Originally Posted by: janyatonwu

Thanks! I noticed great improvement after putting everything you said into practice, especially the part about playing slower. My impatience to get through the fundamentals course and be a great guitarist already tends to make me practice things at a fast tempo, but slowing down and really processing where and how my fingers should land is better in the long run. Like they say: learn slow, forget slow.


Thanks! I've actually improved quite a bit since I made this post. Patience is definitely key. I'm still far from perfect, but I'm getting there. I would practice more but my fingers hurt at the moment. My callouses are still maturing.

Good luck in your training! You'll get there too!

Awesome...I'm glad those tips helped. Yep, to go faster you have to go slower, it's counter intuitive :). You'll find this principle applies with everything you learn in guitar. Once you get to scales and playing solos and melodies, you'll revisit this.

It's all about economy of motion. Watch any proficient player and you don't seem them flailing about even when playing at blistering speeds.

Developing callouses is yet another reason to be patient with yourself. You don't want to overdo it and cause yourself physical injury.


One last thing to mention about slowing things down...don't forget to occasionally try things at full tempo. You want to get the efficiency of motion down practicing slowed down, but at the same time you need to feel what it's like to go full tempo. When you start to feel you are making progress at a lower tempo, give a run through at full tempo at the end of your practice session. Each time you do that you should see some improvement.

Think of it this way, if you are a sprinter, your practice routine can't be all distance running....you need to actually run some sprints.

Keep up the great work!