# Reached a plateau and don't know how to get past it...



## guitarist10 (Dec 26, 2011)

Hi guys. I've reached a plateau at a pretty low speed and I really don't know how to handle it. See, I can't get past 100 BPM without one of these things happening. For some reason, they don't all happen at once, though.

I tense up
I lose my accuracy
I can't stay on time

Sometimes, they'll all happen, sometimes, only one will happen. Either way, I can't seem to fix them. I keep going down to about 80BPM and building up slowly. I even went down to about 30BPM and tried working back up. Any tips, guys? This seems to happen with just about every single run I try to speed up without fail. It's really discouraging.


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## teabagger (Dec 26, 2011)

How long have you been playing?


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## guitarist10 (Dec 26, 2011)

Been technically playing for about 7-8 years, but only recently took it upon myself to get serious about it. I've been serious only for a month or two...


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## SirMyghin (Dec 26, 2011)

This process can be as much a mental block as a physical one, especially you have have failed it many times. Instead of working linearly, work recursively, it might help. Bump up the metronome 4 beats, do desired thing X times, turn down 2 beats, repeat. Turn up 4 more, down 2, etc, until you can't play it well anymore. 

I have always found this a more useful appraoch than just working up to a desired point. Takes a lot longer, but that is kind of the idea.


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## Solodini (Dec 27, 2011)

How long do you practise each thing before speeding it up? Muscle memory and conditioning are not instant things.


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## viesczy (Dec 27, 2011)

Give yourself some more time and enjoy what you're doing. Don't be all 'argh' and such. 

When I moved from 6 to 7 (and 8 now) I had to retrain hands for longer sweeps because of position shifting, at first it was frustrating because my hands were TRAINED that if I was playing X arp that THIS was the way it was done. It took some time to re-learn it, but now I have three shapes down, each unique to the # of strings.

Derek


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## Blind Theory (Dec 28, 2011)

Just fucking go for it, man. That is what I am doing to improve my solo and lead skills. I know only very basic theory, if I take my time I can sight read sheet music and I write mostly by ear (with help of what little theory I know). So it isn't exactly rocket science unless you make it. For example, my soloing sucks ass and I know it does. I've been writing a bunch of short little solos (20-30 seconds) and recording them to show people and see my progress. So far I've come to realize a few things:
1) I can't pick linear licks very fast for shit
2) I am way better at legato than the above mentioned problem
3) I am better at tapping across the strings than the first as well
4) I am better at sweeping than I am at number 1

Moral of my list? Fuck around and make shit, even if it sounds like ass, to find out what your strengths are and then bust your ass to work on those and make then that much better. I figure being better at the things I'm better at means I don't need to improve on my number one anyway so I can dedicate more time to further my strengths. I hope this helps in some way. If you want help on rhythm playing for death metal in the vein of As Blood Runs Black/Black Dahlia Murder/Whitechapel/new All Shall Perish then just reply and I'll try and explain how I work on that as I am WAY better at difficult rhythm than I am leads.


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## Solodini (Dec 29, 2011)

I agree, largely. While it's good to develop your core abilities to be well rounded, if everyone focussed on making sure that all their abilities were as good as everyone else's then we would all be exactly the same. Variety is the spice of life, and all that.


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## guitarist10 (Dec 29, 2011)

I understand where you're coming from. I try and practice my strengths daily, but I'd also like to be able to pick fast, also. Rhythms or lead, I want to do it so badly.

I am deeply into all types of metal and anything that has screaming and/or technical guitar parts, really. Naturally, I want to play like music like my favorite bands: Children of Bodom, The Absence, Born of Osiris, etc. The thing is, to play like these guys, I'll need some serious picking technique. Now that I've reached this plateau, I've got to find some way to get past it and working on my legato isn't really doing to help my picking all that much. Don't get me wrong, I know where you're going with your statement, I just want to be able to do amazing lines like Rusty Cooley incorporated into some melodic death metal or something like that.

You see my point?


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## Konfyouzd (Dec 29, 2011)

Some things that help me:

-Take a break from playing for a few days.
-Slow down rather than trying to speed up. Pay very close attention to your technique and where you might be able to eliminate excess motion.
-Try coming up with different etudes. Sometimes after playing the same ones for a while you develop a block about playing them faster.
-Try playing a different instrument for a little while. Sometimes getting your head in a different space can help out your guitar playing counterintuitive as it may seem.


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## Solodini (Dec 29, 2011)

Try playing stuff which requires difficult picking patterns which isn't the straight speed picking, that way you can keep your picking work progressing but in a different way. Try taking a solo acoustic guitar piece and play it with a pick. You'll not be able to play it at the speed you can shred, at least not at first, but when you get something with different mechanical challenges up to tempo and beyond then you'll be a stronger picker generally and linear picking patterns will probably be much easier.


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## Konfyouzd (Dec 29, 2011)

Such solid advice Solodini.


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## Solodini (Dec 29, 2011)

Thank you, sir.  Your post jogged my mind into making those suggestions. It's basically the same sort of advice as you gave about finding excess motions. When trying to make bigger movements up to speed, you really need to cut out those excess motions so suddenly when you're back to a much smaller trajectory for your picking hand, the motions are so much easier.


