to move faster than your fingers are comfortable moving, until they start to get more comfortable at that speed. Same goes for your picking hand, but you have to be mindful of efficiency so you're not wasting energy. The other thing to keep in mind is that for most people, the technique they use when they play slow is different than what they use when playing fast. Try slowing down some videos of people whose technique you like, and you'll see what I mean.

I also agree with the previous posters who said tension is the enemy, this is so true. Try and play as relaxed as you, this can often times be a mental thing, so if you go into a hard piece already telling yourself you won't be able to play it, your body will respond in kind by tensing up. Try and visualize yourself being as relaxed as possible playing a line faster and faster, feel how it feels to move freely at that speed, then you just have to try and do it. Like someone who tried sprinting for the first time, you might trip over your own feet (fingers), but your body will eventually adapt to this. So yes, repetition is a huge part of this, but factoring in efficiency of movement and small bursts of speed to get your hands in sync will be a huge help as well.

Troy Grady and Martin Miller have both talked about how to play faster, I'll link a couple videos below to check out.

 

[Rex]

Playing something slow over and over develops muscle memory and helps you figure out the technique, but will not increase your speed. Think of it this way, when you're a toddler you first learn to crawl, then take baby steps, then start walking. Those all develop coordination and the necessary skills to be able to move quicker but until you actually try to move quicker, the moving slow didn't increase your speed. Jogging will develop endurance but it doesn't train you to sprint, the only thing that'll get you used to that is actually sprinting. So on guitar, if you want to increase your speed, you have to move faster than your fingers are comfortable moving, until they start to get more comfortable at that speed. Same goes for your picking hand, but you have to be mindful of efficiency so you're not wasting energy. The other thing to keep in mind is that for most people, the technique they use when they play slow is different than what they use when playing fast. Try slowing down some videos of people whose technique you like, and you'll see what I mean.

I also agree with the previous posters who said tension is the enemy, this is so true. Try and play as relaxed as you, this can often times be a mental thing, so if you go into a hard piece already telling yourself you won't be able to play it, your body will respond in kind by tensing up. Try and visualize yourself being as relaxed as possible playing a line faster and faster, feel how it feels to move freely at that speed, then you just have to try and do it. Like someone who tried sprinting for the first time, you might trip over your own feet (fingers), but your body will eventually adapt to this. So yes, repetition is a huge part of this, but factoring in efficiency of movement and small bursts of speed to get your hands in sync will be a huge help as well.

Troy Grady and Martin Miller have both talked about how to play faster, I'll link a couple videos below to check out.

I get what you're saying. But beyond a certain point, I can't agree with it. Slowing it down is a necessary requirement for building speed.

Everyone reading this can play crazy fast — right now — if they don't care what notes come out or how clean those notes are. But to play with speed and competence, you have to develop the muscle memory that allows you to play smoothly without having to plan every stroke in advance. Because your conscious mind can't perform all those calculations at high speeds. So you work that stuff out while playing slowly — when your mind has the luxury of performing those calculations and training your hands.

I watched the Troy Grady video you posted. The gist of his message is that if you want to play fast, then playing slowly isn't fast enough. Well, yeah. At some point, you have to actually try to play fast. Then, when you stumble, you slow it down and try over.

In that video, Andy Wood says pretty much the same thing. When he's working on something new, he charges in fast. When that doesn't work out, he "takes it apart." He breaks it into chunks and slows it down. Then, when it "feels smooth," he moves on. I wouldn't put too much mystique into that "feels smooth" thing. Remember that Andy has thousands of hours of dedicated practice, multiplied by a whopping dose of natural talent, to inform that "feel." He already knows how to play fast when he's trying to work up a new fast riff.

And I totally don't get his comment, "It's like learning to ride a bicycle. Sometimes you have to floor it." No one learns to ride a bike by flooring it. The first time you floor it on a bike, you've already mastered the art of staying vertical at reasonable speeds.


So slow it down, and learn the lick. Then give it some gas.

 

[MattBowman]

I get what you're saying. But beyond a certain point, I can't agree with it. Slowing it down is a necessary requirement for building speed.

Everyone reading this can play crazy fast — right now — if they don't care what notes come out or how clean those notes are. But to play with speed and competence, you have to develop the muscle memory that allows you to play smoothly without having to plan every stroke in advance. Because your conscious mind can't perform all those calculations at high speeds. So you work that stuff out while playing slowly — when your mind has the luxury of performing those calculations and training your hands.

