Originally Posted by: David PortelliHey man I was there once upon a time but not any more.

Here are some pointers for you:

1) Whenever you practice something, brake it down into tiny pieces and analyse BOTH of your hands. Find out WHAT is causing the problem FIRST and then continue to practice. Practising more NEVER solves the problem if you are not practising properly so do the wise thing and see what's getting in your way FIRST! and then practice more.

2) Don't expect to play fast instantly, speed comes when your hands are both very economical and make NO extra movements, it also comes when your hands are well synchronised and when there is very little tension in your hands. In the beginning focus on removing extra tension and extra movements. You should also focus on synchronising your hands very well at slow tempos FIRST. LEARN SLOW FIRST

Of course there are more things which must be in place but it seems to me that your issues are related with not getting the movements right etc.

/Dave

This is all so true. And one thing I've read on the internet (and come to realize is actually true) is this: Practice makes permanent. Forget the old saying "Practice Makes Perfect". If you practice something on the guitar and play it sloppily a thousand times, you become very good at playing it sloppily, because it's what you train your hands to do. If you play something carefully and make sure to make every note ring out as cleanly as possible, you become good at playing it cleanly. So practice something at a slow tempo first. Then, when you can play it perfectly, try increasing the tempo until you can perfectly play it at full speed. It'll give you better results than just practicing and not thinking about the mistakes you make or the things that could be done better.