I get a lot of questions about what it takes to become a faster guitar player. My answer is always the same, practice. Of course that answer doesn’t always go over well with beginners it’s the truth. In order to get great at anything you must first be able to do it slowly, then add speed.
In this article I cover three practice exercises you can start doing now to improve both your accuracy and your speed. If you consistently do them you should start to see results after the first week.
If you are taking guitar lessons from someone right now I suggest you print this off and bring a copy to your instructor. They have have similar or better exercises they’d like you to do. Likewise if you’re teaching yourself using a learn guitar dvd or other home study program consider skipping ahead in your lessons to see if there are any exercises for playing faster coming later on. Your teacher or the course developer may have different or better methods of improving your speed.
Exercise 1 – Learn your Scales
Understanding the important major and minor scales, along with notes on the neck is something you should learn. f you don’t know your scales yet don’t worry. Do a quick search online for pentatonic shapes, or visit a beginner guitar lessons website and search for pentatonic scales. What you’re looking for is an image of the first pentatonic position.
What you are going to do is use the first shape of the pentatonic scale to practice your accuracy You do not need to understand which scale is what or memorize all 5 positions of the pentatonic scales, just start with the first one and memorize it for now
Now start at the first fret on your guitar and play the scale starting on the low E string down to the high E string. Once you reach the 1st string play the scale backwards up to the 6th string. Now slide up to the second freat and repeat the process, then fret number three and four and so on.
You want to accomplish accuracy all the way up the neck with this shape both forwards and backwards
Exercise 2 – Increase your Pace
Next you want to repeat the first exercise but we want to increase how quickly you’re doing it. Grab your metronome and find a starting tempo you feel comfortable with. This will vary from person to person, the key is that it’s comfortable for you.
Click start on your metronome and starting on the first fret play the scale forwards and backwards. You’re going to next slide up to fret two again but this time increase the tempo on your metronome by one beat per minute and continue to do this each fret all the way up the neck of your guitar.
This exercise allows you to “warm up” to the idea of playing faster while maintaining accuracy and skill. Once you make it all the way up the neck you’ll have increased your speed by 12-16 beats per minute and hopefully maintained your accuracy and technique Stick with the same starting tempo for a week or so then try and increase it as to push yourself a little faster each week.
Exercise 3 – Down & Up Picking
Most beginners only hit the string on the down stroke with their pick. How ever as you speed up, especially in exercise #2, you’re going to find that hitting the string on the way down just isn’t enough. You need to hit it down and up so you get two plucks of the string in the same time you used to only get one. This can feel uncomfortable at first but we’ll work into it slowly.
Before you trying playing a scale start by just hitting the first string, low E, up and down a few times to get the feel Next move down to the 5th string, then the 4th and onwards all the way down to the 1st string. Then go back up. This exercise will help you feel comfortable picking up and down on all the strings and changing strings.
Finally add in the same pentatonic shape we’ve been using in the first and second exercises. This might feel strange at first, down pick for note one then up pick for note two and switch strings. Getting the right timing between your picking hand and fretting hand is tough but start slow, master it then add speed just like before.
By practicing these exercises a few times each week for about a month you’ll find yourself becoming faster and faster. I’d urge you to also ensure you’re practicing the other new material and concepts you’re learning as well. You must maintain pace with your guitar lesson dvd or guitar lesson plan Learning guitar is fun but to be good it takes practice and work. Rest assured how ever if you put the work in you will become a better guitar player.
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- How To Practice For Maximum Guitar Speed - Part 3
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