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## Blind Theory (Dec 29, 2011)

Rusty Cooley actually utilizes legato a LOT for his linear licks like we're talking about. As far as rhythm goes, it is more in the picking hand than anything. Because I was never very good at leads and soloing I as able to focus on my rhythm for pretty much four years straight. You just have to go and look at all the great rhythm players and learn all that shit then see what works best for you. For instance, I used to be able to down pick like a beast but I found it was so much easier for me to palm mute a little higher up and alternate pick and that little discovery made my rhythm playing improve so much because I found my strength or preference and I went with it. I'm now to the point where I write stuff that I consider my rhythm but many of the people I play with consider leads just because it is almost as complex and difficult to execute. I'm not bragging about it, I am just telling you that if you study what others do, learn what others do to build up general technique and pick out what techniques you excel at, you will have a much easier and more enjoyable time becoming the rhythm player you want to be.


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## guitarist10 (Dec 30, 2011)

So, if I go and do something that requires bigger motions such as a lot of arpeggios and string skips, I will actually get better at linear picking due to the focus on making my motions smaller?

Time to learn the intro to Glasgow Kiss... >_>


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## Solodini (Dec 30, 2011)

It will at least make your picking ability better rounded and may give you more insight into how else you might improve your picking. Better that than just bring able to pick linear material and nothing else.


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## Blind Theory (Dec 30, 2011)

I honestly don't think it will make it improve to the point where you can do those super fast linear lines in solos. I can sweep arpeggios, pick arpeggios, and string skip like crazy but my linear picking for solos isn't amazing because of the way I pick. I pick too wide if that makes sense. Basically it takes me too long to get my pick in contact with the string after I've hit it once. If I worked for hours on end tightening that up I'd be fine. I just pick like a rhythm player I guess you could say...or like my rhythm.


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## Solodini (Dec 31, 2011)

If you work larger movements up to a higher speed than they would usually be played at them there is no way that smaller versions of those movements will not be easier to do quickly. They'll still need more focused work to improve them further but it's good to make sure not to neglect everything elk FDR for one, highly focused, goal.


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## phrygian12 (Dec 31, 2011)

There are no short cuts when it comes to trying to gain speed. Personally I like to practice at that point where you're able to play it, but you're some what struggling with it. I've been practicing Paganini's 16th Caprice. It's pretty much all 16th notes at about 165 bpm, about 3 weeks ago I was able to play it around 140bpm, but I could feel myself struggle a little, I can now play it about 158bpm. What I like to do is, try to master that small point where it didn't feel like I was slightly struggling anymore and would jump up 5 beats, if I found it to be over whelming I would set it back a little to find that spot where I can play it, but could feel myself struggling and just repeat this process. 

Of course, everyone is different and I find that if I just try and practice at a speed I can't even hold on to at all, I don't learn anything other than learning how to screw up. It's all about muscle memory. If you're playing anything that is giving you too much trouble where you're making way too many mistakes or just overall being very sloppy, chances are it's because you're teaching yourself to make those mistakes by practicing that way. 

I'm sure everyone does this or has done this before, but have you ever tried to play something, you screw up and you start all over, and then you do it again, then you screw up on something you've never had a problem with in the piece? Yeah you're basically teaching yourself to mess up. Instead of stopping and starting all over again, I go through the whole thing and then after, I work on the parts that I messed up on for a few minutes, then try the whole piece over again or exercises etc.


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## Solodini (Jan 1, 2012)

This man speaks truth. Don't practise incorrectly, unless you want your muscles to automatically maker mistress hours, rather than play correctly.


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## Ironbird (Jan 3, 2012)

I've been playing for about 11 years now, and still go through these issues. I guess guitarists of all skill and experience levels go through this. phrygian12 explained in detail exactly how I get through lead parts, so I don't have to repeat that.

Take it easy, start slow, but above all, PLAY CLEANLY.

Slop isn't style, it's slop. 

Achieve clean playing first then aim for higher speeds.

Good luck!


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## McCap (Jan 3, 2012)

Many great advices given already!

Here's an odd one, which may be just a personal thing, but maybe it helps you as well:
Play some Funk music. 
Make it groove!

And derived from the funk thing:
Take some groovy rythm patterns and apply them to a single string (so you are back to your alt. picking). Practice those at good tempos but always focus on the groove.

I know it sounds odd, but it helped me 
I think the funk stuff helped my loosen up and approach picking stuff much more loose.


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## McCap (Jan 3, 2012)

Ah, I forgot one of my fnew favourites:
Reverse the picking pattern. Start everything you normally start with a downstroke with an upstroke. This can be a total mindfuck but got me out of some bad habits.
Cheers


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## Konfyouzd (Jan 3, 2012)

McCap said:


> Ah, I forgot one of my fnew favourites:
> Reverse the picking pattern. Start everything you normally start with a downstroke with an upstroke. This can be a total mindfuck but got me out of some bad habits.
> Cheers


 
This is a cool little trick and it actually makes some passages easier to play but it's hard to do at first.


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## Solodini (Jan 3, 2012)

It's good to get you in practise for when you face odd numbers in passages, as well. That way your up pick can still be strong and consistent enough to support a downbeat.


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## Konfyouzd (Jan 3, 2012)

I had to learn to do it for sequencing ascending diminished sweeps. Also, some of the 5 string arpeggios are a little easier if you play them starting with an upstroke on the 5th string.

It's at a point now where I don't even always think about whether I'm using and up or down stroke and I love it bc the less you have to think about your technique the more time you have to think about other things like phrasing and what not.


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## Solodini (Jan 3, 2012)

And phrasing makes things awesome.


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