[Santuzzo]

I know the idea behind this is nothing new to any of us, like startign slow, and gradually building up speed.
Nevertheless, I think this is an interesting article that shows an example and explans how you could use the "start slow and speed up gradually" approach.

How to play guitar fast - increase alternate picking speed by 100 percent

It's by Swedish guitarist, Lori Linstruth.

[oompa]

lol what kind of a last name is lindstruth?

anyway, thanks for the read. like you said tho, nothing new.

i mean, the question in the article is "how do you learn to alternate pick fast?" and when the one example comes she finds out that she wasn't really alternate picking, and had to retrain a certain pattern to alternate pick, and suddenly she can increase her bpm radically by building up speed using an old method.

nothing magic about that but on the other hand, its good to get told now and then to keep practice slow and dont rush things, so thanks for a motivation read, im off slow-picking now

[Apophis]

thanks

[stubhead]

There's one variant to this that I consider to be really useful. I learned it from Steve Morse, I use it myself and I inflict it on my students.

Every day when you're specifically doing "speed exercises" you have to find your daily baseline tempo, that at which you can play an exercise perfectly. This can vary a lot, 10% or more - tiredness, a cold, lack of practice, that doesn't matter. Each exercise has a different baseline depending on difficulty too. I like to choose longer licks for myself, at least 16 notes with some string-crossing because it keeps me interested, regardless choose one exercise at a time to concentrate on. What Morse says, specifically, is:

Play the exercise and alternate it with some scales or modes that you already know. Do this for five minutes at the baseline tempo, trying to play each note perfectly in time. Every five minutes, move up one bpm, and repeat what you just did.

After 30 minutes of this, you should have moved up 5 bpm from your baseline tempo. Remember what was the fastest tempo at which you could play all the notes perfectly. It may be your original baseline tempo, but usually you'll hit a higher number in a repetition like this. Now, take the fastest tempo and add 10 percent. Round off the increased number to the nearest setting your machine will display.

Play the exercise and alternate with scales at this increased tempo for five minutes, regardless of whether or not you are making mistakes. Turn off the metronome, and play the exercise one time perfectly, probably at a slower tempo. Now do whatever you want until tomorrow.

What this does is daily and repeatedly kick open the door to the possibility of always increasing-speed. I actually like to play them slow and fast when "cooling down", sort of ties in with Petrucci's "burst" method (which he doubtless got somewhere further back too). As my other biggest influence John McLaughlin says:

Speed and fluency are a combination of two things. First and foremost, in your imagination, you must hear yourself playing in this way, or it won't happen for you on the fretboard. Secondly, be willing to attack the problem of inarticulation through work and application of exercises.

I guess if you're likely to go all mental & insecure every time you hit a bad note this supercharging exercise probably isn't a good idea, but if that's the case you'll need a different hobby real soon anyway....

[Santuzzo]

Originally Posted by stubhead

There's one variant to this that I consider to be really useful. I learned it from Steve Morse, I use it myself and I inflict it on my students.

Every day when you're specifically doing "speed exercises" you have to find your daily baseline tempo, that at which you can play an exercise perfectly. This can vary a lot, 10% or more - tiredness, a cold, lack of practice, that doesn't matter. Each exercise has a different baseline depending on difficulty too. I like to choose longer licks for myself, at least 16 notes with some string-crossing because it keeps me interested, regardless choose one exercise at a time to concentrate on. What Morse says, specifically, is:



What this does is daily and repeatedly kick open the door to the possibility of always increasing-speed. I actually like to play them slow and fast when "cooling down", sort of ties in with Petrucci's "burst" method (which he doubtless got somewhere further back too). As my other biggest influence John McLaughlin says:


I guess if you're likely to go all mental & insecure every time you hit a bad note this supercharging exercise probably isn't a good idea, but if that's the case you'll need a different hobby real soon anyway....

Thanks, this is great additional information on the topic !

[distressed_romeo]

Stubhead, great advice all round. Rep due.

Good article. Not really anything new, but it's always good to be reminded of stuff like this, especially when a perceived lack of progress is becoming a downer.

Lori still rocks...