Originally Posted by: renThinking slows you down. I'm not advocating not thinking, just you need to get to the point where it's second nature and the thought process isn't realtime.

This is good point! The goal is to automatize your physical movements. Just like walking. If we had to consciously think about all the motions required to get up out of a chair walk across the room, it would never happen!

Very specifically, you want to increase the range of your thinking. When you start you have to think about every note. The goal behind practicing is to gradually increase the amount of notes "contained" in ONE thought.

In order to play fast, you have to build your physical skills to the point where you only have to essentially think, "C major scale, 3 notes per string, up in 4s ... NOW!". And your brain sends the instructions to your hands and fingers which then carry out the "orders".

But that won't happen until you've practiced enough for it to be "second nature", as Ren mentioned.