I watched the Troy Grady video you posted. The gist of his message is that if you want to play fast, then playing slowly isn't fast enough. Well, yeah. At some point, you have to actually try to play fast. Then, when you stumble, you slow it down and try over.

In that video, Andy Wood says pretty much the same thing. When he's working on something new, he charges in fast. When that doesn't work out, he "takes it apart." He breaks it into chunks and slows it down. Then, when it "feels smooth," he moves on. I wouldn't put too much mystique into that "feels smooth" thing. Remember that Andy has thousands of hours of dedicated practice, multiplied by a whopping dose of natural talent, to inform that "feel." He already knows how to play fast when he's trying to work up a new fast riff.

And I totally don't get his comment, "It's like learning to ride a bicycle. Sometimes you have to floor it." No one learns to ride a bike by flooring it. The first time you floor it on a bike, you've already mastered the art of staying vertical at reasonable speeds.


So slow it down, and learn the lick. Then give it some gas.

I agree with you when you say slowing it down is a necessary requirement for building speed, you need to work out those movements slowly so they become natural for you and the fundamental cleanliness is there, however those alone will not increase your speed. There's something to be said for just purely increasing speed and moving your fingers crazy fast to start to get used to what it's like moving at that tempo. Sure it'll be a shitshow and not clean at all, but practicing slow does not prepare you for what it feels like to move fast.

So I get what you're saying too, and I agree to practice slow to figure out the technique, but my point was purely about how to get faster as the OP asked about increasing finger speed when playing lead. And I also totally don't get Troy's comment, so can't say I agree with everything he's saying, but the man is an absolute genius when it comes to picking technique.

On a side note, I've taken in person lessons with Andy before, he's just one of the nicest guys out there and my god, his technique is so effortless!

 

[Rex]

There's something to be said for just purely increasing speed and moving your fingers crazy fast to start to get used to what it's like moving at that tempo. Sure it'll be a shitshow and not clean at all, but practicing slow does not prepare you for what it feels like to move fast.

I agree that just plowing in and playing fast is a good thing — in small, occasional doses. But be careful...

What you practice is what you will learn. And if you keep playing faster than you're able to, you'll keep practicing the same mistakes over and over. And you'll get really good at making those mistakes. And you'll need to spend more time playing slow to unlearn them.

 

[MattBowman]

I agree that just plowing in and playing fast is a good thing — in small, occasional doses. But be careful...

What you practice is what you will learn. And if you keep playing faster than you're able to, you'll keep practicing the same mistakes over and over. And you'll get really good at making those mistakes. And you'll need to spend more time playing slow to unlearn them.

Oh yes for sure about small does. In that Martin Miller video, he calls in chunking, I think Troy calls it that too. But basically it's take a small group/chunk of notes, maybe 4 or 8, and play them and get comfortable with those at speeds faster than you're comfortable with. Martin says something about a "closed loop" process as once you hit a certain speed, you can't think about each individual note so you have to think of them as a chunk. So yeah, we agree about some things for sure!

 

[Rex]

Oh yes for sure about small does. In that Martin Miller video, he calls in chunking, I think Troy calls it that too. But basically it's take a small group/chunk of notes, maybe 4 or 8, and play them and get comfortable with those at speeds faster than you're comfortable with. Martin says something about a "closed loop" process as once you hit a certain speed, you can't think about each individual note so you have to think of them as a chunk. So yeah, we agree about some things for sure!

Indeed.

 

[unix-guy]

I can't stress enough to remember when you feel tension or strain when trying to go fast you are doing it wrong. Your muscles and tendons will literally end up fighting against you in short order. Slow down a little and try to lighten your touch on the fretboard. When the tension is gone at that speed then crank the throttle a little - wash rinse repeat.

One of the best lessons I got from my old teacher Doug Doppler (which I suspect he got from Satch): breathe!

To expand on that, many people will tense up and actually hold their breath when playing or preparing to play a difficult/fast section.

By establishing a consistent breathing pattern while you play and even focusing on your breathing, you can push that down more easily.

 

[dsouza]

I always slow things down when I'm learning new material. As I master each section I keep increasing the speed until I get to the song tempo.

First you have to be conscious of what you're learning, then later on you build unconscious competence.

I beleive there's a philosophy behind this paradigm.

