Improving Playing Speed

At this point, the old truth comes back in:

If you can't play it slow, you'll never play it fast

Start off with your metronome at 60 bpm. Play the tune until you can lay it perfectly at that speed. Then increase the metronome speed by 2 or 3 bpm and do it again. When you've worked your way up to 80 bpm, reset to 70 bpm and listen to it all fall apart. Work up to 90 bpm.

And so on until you get to full speed. There is no substitute for starting slowly and building up.

At this point, the old truth comes back in:

If you can't play it slow, you'll never play it fast

Start off with your metronome at 60 bpm. Play the tune until you can lay it perfectly at that speed. Then increase the metronome speed by 2 or 3 bpm and do it again. When you've worked your way up to 80 bpm, reset to 70 bpm and listen to it all fall apart. Work up to 90 bpm.

And so on until you get to full speed. There is no substitute for starting slowly and building up.

I tried this but I can never get past around 150 for that song :cry:

What he said. To speed up, you slow down.
I tried this but I can never get past around 150 for that song

Well, you've started trying it, but you haven't finished trying it. ;-) Meaning, it WILL work, if you're patient and stick to it. It just doesn't necessarily work immediately. "Hours" isn't a long time, in the world of developing muscle memory. It's more likely to take weeks. (Depending on a lot of factors, of course.) If you can get it (smoothly, accurately, without strain or exhaustion) to 150, then play it at that speed, quite a few times, every day for a week. THEN take it to 155.

That said- I'm wondering if it is taking you longer than you expect because it may really be pushing your skill level. (I have no idea how long you've been at this, so no offense- just a thought.) IF this is taking a while because it's very tough at your current skill level, you may find it useful to go back to some speed exercises as well as just learning the one song.

Best
Ande

I think I'll try that and see how it goes. I probably haven't been playing long enough to play that fast so I might need to do a few speed exercises. Thank you for your help. :mrgreen:

I second Ande's advice. Playing speed is something that improves with time. Like Ande said, use a metronome and begin on a lower bpm. As you master the slower speeds, keep increasing the bpm gradually. Keep working hard, and you'll get it :wink:

Just to elaborate more on what everyone else was saying, my oboe teacher told me to try to never make a mistake. May sound stupidly obvious, but it really does help tons.

Practice at a speed where you won't make any mistakes. Practice small sections, only two notes, and extremely slow speeds if you have to. If you feel like your losing control and are going to make a mistake, stop playing and go over that part slower. Then slowly build up the speed. Works like a charm.

Practice small sections, only two notes, and extremely slow speeds if you have to. If you feel like your losing control and are going to make a mistake, stop playing and go over that part slower.

In the song I'm trying to learn, you just need to play repeat three notes rapidly throughout the song. Taking it in parts won't help that much but thanks for the rest of the advice.

Yep - it will gradually come...

I remember posting on here nearly a year ago, as I was being driven mad trying to play the A minor pentonic scale, I was struggling to play it at 50bpm, in my lesson tonight I did it at 250..

Ok, still not major shredding speed, but I haven't been playing with a metronome - the one I bought has the most irritating bleep I've ever heard, so its just been me playing it a few times a week.

Note to self - buy a metronome that makes a reasonable noise...

It takes time. If it was instant gratification, anybody could do it, and people wouldn't pay me to perform ;)

First of all, try to develop a light touch. The harder you pick and press the strings down, the slower your top speed will be.

And here is how I practice a difficult passage:

I find that by doing 2 minutes on and 2 minutes off, I learn it faster than if I kept playing. The teacher who showed me this said in the two minute rest period, your muscles are actually digesting what you have just taught them. I don't know the science behind it, but it works for me. My teacher says it doesn't work for everybody, but it does work for most people.

Of course, no matter how light your touch, and no matter how much you play, you probably won't get to shred speed until you have put quite a few hours in on the guitar. Practice accuracy and expressiveness, and the speed will come when you've paid enough dues.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Thanks Notes - I'll try that out :-)

Thanks Notes - I'll try that out :-)
I'm curious. Let me know how that works for you.

Notes ♫

Good tips for beginners.
Thanks all...

I find that by doing 2 minutes on and 2 minutes off, I learn it faster than if I kept playing. The teacher who showed me this said in the two minute rest period, your muscles are actually digesting what you have just taught them. I don't know the science behind it, but it works for me. My teacher says it doesn't work for everybody, but it does work for most people.

You hit it right on the head.

I discovered this same phenomenon too a few years ago. It totally confused the s*** out of me because overall I was practicing LESS.

Then I did the research in "motor learning" and found some compelling evidence to explain why this happens. Check out what Professor Dominic A. Simon of New Mexico State University, a leading expert in the field of "Motor Learning", had to say...
Perhaps the most compelling explanation is
heavily influenced by the theorizing of Jacoby (1978), Cuddy and Jacoby (1982), and Lee and Magill (1983, 1985)...

...imagine asking a young child to solve a mental math problem. After some mental effort, they successfully generate the solution.

"Blocked" practice would be akin to asking the child exactly the same question right away -- little, if any, effort will be required to provide the correct solution.

"Random" practice, however, is more akin to asking several other problems first and then returning to the original problem. If they recall the solution, it will probably be from longterm memory. If they do not, then it will necessitate their engaging in another deliberate attempt to find the solution -- either way is more likely to enhance future attempts at the same or similar problems.