Improving precision and speed

I've decided that, since I have 0 other actual plan for the whole next week, I'll dedicate the majority of my time to practincing guitar, more specifically working on my biggest hurdle at the moment: Picking precision and speed, and even more importantly, combining the two. If I don't have to worry about playing faster than quarter-notes at 80bpm, I can play with incredible precision, and if I don't have to worry about precision in either hand, I can just about shred (it just sounds worse than a car crash when I try...). The problem occurs when I have to play anything remotely fast that isn't a chord progression with a certain strumming pattern.

For example, I just tried playing the Intro-riff to Welcome To The Jungle, and sure, I could play the first bit, but as soon as I had to switch strings, it just went horribly bad. I started to miss the strings, I started to fret the wrong notes, then the right notes at the wrong time, and the list goes on. I've decided to use those next 10 days focusing on improving my picking technique, speed and precision, to the point where things like Welcome To The Jungle and Sweet Child O' Mine are no longer a challenge for me. My question is: What is the best way to improve my speed and precision at the same time? Are there any great exercises specifically for that, or is it just "practice slowly and gradually increase speed"?

Originally Posted by: KasperowWhat is the best way to improve my speed and precision at the same time? Are there any great exercises specifically for that, or is it just "practice slowly and gradually increase speed"?

It may be boring, but a great way is to practice scales ascending and decending in 3rds and 4ths. Just use the major scale in any position and use alternate picking. This will demand fingering precision, picking precision, and picking efficiency. Start slow to get the mechanics down, then ramp up the speed with a metrenome.

Originally Posted by: maggiorIt may be boring, but a great way is to practice scales ascending and decending in 3rds and 4ths. Just use the major scale in any position and use alternate picking. This will demand fingering precision, picking precision, and picking efficiency. Start slow to get the mechanics down, then ramp up the speed with a metrenome.

I'll give it a try. I'm not quite sure what you mean by 3rds and 4ths, though.

Kasperow,

http://www.guitartricks.com/search.php?query=scales+by+3rds+and+4ths&search.x=0&search.y=0

Above is a page I got back from a search I did on the site, a lot of great stuff came back.

Check one out from a style you may not normally watch.

Originally Posted by: KasperowI'll give it a try. I'm not quite sure what you mean by 3rds and 4ths, though.

What you do is play the major scale in position, meaning play it across the neck. To make it simple to notate, I'll describe it in the C major scale. Using the pattern that goes from the 6th to 1st string, you would start on the 6th string 8th fret. You can move the shape to any place on the neck.

For thirds, you play the notes like this:
C, D, E,
D, E, F,
E, F, G,
F, G, A,
G, A, B,
A, B, C ...

You go through that through 2 octaves across the neck, and then reverse it to get back where you started. The key is to keep the timing fluid as you go through it. The spacing is only to clarify the pattern, don't pause at the spaces - keep it fluid and constant.

What you are doing is playing the first 3 notes in the scale in sequence, then you are back 2 notes in the scale and play the next 3 notes in the scale, and so on. It's harder to describe than do.

To do it in fourths, you play the first 4 notes in sequence, go back 3 notes and play the next 4 notes from there:
C, D, E, F,
D, E, F, G,
E, F, G, A,
F, G, A, B,
G, A, B, C ...

I hope that make sense. As you can see this will really exercise you accuracy and ability to play cleanly while alternate picking and switching strings.


haghj500 found some good tutorials. Chris S. describes and demos what I'm talking about above, though he doesn't do it across the entire neck. He also doesn't emphasize alternate picking. Since you are trying to develop speed and accuracy, I would recommend using alternate picking and use the 2 octave scale shape that starts on the 6th string.

Have fun!

Originally Posted by: maggiorIt may be boring, but a great way is to practice scales ascending and decending in 3rds and 4ths. Just use the major scale in any position and use alternate picking. This will demand fingering precision, picking precision, and picking efficiency. Start slow to get the mechanics down, then ramp up the speed with a metrenome.