Dsouza
www.AdrianDSouzaRocks.com

 

[normanaj]

I am 52 and I'm still trying to learn how to play fast. I think going slow and working up speed works and i also think playing faster than you can handle a few times while practicing helps as well. Almost like a baby walking for the first time...he runs and falls, runs and falls....runs and keeps running .

 

[Habuman]

The dilemma of having a Metal right hand and a Blues left hand.

 

[SJB]

Tons of great advice here. Someone asked if you can develop speed late in life - I will attest that yes this is possible. In the 80s, I was a left hand legato speed demon, but had only limited right hand technique. I always assumed I was not blessed genetically. It wasn’t until I came back to guitar in my 50s that I really developed fast coordinated right hand technique. Today, at 63 I am faster and more articulate than I have ever been, and consistently use speed as a tool of expression… a strategically-placed punctuation. There was no single source for this. I have an excellent teacher (Derryl Gabel) and he has been most influential, but critical information and perspectives also came from Troy Grady, and several old REH videos featuring Shawn Lane, Paul Gilbert, Steve Morse and Michael Angelo Batio among others. Some key points (that have been said before):
1. Anyone can do this given time, commitment and belief in yourself.
2. High speed and coordination requires complete loss of tension. Tension is an obstacle. Shawn Lane was probably the lightest picker ever.
3. Yes, slow it down and use a metronome until you develop muscle memory. but…..
4. If you want to play fast you have to practice fast as well as slow. In most cases, there is a slightly different technique (think shifting gears) at higher speeds. You can’t play 100mph in second gear. Articulation takes practice at speed.
5. Coordination of left and right hands is more important than speed itself. Find exercises that help develop coordination and transitions between strings.
6. Study efficient string transitions, so called “economy picking” - it can be very useful for many licks. But you can also be blindingly fast with simple alternate picking,
7. Give yourself permission to suck until skills develop. It takes time and intelligent directed effort.

My 2cents…
Age is not a handicap!
Rock on!

 

[TSJMajesty]

I can't completely agree with age not being a factor. There's a good reason why the "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" saying exists.

I've made a seriously dedicated effort to develop my speed to be able to play solos accurately of many common songs, and even though I'm also a much better, faster, and more accurate guitarist than I ever have been, it has taken tons of practice. If I had put in this same efforts at 25, that I started putting in at 55, I know without a doubt, I'd be even further along.

Those neural pathways are just not as malleable in our 50's as they were in our 20's. There's just no getting around it. And I'm not convinced that even a lot more practice can make up for it.

I look at it this way: If you put in the effort, at any age, you can reach your potential, that exists now. But that potential diminishes as we get older.

And if you did play fast when you were younger, but it wasn't all that articulate, you probably stand a much better chance of cleaning up that playing later in life, than if you never bothered playing fast in your past.

 

[SJB]

@TSJMajesty - I definitely respect that perspective. We can wax deeply philosophical about it for sure. I agree that it seems harder to learn new things as I have aged. I’m not sure if that is strictly Age related (although we know that developmental stage affects ability to learn perfect pitch (a ship I missed completely) and different languages)…or also a function of having to un-learn some pretty ingrained habits to restructure and move forward - I have found that to be my biggest challenge. I think everyone has more or less specific challenges to overcome. I think the secret sauce is in believing you can do it. You have to believe and visualize that success. And, to me the question is not can I learn to play as fast as Shawn Lane (or fill in the blank), but rather can I be better than I was yesterday, or last month, or last year. I strongly believe that the answer is “yes” no matter what your age is (all health conditions aside - at some point we all loose some function). YMMV.
Thanks.

 

[sprint]

In my early 60s now I feel everything starting to get a bit more challenging - this will be a reality for everyone at some point I'd guess, and for most it happens gradually (I don't suspect many will just wake up suddenly feeling old one day @ 87). I'm lucky in that many of my guitar heroes whose style / music I like and try to play + emulate do not rely heavily on speed: Iommi, Gilmour, Frehley ... - not fast players, but they have a kind of special musicality and space in their playing that I find attractive. At my level though, even to play what I'm sure you guys consider the slower stuff, the advice given here is of value to me.

 

[Rex Rox]

In my early 60s now I feel everything starting to get a bit more challenging - this will be a reality for everyone at some point I'd guess, and for most it happens gradually (I don't suspect many will just wake up suddenly feeling old one day @ 87). I'm lucky in that many of my guitar heroes whose style / music I like and try to play + emulate do not rely heavily on speed: Iommi, Gilmour, Frehley ... - not fast players, but they have a kind of special musicality and space in their playing that I find attractive. At my level though, even to play what I'm sure you guys consider the slower stuff, the advice given here is of value to me.

