Is there an alternative to building speed without practice the same old scales over and over again? I find that boring and can only do it for about 20 minutes before I decide to quit. So I was wondering if there was something else I could to do help build up speed. :roll:
in my opinion scales and finger exercises (spider) are a good way forward to improve your speed,the sad thing about guitars are its usually the boring stuff that really improves your finger speed and muscle memory.the best thing you could do is is not spend 20 mins on one scale,vary your exercises,spend 5 mins on a finger exercise, then play one of your favourite songs then 5 mins on a scale and so on....that way you break up the dullness and things dont seem too repetative. find some good shredding exercise there are some fun ones out there that will improve your speed and there a bit more interesting than standard finger exercise
"thats alright baby i still got ma guitar"
GM gives some good advice. Unfortunately, practicing scales and exercises are the only proven method I know to increase speed. Work with a metronome, gradually increasing the speed. BUT, as GM says, don't spend a long time doing it or you will get bored. However, I sometimes practice scales and exercises while vegging out watching tv - just play them while you are watching, over and over.
What about finding a couple of fast solos and practicing those and then find more and practice those. That way you are at least playing a tune that you like.
"That’s what takes place when a song is written: You see something that isn’t there. Then you use your instrument to find it."
- John Frusciante
The way I built my speed up was to do scales slowly as a warm up then I find a song that is played fast and start on that slow, taking breaks to break up the monotony and playing something fun.
BUT, you have to pay your dues, there's no substitute for work! The more you put in, the more you get out!
Patience WILL be rewarded in the long run! :D
When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming......
like the passengers in his car.
i hate to say it, scales and the metronome, best way to build speed 8)
even god loves rock-n-roll
Twenty minutes a day should do the trick just fine. Spend another twenty on improvising or something else you enjoy and you'll be building speed, no problem.
It also helps to break up the monotony if you figure new ways to sequence through the scales. Learning the notes in "Eugenes Trick Bag" by Steve Vai gave me a lot of new ideas on how to use scales musically. :)
i'm more of the belief of just trying to keep it fun or interesting for yourself. i play pretty fast, and i have done scales, but i don't do them to death. i spend a lot more time improvising over music, and just noodling around until my fingers know where the notes are by muscle memory. that way, i don't have to think long about where the next note is.
Not to hijack the thread or anything, but does anyone have any exercises to increase picking/strumming speed. By no means to intend to shred, but I've got to the point where I want to use quick bursts in my soloing/improvising and though I have the fretting speed, I can't pick as fast as I want. Any help?
"How could you possibly be scared of being bad? Once you get past that, it's all beautiful." -Trey Anastasio
dl0571, I think that's pretty much the same question audioboy just asked unless I'm missing something. But all the answers above are good. You definitely have to pay your dues there's no easy way out or magic exercise that's gonna get you there.
So it's a matter of doing something that will keep your interest but the key is to do it everyday or at least almost everyday.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
To help make hte scales more "fun" I record chord progressions, then use the scale over the chord progression in various ways.
For example, I might record a ii-V7-I progression that loops through the cycle of 4ths, then just run through the major scale as 16th notes over two octaves starting on the 2, 5 and 1 ...
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
Download some backing tracks to play the scales with. Its not boring when you "play with the band". Heres a couple of (free) sites that have everything, chord progressions, blues, rock, country, jazz backtracks in every key. Not to mention, hundreds of songs..........have fun.
http://guitarchaos.com/index.php?act=SR&f=98
http://www.guitarbt.com/index.php?page=dl_list
The second site is slow on the downloads, and you can only do two at a time, but its worth the wait!
" Thoughts that pay homage to frustration will attract frustration. When you say or think theres nothing I can do,my life has spun out of control,and I'm trapped,thats what you will attract ".
I find this Jimmy Hudson's article quite helpful in order to avoid boredom.
Enjoy!
https://www.guitarnoise.com/lessons/getting-the-most-out-of-your-practice/
I guess something to beat the boredom could be to find new scales. Try something exotic, with a new sound or something. Or make up your own!
My problem with playing scales for speed is that it's hard for me to kinda 'space out' while playing them so that I'm only concentrating on finger movement. Instead, my mind is always going '1, 2, b3, 4, ect' or whatever the pattern is for the scale. That's good in a way but it can also really slow me down. >.>
