# Guitar Speed Trainer



## GoaT (May 30, 2008)

Just a heads up for anyone interested in this application,

I have been using Guitar Speed Trainer for around a year now and I have definitely gotten a lot faster in that time. I am not sure if it is the best method, but for a disciplined approach to increasing your speed, it definitely works. 

I give it about 30 - 45 mins a day and my profiles have been slowly climbing. At least I know where I stand and exactly what I need to work on now. 

The program is a little buggy, and I have had to make a batch file that archives a history of the user.dat file as sometimes the program crashes and deletes my profile! Plus the custom drills only seem to save for the main user, not any additional which is a bug that hasn't been fixed for 3 versions making me think the developer isn't all that active.


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## Vision (Jun 1, 2008)

Where do you get it?


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## GoaT (Jun 2, 2008)

Guitar Speed Trainer - Home

You can download a trial. Otherwise it's a pay for situation.


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## Vision (Jun 29, 2008)

That is a sweet little program. I learned Flight of the Bumblebee from it, and I am slowly upping my speed (85bpm right now...). Once I hit 100bpm, I will try and post a video.


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## GoaT (Jun 30, 2008)

Awesome man, great to see someone else has discovered it. Wish it had a few more features (like being able to record the profiles in 150% mode) but I am not complaining.

We should get a thing going here, top speeds .


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## Vision (Jul 4, 2008)

One thing I noticed is that I had to change the way I hold my pick in order to get higher speeds. I also had to change the way I use my right arm/hand, and now I "flow" much better.

I love the tapping drill it has... it sounds beautiful 

Edit: Stuck at 75bpm on the solo... I start making mistakes at 80 (grrr)


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## Vision (Jul 13, 2008)

I just played it at 100 bpm.  

This program is GREAT for training speed!




Edit: About 90% accuracy at 110 bpm.


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## GoaT (Jul 15, 2008)

Wow, you're not far behind me - that was quick!

I can play it tiringly at 120 and 138 is my 'broken' equivalent  

I haven't spent as much time on the solo as I have the drills, but you have inspired me to get back into the bumblebee.


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## SnowfaLL (Jul 17, 2008)

its a great program if thats what you are going for, speed.. I used it for a week or so but I dont really care about speed much anymore..

Another sweet program is Guitar Scales method, it trains you on arpeggios, scales, modes, and every pattern you can think of going up and down the neck, showing you a fretboard while doing it.


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## GoaT (Jul 18, 2008)

I think I read somewhere that those two programs are coded by the same person.


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## soldierkahn (Jul 22, 2008)

how does the Guitar Scales method program work?


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## GoaT (Jul 23, 2008)

It has a series of drills that are part of a pyramid type map. The idea is that each piece of the pyramid comes together to give you a complete knowledge of the major scale on the guitar fretboard. At the bottom you are just memorising shapes and numbers, as you go up it relates to scale and key. 

I am sure it would work but I don't want to spend that much time just on the major scale alone. Wish it supported more scales. Plus the boxed shapes it uses conflict with the way I have already learned the major scale, I play the extended shapes, Guitar Scales Method doesn't have any stretches above 4 frets.


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## Stuart (Jul 25, 2008)

I cant get GST(speed) to do odd note groupings, which is a minus at the mo. I never had any memory probs though. GSM(scales) is wicked. You can edit backing tracks in almost any scale/mode and play any pattern of any scale as well as just following the map. The map works on instant memory, the other stuff is to put it to practical use. If you learn all the stuff in the map from scratch then it is a doddle to apply it to any scale position including 3NPS scales. The basic scale positions are used only as a reference point. Both could do with 7 string options.


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## olsonuf (Jul 27, 2008)

Yeah GST is a great program. I've had it for about 3 years. I don't use it as much as I used to, but v2 lets you input your own exercises, so I will probably begin using it again soon. For my intermediate students looking to build speed, I refer them to it. GST really takes what John Petrucci said in Rock Discipline DVD and translates it to software and a practice routine. *****


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## JJ Rodriguez (Jul 27, 2008)

I just started using it after seeing this thread like a couple weeks ago, and it seems pretty cool. You can do what this program does on your own with a metronome, but this makes it easier and automates everything. Definitely handy to have.


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## Blind Faith (Jul 27, 2008)

I got the Absoulte fretboard trainer as i felt that the most pressing issue with my playing


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## Jachop (Jul 29, 2008)

Awesome program! Just what I needed actually... I lack the ability to sit down and create and do these boring drills all by myself - this will certainly help.


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## klutvott (Jul 29, 2008)

I think this program would be GREAT for warming up.


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## Vision (Aug 3, 2008)

Yeah, lol... flight of the bumblebee is my warmup now. 


Anyway, I was warming up with it this morning, and something "clicked" for me. I think I used to zone out when I was playing and just go on automatic pilot (I think my brain was trying to sync everything, or I was listening too hard, or something...) This morning I was playing and I realized that if I payed really close attention to my fretting hand that my picking hand would follow no matter what.

So I started just playing random solos that I picked up over the years and just payed attention to my fretting hand. My speed, feeling, and emotion went up dramatically, and I started playing MUCH cleaner. I dont know what happened, but it just clicked.

...Now that I think about it, I think that I was always paying attention to my picking hand, and now that I have been practicing with this program, I dont have to think about how I am picking anymore. I mean, I have a hell of a gallop picking style, and I can max out the single and double picking drills on GST, but I never had the speed with the left hand. I am also right handed, so that might have something to do with it...

I will investigate further.


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## Vision (Oct 31, 2008)

I was up to 117 last night... anything over than and I start losing it. It was cool though because I went back to 100 (my original goal) and it was too easy. 

It is kinda cool how my picking will change mid-stream now. I just know how and when to change angles, switch to using my arm vs. wrist vs. combo, and my alternate picking is MUCH better... and it all happens on the fly. I cant recommend this program enough.


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## Vision (Aug 24, 2010)

I know this is old... but I need to bump it again. This is an incredibly good program for building speed.


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## Psychobuddy (Aug 24, 2010)

Wow...that's a bit of a bump, the program seems interesting though...not much of a speed for speeds sake guy anymore but I might check it out.


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## C2Aye (Aug 24, 2010)

GoaT said:


> It has a series of drills that are part of a pyramid type map. The idea is that each piece of the pyramid comes together to give you a complete knowledge of the major scale on the guitar fretboard. At the bottom you are just memorising shapes and numbers, as you go up it relates to scale and key.
> 
> I am sure it would work but I don't want to spend that much time just on the major scale alone. Wish it supported more scales. Plus the boxed shapes it uses conflict with the way I have already learned the major scale, I play the extended shapes, Guitar Scales Method doesn't have any stretches above 4 frets.



Pro tip: Play the major scale. Then, root the scale on the 2nd note of the major. Play, using the same notes of the major scale, up to the 2nd note's octave. Repeat for the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th notes of the major scale.

What you've just done is go through all the modes in this order: Ionian (major), Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian (minor) and Locrian. It's a simple but effective way to memorise all the modes. 

If I wanted to play in C Lydian for example, I could just play in E minor or G Major but root on C.

And for playing Phyrgian Dominant, just play a harmonic minor but root on the 5th. There, you are now playing in Phrygian Dominant.


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