Speed Playing Guitar Lessons at Jamplay

Playing faster is a goal that many musicians share. Not only is it fun to play fast, but it gives a certain pride to be able to watch your hard work flow from your fingers at 200bpm.

Playing fast isn’t easy if it is done properly. This is because there are a ton of things that go into fast guitar playing, not the least of which is accuracy.

In this article, we will go over some speed building guitar exercises that will allow you to build up your guitar speed properly.

The first thing you will need before you hop into any of these exercises is a metronome. All of the following lessons should be played 60bpm to start off with, and then built up from there when the need arises. Never rush your speed; it can cause injuries and sloppiness. Sloppiness will translate to your playing, and injuries will translate to you taking long breaks from the guitar. Be smart.

Scale Runs for Speed Playing

Scales are the number one speed builders.

Why?

They are the foundation of everything you will be playing. Learning the foundation of everything you will be playing and familiarizing yourself with the notes and patterns will allow you to play it quicker.

Start off with your basic major scales and minor scales. Begin by playing a single scale in ascending (lowest note to highest note) order. Alternate pick the scale. Once you are comfortable with the scale, instead of increasing the metronome, play it as legato. This means that, since the scale is in ascending order, all of the notes will be hammer ons. The only time your pick should be involved is when you are moving up a string.

After you are fully familiar with both the alternate picked and legato versions of the scale, play it in descending order. Once more, start off with alternate picking, and as you become more comfortable, switch to legato. When you are fully comfortable with both ways, try playing from ascending to descending, and then descending to ascending. This will allow you to fully familiarize yourself with the scale. After you are finished, you can worry about increasing the tempo.

When you do increase the tempo, be sure to pay attention to your note placements. Your notes should be as evenly placed at 120bpm as they were at 60bpm. If they aren’t, you are going too fast and you need to slow down. Playing slow is the key to playing fast, as it develops the muscle memory required to become fluent with the notes.

If you find the scale runs becoming easy, try skipping between the scales. If you are playing a C Major scale that covers the low E, A, D, and G strings, try playing the scale E string to D string then A string to G string. This will help you to develop the ability to switch positioning on the neck quickly and accurately.

In the end, practice is the best exercise. Devote a section of your practice to these speed building exercises. Soon enough you will begin to see an improvement in both your speed and your accuracy. Have fun!

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