I think this is really spot on. Speed & precision have been issues for me as well. However, I basically put in a lot of time practicing exactly what Maggior describes, both seven note scales and pentatonic. I practiced slowly, slow enough that I rarely hit a bad note, and always to a metronome. Fortunately, I found it kind of relaxing so I wasn't bored to tears. After a lot of practice, (and again I can't emphasize enough how important it was to play correctly, focusing on just precision) I noticeably improved both my speed and accuracy playing scales. There was also an interesting side effect in that I recorded a little solo & riff I came up with to go along with a bass & drum pattern on my beat-box, and I noticed that my playing sounded very crisp. I was really happy with it, and I have no doubt it was due to the focused scale practice.

I'd recommend that you ramp up the tempo slowly... as in, a week or so at one tempo, then bump it up at bit and so on... and be prepared to back it down if you're finding it still too fast.

Originally Posted by: KasperowWhat is the best way to improve my speed and precision at the same time? Are there any great exercises specifically for that, or is it just "practice slowly and gradually increase speed"?

Everyone has given you great advice!

Let's start at the beginning. In GF2 I teach very specific ways to play & practice scales with a metronome. These are patterns of:

1. Straight up & down the scale.
2. Up & down in 3's.
3. Up & down in 4's.
4. Up & down in pedal point.

These 4 basic permutations will give you all the fundamental tools you need to play any given series of notes. These are all covered in depth here:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=451

After that you can try more advanced options. For example, you want to visually map the entire fretboard with major & minor scales.

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=453
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=887

Then you want to play scale exercises that sequence the notes of those scale patterns in musical ways.

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=419
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=898
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=899
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=462

Then you are ready to try to play those patterns in time with a metronome or backing track in order to get up to speed with them.

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=287
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=928
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=929

There's also this series on the pentatonic scales that get used frequently in blues & rock.

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=296
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=722
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=185

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=737
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=843
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=914

Whew. :) That's a lot of material, yeah? But, please keep in mind that this list is not something you'll work on over the weekend & then you're done. This is a comprehensive list of how to practice scales not just to build speed & precision, but also to prepare for playing them in music.

Further, these exercises are exactly what I practice every single day in order to warm up & maintain a high level of proficiency at guitar. These exercises are something that you can use for the rest of your guitar playing life!

Hope this helps. Ask more if necessary. Have fun! :)

Thanks to all of you for the advice. I'll try it out and hopefully slowly see results. I guess hoping to become faster in just a week might have been a bit overestimated... That said, I'm still gonna spend as much time as possible with a guitar and try to become just a bit more precise in my picking.

Originally Posted by: CSchlegel1. Straight up & down the scale.
2. Up & down in 3's.
3. Up & down in 4's.
4. Up & down in pedal point.

I assume this "pedal point" is something that is also explained in the tutorials you linked to, is that right? I'll make sure to take my time with the tutorials, and if need be, I'll ask away. As my teacher says: If there's anything you don't understand, ask and you will get it explained. In my experience, that rule definitely applies here!

Originally Posted by: KasperowI guess hoping to become faster in just a week might have been a bit overestimated...[/quote]
Yes, but you can still start now. :) I promise if you start doing those exercises on a regular basis you will see improvement no matter how gradual.
[QUOTE=Kasperow]
I assume this "pedal point" is something that is also explained in the tutorials you linked to, is that right?

Yes, absolutely. Everything is explained in precise detail. And yes, please ask when necessary! If you post in my instructor forum I am more likely to see it & answer.

Originally Posted by: KasperowThanks to all of you for the advice. I'll try it out and hopefully slowly see results. I guess hoping to become faster in just a week might have been a bit overestimated... That said, I'm still gonna spend as much time as possible with a guitar and try to become just a bit more precise in my picking.