I'm only around 5-6 years younger. Age can definitely take a toll on the physical aspects - especially with old injuries. I sprained my right wrist too many times to count breaking some nasty falls I took while skiing since I was 5. Since I am a righty it only affects my picking hand. I will never be doing any Cory Wong style right hand acrobatics - but then again I always played rock, blues, jazz, fusion and prog. So I never needed that technique.

I guess the point is most of us are playing for personal satisfaction. So don't fret (lol) about not being able to do something you probably aren't that interested in anyway. Slow, searing, melodic leads connect with more people than fretboard acrobatics any day. Appreciation of fretboard speed acrobatics is mostly limited to other guitarists and musicians.

I started playing guitar around age 10. So I had plenty of time while young get comfortable with speed. But I don't agree you can't learn when you are older. If you don't have a physical limitation then you are plenty capable of becoming very proficient at many techniques - even in your 40s, 50s and 60s.

Examples:

• Proper muting techniques (left and right hand)
• Unleash your fret hand pinky - so many players never bothered training their pinky to pull it's weight.
• Hybrid or finger picking & palming your pick in your pick hand while playing (allows you to switch between fingerstyle and pick on the fly)
• Double stops and leads voiced with triads
• Tapping (too many techniques to list)
• Vibrato and bends with vibrato (Steve Morse style) NO TREM BAR!
• Trem bar techniques (too many to list)
• Scale note slides (sliding your fingers thru scale notes without a slide)
• Slide Guitar (too many to list)
• ...

All these are way more important than speed to make anyone into an advanced and very expressive guitar player.

 

[Infuseguitar]

Man I have to say this for all the old timers out there including myself.... The whole age thing is something many of us don’t wan't to accept. Age plays a critical factor period!!! I’m not sure of the reasons whether it’s physical limitations due to muscle loss or its metal acuity, doesn’t freaking matter. Genetically we’re all wired up differently and some like myself can’t keep up. This doesn’t or shouldn’t matter because honestly we don’t have some miracle solution! I’m in no way trying to toot my own horn but when I was in my 30’s I was a savage. I was that dude in my circle that few could compete with as far as speed, endurance and technicality. Again... I’m not trying to be some conceded dick. I’m not that guy! I’m extremely humble and know many musicians out there can rip it up way better than I ever could dream of. Realisticly I have no shame in saying I've lost those physical attributes and I know they’re never coming back. I still consider myself a skilled player. But I’m 52 years young. So that brings me to my point. I still jam out with some incredible musicians who are also very close friends that knew me 20+ years ago. We have a lot of fun! They don’t hold back on their comments and know I’m not the same as I was "back in the day”. In fact we get a good laugh out of it. We also have audio recordings we reference (aka, prove otherwise) when needed. Fact is I can’t play many solos that I could 20 years ago. Honestly I’m not okay with this reality but I accept it. I still practice as if I have an audition tomorrow for my favorite band. I still love what I do despite my physical limitations, hair loss, weight gain and marital obligations. For me or anyone else past their prime who can accept and acknowledge this, It’s okay! Let’s keep doing what we do and rock the F out! That should be all that matters.

 

[dsouza]

Slash has got to be older... He still kept his speed. It's lack of practice time as we age.. Don't blame age. Also if you do heavy lifting your muscles will become tight. It's important to stretch the fingers so they are completely relaxed. Any tension in the body will take away from speed. Also breathing is important. Holding the breath causing tension and a rise in blood pressure. To perform at high speeds relaxation of the mind and body is critical. I haven't lost any speed a 53. I still lift, do cardio, stretch and play the guitar. I also am considering adding in 15 min a day of Yoga to help be in the present moment. Speed comes from muscle memory .. You must never rely on thinking unless your LEARNING a new piece of music. There should be no thinking of where your fingers go, what comes next, which footswitch to press. It should all be practiced so many times that the cortex of the brain is free to think of the big picture not the small hand and foot movements. It's just like driving a car . When you first learn you think press the brakes to stop, the accelerator to go, put on your signals, check your blindspot. When you get experienced that's all muscle memory (which seems like speed). Your mind no longer thinks of these things but the big picture. Which is the fastest route? What are the weather conditions? etc. Keep practicing!

dsouza
www.AdrianDsouzaRocks.com