I've been playing for about a year. Love this site. Wish the internet and sites such as GN were available when I was a kid. Anyway...
The only thing I'm not pleased with concerning my progress is my left hand speed. I've played endless scales thinking that will help to increase my speed but it hasn't.
What tried and tested methods have helped you to improve your speed. I don't believe in quick fixes so I don't expect one. But not practicing the right way is wasted time and practice.
Thanks,
Michael
Playing an instrument is good for your soul
Scales (using four individual fingers), quick riffs and an ear for music.
Those three things have helped "me" improve my speed.
Riffs and stuff, in addition to scales, are good. Playing lots of scales will get you nice and quick at playing scales, but most of the time, you aren't playing scales. You need to generalize so that you can play more than just some memorized patterns quickly. Simply playing a lot of different stuff will help. It doesn't need to be fast. Speed is in coordination, and you build that at low speed.
Scales actually helped a lot in my case, I paid special attention to pinky and the index by repeating parts involving those two fingers numerous times. Also make sure your thumb is correctly positioned on the back.
Incorrect thumb position significantly reduces speed as one has to adjust the thumb before reaching the bass notes.
If you haven't, start practicing against a metronome. ( note to as self also :))
Cheers
Latest addition: Cover of "Don't Panic" by Coldplay
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=502670
An exercise my instructor gave me to help develop finger independence, also helps with finger strength and speed.
With 1 = Index, 2 = Middle, 3 = Ring and 4 = little fingers, play this across all strings and starting at all frets:
1 2 3 4 3 1 2 4
1 2 4 3 3 1 4 2
1 3 2 4 3 2 1 4
1 3 4 2 3 2 4 1
1 4 2 3 3 4 1 2
1 4 3 2 3 4 2 1
2 1 3 4 4 1 2 3
2 1 4 3 4 1 3 2
2 3 1 4 4 2 1 3
2 3 4 1 4 2 3 1
2 4 1 3 4 3 1 2
2 4 3 1 4 3 2 1
-- John
"Hip woman walking on a moving floor, tripping on the escalator.
There's a man in the line and she's blowin' his mind, thinking that he's already made her."
'Coming into Los Angeles' - Arlo Guthrie
try practicing the chromatic scale using a metronome. that is, play every note on every string in order (i only go up to the 12th fret). i've been doing this for the past year and my speed has increased for scales. play as alow as you can using the metronome and gradually increase the speed. after you've been doing this a while every once in a while go as fast as you can go (speed burst) the slow down gain. this may help.