What may see happen is that you start doing these exercises and you don't see much improvement doing them. However, when you go to play something else that you may have been struggling with, you find you can play it much better - and that's where it really counts!

This is what happened with me.

You may also find you can use some of this in your improvisation. Ascending the pentatonic scale in 3rds can be played as triplets and gives you a lot of notes you can play as you slowly ascend the scale. You don't want to abuse it, but it can be handy in some cases.

It's probably easiest to start his with the pentatonic shapes since they only have 2 notes per string. The major scale gets tricky fast since it is a mix of 2 and 3 notes per string.

+1 great info! Thanks

Originally Posted by: maggior The major scale gets tricky fast since it is a mix of 2 and 3 notes per string.

You can play the major scale and its subsequent modes using 3 note per string patterns where there are three notes for every string. I held off mentioning it, but since this thread is about developing speed, and the three note per string system is often touted as being more efficient and easier to play fast, its probably worth pointing out. I actually like using a blend of both the 2/3 note per string 5 pattern system, and the 3 note per string 7 pattern system.

Originally Posted by: maggior The major scale gets tricky fast since it is a mix of 2 and 3 notes per string.

You can play the major scale and its subsequent modes using 3 note per string patterns where there are three notes for every string. I held off mentioning it, but since this thread is about developing speed, and the three note per string system is often touted as being more efficient and easier to play fast, its probably worth pointing out. I actually like using a blend of both the 2/3 note per string 5 pattern system, and the 3 note per string 7 pattern system.

Keep in mind that the major scale isn't "a mix of 2 and 3 notes per string"... that's just one way of visualizing and playing it on the fretboard. I've read online that some people don't even use patterns at all.. they just know where all the notes are, and play them however they need to in order to produce the music they are trying to create.

Originally Posted by: Slipin LizardYou can play the major scale and its subsequent modes using 3 note per string patterns where there are three notes for every string. I held off mentioning it, but since this thread is about developing speed, and the three note per string system is often touted as being more efficient and easier to play fast, its probably worth pointing out. I actually like using a blend of both the 2/3 note per string 5 pattern system, and the 3 note per string 7 pattern system.

Haven't heard of the "3 note per string 7 pattern system". I'll have to research that. Thanks for bringing it up!

Originally Posted by: maggiorHaven't heard of the "3 note per string 7 pattern system".

3 notes per string is an efficient way to cover each position of a diatonic scale because there are typically 3 notes per position until you need to get to the next note on the next string up or down.

There are 7 patterns due to diatonic scales having 7 notes. Each note gets a chance to start a pattern. This essentially winds up being positions of various diatonic scales (i.e. modes).

That is essentially the approach I use in these tutorials to work interlocking patterns of 2 strings at a time across the fretboard.

www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=898
www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=899
www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=928
www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=929

That is essentially the approach I use in these tutorials to cover the entire fretboard.

www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=370
www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=770

Fair warning, though! This is advanced material that requires solid scale & fretboard knowledge & playing skills to work though. Have fun!

Yeah, I know this thread has been idle for almost two months now, but now I'm really starting to see some improvements. In the first post in this thread, I stated that I wanted to be able to play stuff like Sweet Child O' Mine, and I've been hard at work on it, when I haven't been busy trying to work on my own songs (or trying to get recording software to cooperate...). And now, I've reached a point where I can almost play the intro flawlessly and can play both interludes perfectly. I'm pretty happy about this kind of progress, actually. It might not be much, but it's better than I've ever been. And it has helped me notice something: The last guitar solo in Bohemian Rhapsody (probably the one song that has changed my life the most, since it's the song that made me pick up the guitar!) doesn't seem that "Over-The-Top, outrageously difficult" anymore. The one before the Opera-part still seems a bit challenging, but on the surface, the Hard Rock-guitar solo at the end seems easier than any of the songs I listen to every day... and maybe even easier than one of my own ones... I'll just have to keep at it like this and I'll reach my goals someday! Not today, not tomorrow. Someday!

