Originally Posted by: Guitarro777yeah, umm... I actually practice a lot. Sorry pantallicca but you can go from the worst guitarist ever to john petrucci in two days. I know i could play 16ths at 200bpm but that would be if i was doing speed bursts. I can't shredd all the way that fast, right now my top speed is about 140 and i'm getting better. But i know that tommorow I will not be able to make my top speed 200.

And people, please answer my question!!!!!!

I never said you could go from being bad to being John Petrucci in 2 days. My point was, it takes a lot of practice to be that good.

I've explained this concept many, many times. When playing the guitar, you're using your unconscious mind. Your brain can simply not handle playing the guitar on a conscious level. If you have to sit there and tell your fingers where to go, and when to go, it just won't happen. It's like telling yourself when to breathe and when to exhale.

The case of Cryptic Excretions is a perfect example. Let's say I play a new lick. Now, don't you notice at first that that lick is very difficult to play. So you doodle around for a few hours and go back to the lick. It's not as hard as it was, but still kinda difficult. Then a day or so later, you can nail that lick like it's the easiest lick ever. You're building your unconscious mind and are making muscle memory.

If you don't believe me, try this. Next time, you play guitar, turn on your TV and play your guitar. The key is, don't pay attention to the guitar. Now play a lick your not so familiar with. Keep playing it over and over while you concentrate on the TV. I guarantee that by the next day you can play that lick awesome, or at least tons better than earlier.

And your question about what songs was I playing at 9 months, I don't really remember. But, I was nowhere near hitting 1/16ths at 200bpm. You'll soon realize that once you obtain some speed, it's really useless. No one wants to listen to somebody cranking out 1/16ths at 240bpm for 3 minutes. Don't get me wrong, a speedy lick here and there is fun, but it's not enjoyable over and over again. I would suggest concentrating on melodys and theory before I would worry about speed. Speed comes with time and practice. It's about feeling and about making music that you love.