TSJMajesty
Fractal Fanatic
TL, DR: I wonder if we each have a built-in speed limit in our fingers, that no amount of practice can overcome. Agree/disagree?
Some background: I've struggled with speed since I played Clarinet in school. I made 1st chair, 1st Clarinet in the Junior High MD All-State Band, so I was a pretty good player. But it was mainly my tone, and not my technical ability, or speed, that got me that position. I used to marvel at other players in these large bands who were literally smoking me.
I switched to guitar when I was 15, but it's not something new. I've struggled with the same thing on guitar. It just seems to take me forever to make gains in my speed. And I'm not talking about wanting to "shred." I mean, I'd like to be able to confidently, consistently, play, for example, the solos in Carry On Wayward Son, but I still struggle to get that 1st solo up to speed. I can play it, but when I push to make it happen, it gets sloppy.
OTOH, I can play fast 3-note-per-string, 16th note triplet runs, at about 90 bpm, cleanly. But I've probably played that famous Paul Gilbert lick 5000 times in order to do so. I swear I just have a built-in speed limit.
I watched Joe Bonamassa rip through a tasty blues lick during a rig-rundown, and I was like, DAMN! That was just some Pentatonic stuff he did, but it sounded astounding! It was probably 16th notes at around 140 bpm. I wanna do that! I know about hitting a wall, and then suddenly you break through, somewhat, as I've experienced this myself.
When I got really serious in developing my technique about 3 years ago, I couldn't consistently play hardly any 16th note riffs beyond 90. Now I can do certain ones around 130. But OMG, the work it takes! My trilling speed is pathetic!
The triplet run in Good Times Bad Times is another one. My other guitar player, back in my high school days could RIP this solo, like, effortlessly. I just stayed away from that stuff, instead taking on the Pink Floyd solos.
I know I'm not gonna be able to play like Paul Gilbert or John Petrucci, especially since I didn't have this dedication to practice that I now have, back when my brain was much more malleable as a teen. But I still love to play their stuff. I'm just thinking that I've hit my own personal speed limit, which seems to be about 120 bpm for 16th note riffs, and around 90 for 16th triplets. Most rock songs with cool solos are just faster than that.
Am I wrong in this thinking? What do you think? I can't run fast. Never could. Could it be possible some of us just don't possess those "fast-twitch" muscles I've read about, and no matter how many hours you invest, you're only going to be able to play at a certain speed, and no further?
Some background: I've struggled with speed since I played Clarinet in school. I made 1st chair, 1st Clarinet in the Junior High MD All-State Band, so I was a pretty good player. But it was mainly my tone, and not my technical ability, or speed, that got me that position. I used to marvel at other players in these large bands who were literally smoking me.
I switched to guitar when I was 15, but it's not something new. I've struggled with the same thing on guitar. It just seems to take me forever to make gains in my speed. And I'm not talking about wanting to "shred." I mean, I'd like to be able to confidently, consistently, play, for example, the solos in Carry On Wayward Son, but I still struggle to get that 1st solo up to speed. I can play it, but when I push to make it happen, it gets sloppy.
OTOH, I can play fast 3-note-per-string, 16th note triplet runs, at about 90 bpm, cleanly. But I've probably played that famous Paul Gilbert lick 5000 times in order to do so. I swear I just have a built-in speed limit.
I watched Joe Bonamassa rip through a tasty blues lick during a rig-rundown, and I was like, DAMN! That was just some Pentatonic stuff he did, but it sounded astounding! It was probably 16th notes at around 140 bpm. I wanna do that! I know about hitting a wall, and then suddenly you break through, somewhat, as I've experienced this myself.
When I got really serious in developing my technique about 3 years ago, I couldn't consistently play hardly any 16th note riffs beyond 90. Now I can do certain ones around 130. But OMG, the work it takes! My trilling speed is pathetic!
The triplet run in Good Times Bad Times is another one. My other guitar player, back in my high school days could RIP this solo, like, effortlessly. I just stayed away from that stuff, instead taking on the Pink Floyd solos.
I know I'm not gonna be able to play like Paul Gilbert or John Petrucci, especially since I didn't have this dedication to practice that I now have, back when my brain was much more malleable as a teen. But I still love to play their stuff. I'm just thinking that I've hit my own personal speed limit, which seems to be about 120 bpm for 16th note riffs, and around 90 for 16th triplets. Most rock songs with cool solos are just faster than that.
Am I wrong in this thinking? What do you think? I can't run fast. Never could. Could it be possible some of us just don't possess those "fast-twitch" muscles I've read about, and no matter how many hours you invest, you're only going to be able to play at a certain speed, and no further?