Congratulations Kasperow.
Keep up the good work. Hope you keep on progressing.

Kasperow,

Great post above, lots of positive thought and acknowledging the little steps that got you there. Now that you have a good base under you, it will be interesting to see where you're at in 6 months from now.

Originally Posted by: compart1Congratulations Kasperow. Keep up the good work. Hope you keep on progressing.[/QUOTE]
Thanks. I too hope I'll keep moving forward.

[QUOTE=haghj500]Kasperow,

Great post above, lots of positive thought and acknowledging the little steps that got you there. Now that you have a good base under you, it will be interesting to see where you're at in 6 months from now.

Small progress is still progress. And I'll really rather be able to play a selection of songs perfectly than a whole lot of songs half-heartedly. I honestly don't know where I'll be in half a year, but I know where I won't be (unless a miracle occurs). I won't be standing on a stage playing concerts for an arena full of fans (I don't even think I have more than a handful anyway, and they're all friends and extended family...). I probably won't even be standing on a stage and playing at a music festival, since I doubt I can find a band, write a bunch of songs and rehearse them with the band in just 6 months. If I have to guess where I'll be in half a year, and where I'd like to be, I say I'll be able to play a few songs perfectly, possibly have enough songs for what amounts to an album (10-15 or so), and preferably have a band.

I probably won't be a famous rockstar like Slash, Joe Perry or Brian May in just a half year from now, but again, small progress is still progress. And even if it takes me a decade to get to where I want to be, I'll rather just live in the present and enjoy the journey. I know what styles of music I like and which ones I don't like. I have a bunch of idols from different genres who influence my playing. There's still room for more influences (there always is), but they will come with time.

At the moment, I can't see where I am going to be in 6 months. I know where I'd like to be, though, and if I do the right things, I should be able to reach my goals for the next 6 months. Writing enough songs for an album should be possible in 6 months. I have little problems coming up with melodies I like. I have a few random song ideas in a .txt-file on my phone. Learning to play a few of the songs on my list of songs to learn should be easy enough in 6 months now that I know how to do it right. I might even, provided I have enough material by then, be able to find a band to rehearse a full set with. I don't expect to become ready to play a gig, though. Can't say for sure yet, though.

There are, of course, a few things I need to learn before I get there. Switching from Open Chords to Barre Chords is a bit problematic for me right now. Releasing after a bend without muting the string is also something I need to work on. And then there are Arpeggios. I always have trouble with playing those. So I've got a few things to work on to keep me occupied. And should I need any help with this stuff (or advice on how to improve my technique), I'll just ask around and hopefully get a response :)

I just spent some time (as in several hours) watching YouTube videos of some of my favorite guitarists playing live, mostly because I was bored and needed some music so I could study, but I did learn a few things that can hopefully help improve my guitar-playing speed and overall technique.

1: None of the guitarists I watched used any more tension in either hand than needed for either playing the notes cleanly or for really getting the feeling they wanted out of their guitars.

2: None of them seemed to let a bad note bother them.

3: They all just had fun playing, even if they messed up a Riff or a Solo

And what exactly are my mistakes in relation to this?

1: I usually use way too much tension when playing things, instead of carefully finding out where to place my fingers for best performance (not good). Especially with Barre Chords.

2: I tend to stop a solo when I hit a bad note, and try to get that note right before continuing the solo (very bad, I know).

3: If I mess up enough times on any song, I just start to find it boring, even if it's one of my favorites, and at least once has it kept me from actually bothering with learning that song. I've recently started trying again, this time with more success.

At least I now what I have to focus on when I get the chance. And as my teacher (not guitar-teacher. Tech-School-teacher) keeps saying, the first step towards fixing any problem is to find out what the problem is. And I think that applies to pretty much anything. I've found out a lot of the things I'm doing wrong, and indirectly, I've found out how to fix my guitar-playing.