first question I have is how big steps do you take and how long have you been trying? In general speed isn’t achieved in matter of days or weeks. it usually takes months or even years to achieve great speed. If you are practicing with a metronome only speed up the metronome when the speed you’re at is boring you to dead.another thing you can try is take the first speed you are struggling with and bump up the metronome another 10-20 BPM and go back to that speed you’re struggling with. last thing but definitely not least are you economy picking or alternate picking?
Look at it in hours.. they say a gopd 30 to 40 hours of repetition is all you need to get a lick down. However thats at one speed.. so i guess what im trting to say it spend a GOOD amount of time at a slower speed. Once you feel you can do it up and down without issues.. then slowly speed it up. If you spend 2 hours a day.. itll probably take a month. For each lick.. it sounds like a struggle but it gets easier with each lick you do.
And the biggest thing.. positive reinforcement.. dont put yourself down. Convince yourself you can do it! Dont take no for an answer.
And the biggest thing.. positive reinforcement.. dont put yourself down. Convince yourself you can do it! Dont take no for an answer.
I’ve been doing the same speed exercise for a year. Guitar is a good lesson in patience. Just about everything takes time, and a lot of it. But that’s what makes the achievement so great. If you’re not noticing any speed gain, just keep working at it. Eventually you’ll begin to see results, which will encourage you to keep going, which will continue increasing your results. Be sure everything is 100% accurate at a slower speed before moving up, as doing so prematurely will probably cause issues down the line (speaking from experience). Take your time and have fun with it.
J
Jak Angelescu
Guest
Hey Lachlan,
Reaching out to you on a personal level here, but you only have one video up of you playing and that was almost 6 months ago. When you asked, “Is my synchronization off?” There’s no way for us to really help you because we can’t see and gauge if it’s off or not. This is why I keep encouraging people to post videos at least twice a month.
As someone who struggles with speed and lead myself, I have overcome some obstacles that I may be able to help you with.
First of all, I hate to play devil’s advocate but you are wanting to tackle some seriously insane solos at a near beginner level. While the dream and ambition is a great thing, it can also lead to discouragement and before you know it, you feel you’re not good enough (as you obviously already are).
Those solos have a LOT of technique in them. There are licks, scale patterns, techniques and all sorts of stuff you’re probably not familiar with. It’s like shooting yourself in the foot because you can’t speak French although you’ve never heard or learned a French word in your life.
So here’s my advice…
Start simple. Start MUCH more simple. And do things to exercise your brain as well. Don’t just play scale patterns over and over again because all you’re doing is getting faster with scales. Try looking up finger exercises to BUILD these things because I have found a number one problem with people who struggle with speed is finger strength, knowledge of what they’re doing, finger independence and picking accuracy. It actually has NOTHING to do with speed. Think of it this way…
Wiggle your fretting fingers fast. I mean as fast as you can. just wiggle them like you’re waving goodbye to someone with your fingers. They can move pretty fast, can’t they? Your fretting fingers and rhythm hand ARE fast already. They are made of small joints and numerous tiny little bones and ligaments made for small, rapid, fast motions.
It’s everything else that needs to be built.
Start slow with different exercises to get your brain firing on all four cylinders. And pick a goal solo of yours and work on it day in and day out until you get it. I did it with Hail To The King
It CAN be done. You just have to be patient and get your brain and your fingers ready and prepared for the challenge 
Good luck, my friend!
Reaching out to you on a personal level here, but you only have one video up of you playing and that was almost 6 months ago. When you asked, “Is my synchronization off?” There’s no way for us to really help you because we can’t see and gauge if it’s off or not. This is why I keep encouraging people to post videos at least twice a month.
As someone who struggles with speed and lead myself, I have overcome some obstacles that I may be able to help you with.
First of all, I hate to play devil’s advocate but you are wanting to tackle some seriously insane solos at a near beginner level. While the dream and ambition is a great thing, it can also lead to discouragement and before you know it, you feel you’re not good enough (as you obviously already are).
Those solos have a LOT of technique in them. There are licks, scale patterns, techniques and all sorts of stuff you’re probably not familiar with. It’s like shooting yourself in the foot because you can’t speak French although you’ve never heard or learned a French word in your life.
So here’s my advice…
Start simple. Start MUCH more simple. And do things to exercise your brain as well. Don’t just play scale patterns over and over again because all you’re doing is getting faster with scales. Try looking up finger exercises to BUILD these things because I have found a number one problem with people who struggle with speed is finger strength, knowledge of what they’re doing, finger independence and picking accuracy. It actually has NOTHING to do with speed. Think of it this way…
Wiggle your fretting fingers fast. I mean as fast as you can. just wiggle them like you’re waving goodbye to someone with your fingers. They can move pretty fast, can’t they? Your fretting fingers and rhythm hand ARE fast already. They are made of small joints and numerous tiny little bones and ligaments made for small, rapid, fast motions.
It’s everything else that needs to be built.
Start slow with different exercises to get your brain firing on all four cylinders. And pick a goal solo of yours and work on it day in and day out until you get it. I did it with Hail To The King
It CAN be done. You just have to be patient and get your brain and your fingers ready and prepared for the challenge Good luck, my friend!Similar threads
