Hey guys i finally found this website( lost the name)
Anyways i have been playing about a year now and i just got a elctric guitar. I have been wanting to try to build my speed for solos and scales. Any tips?
Thanks Tyler
Well Tyler, probably the best way to get fast is to start slow. If you have a metronome or a drum machine, set it for a relatively slow speed (maybe 70 BPM) to start. Practice at that speed until you can play the scale precisely without mistakes. Then speed up maybe 4 BPM. Continue in this fashion until you cannot keep up, or start to make mistakes. Then go down about 10 BPM and slowly speed up again. You will be surprised, in a few weeks you will gain quite a bit of speed and be more precise.
And don't just play scales straight up and down, mix them up a little bit. Take the A Minor Pentatonic which has the notes A, C, D, E, and G. Mix it up, practice going from A to E, then C to G, then D to A (intervals of 5ths). You don't want to get in the habit of always playing a scale straight up and down.
As far as solos, listen to lots of good guitar players and try to copy them. Start with slower, simpler solos and gradually build up to faster, more complex solos. This will really develop your ear, and you will learn lots of great licks. Having your own individual style is really the sum of your influences. :D
Just keep playing, that is the real secret to becoming a good player.
Wes
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
