How do i develope speed

[soulkat9]

Playing fast is cool, but I like playing slow the most.

[mammez]

a good thing to practice is slowly increasing speed over a year. it may sound like a huge undertaking, but what your really practicing is developing ideas at a faster rate, and being able to think of lines at speed. so really if you start slow, quavers at 180 or 200, then stay with that, then increase, you get use to creating lines and being forced to create them. then when i comes to application, you just pic and choose the ideas that come out, dependant upon how you feel, and hold off others and breathe.......
Long story short, get used to thinking faster.

[trtjazz]

Originally Posted by soulkat9

Playing fast is cool, but I like playing slow the most.

I think playing slowly and right is allot harder. Less flash, longer notes that have to be just right where in shredding type play the note(s) go by so fast it's pretty hard to detect the errors as well.

[skei]

I'll never be a fast player, I haven't got it in me. But I'll be sure to get to the point where I'm a GOOD player, that I have in reach. Also, I'd rather be good than fast, if forced to pick one or the other. But practicing slowly, paying attention to every note, brings some sort of clarity to my otherwize dizzy mind. It pays off, and even if I have this synch problem due to the bang in the head way back, by being persistent it gets better, so I think being at it all the time and never to quit is good...
Peace
Skei (the all the time one)

[ES350]

Actually, I played with Pinetop Perkins for awhile and we would do Ellington/Basie/Parker heads against the band and he would laugh his head off...depends on the kind of blues; you can't do that with the SRV types.

[franco6719]

Mind you, it's a little bit easier to sustain one note and get a lot of emotion out of it if you have about 50 special effect pedals, solidbody guitar, etc..

It's a bit like the way that Kenny G. appeals to VAST NUMBERS of people with one simple blues lick played over and over again, while Coltrane appeals only to jazz musicians, for the most part. Sorry, it has to be said. Let's not get carried away with this "one-note" beauty stuff. Boring!!

[derek]

Originally Posted by franco6719

Mind you, it's a little bit easier to sustain one note and get a lot of emotion out of it if you have about 50 special effect pedals, solidbody guitar, etc..

It's a bit like the way that Kenny G. appeals to VAST NUMBERS of people with one simple blues lick played over and over again, while Coltrane appeals only to jazz musicians, for the most part. Sorry, it has to be said. Let's not get carried away with this "one-note" beauty stuff. Boring!!

Really? Tell that to Miles Davis. He was the king of the one note. Same with BB King. King can't grab his ass with both hands when it comes to theory, chord or speed. However, he can kill you with that voice and that one or two notes.

I guess it all comes down to taste. What do you want to hear (rhetorically speaking)?

[franco6719]

Originally Posted by derek

Really? Tell that to Miles Davis. He was the king of the one note. Same with BB King. King can't grab his ass with both hands when it comes to theory, chord or speed. However, he can kill you with that voice and that one or two notes.

I guess it all comes down to taste. What do you want to hear (rhetorically speaking)?

Sure, I love them both. But I also like to listen to the blind Art Tatum fly from one end of the piano to another piano on Jupiter with just his right hand while playing like three more pianists with his left, or Oscar Peterson swing his tail off with massive lines that never end until my head has fallen to the floor at uptempo speed, or Pat Metheny playing "too many notes" (according to many people on Youtube) on "All the Things You are". I can enjoy one or the other. Different styles is what life is all about. I just wanted to put in for the other side of things a bit.

[franco6719]

As far as developing speed, I think you want to try to avoid the obsession with developing speed for the sake of speed. It reminds of an anecdote that Tommy Tedesco told at an appearance at Berklee one time. He said he had a student who could play the C Major scale faster than anybody he ever saw. But that's all he could do!! He would just play the C major scale as fast as he could and he thought that was "great playing" or something.

You have to develop dexterity of both hands, knowledge of the fretboard, accuracy, tone and other things as part of technique. All i can recommend is hard work, persistence and graduality (like anything else basically). There are some good books all over the place nowadays for technique. Pratice arpeggiois, lines, scales, patterns. Violin and other classical stuff is very helpful, as people have pointed out on this site (usually requires some reading ability though).

I don't like speed for the sake of speed. There is such a thing as musicality and emotionality at fast tempos (listen to Paco de Lucia, for example): brio and sensuality. If it gets robotic, Guitar Hero stuff or Yngwie Malmteen types, than I just fall asleep.

[ES350]

Speed is just a tool that you use to say what you wanna say---if that's all you have to say or if it's well-placed quarter notes on a ballad, what the hey? It's a big world...but either approach can be stultifying with the wrong intentions.

[gravitas]

Playing with a metronome is not the vehicle to speed. In fact, most virtuoso pickers seem to report that their technical developments all happened relatively quickly- in a matter of months even- wherein they went from struggling with technique to truly mastering it. Personally, I suspect that these periods of clarity stem from a very detailed analysis of the way they use their plectrum. Without trying to seem haughty, I believe that this idea is true because I also underwent a complete chops transformation. I went from struggling with simple sixteenth note passages one month to flying over up bop tunes the next.

Play very, very slowly and examine your technique- are there any ways you see at this slow tempo that would contribute to more efficient technique? Are there specific aspects of your right hand technique that cause you trouble? How could you remedy those problems? Would solving them balance your overall playing ability?

If you're still finding difficulty with your technique, check out Cracking the Code. It's a documentary dedicated to the guitar plectrum, and the cast list is out of this world: Frank Gambale, Steve Morse, Mike Stern, Tommy Emmanuel, Rusty Cooley, Jimmy Bruno. Even if you're happy with your technique, it's interesting to see these musicians talk about their approaches to the instrument.

[gravitas]

I thought this passage was particularly interesting, and supports the experience I had:

Cracking the Code: The Secrets of Virtuoso Picking Technique

[franco6719]

No shortcuts in my experience and, more importantly, people I have spoken or studied with who have the outstanding technique. Hard work. Period.

[franco6719]

Another thing is that you can develop the right hand and leave the left hand neglected (this actually happened to me) or viceversa. Focus on the LEFT HAND and you will be able to play legato, staccato, etc..

[Alchemist]

There are plenty of books that have great advice. There are also tons of free sources for exercises, but I would suggest picking up a copy of Guitar Speed Trainer - speed isn't so much of an issue for me, but I use the program still to practice with or to work on difficult licks that I have come up with. Its a great training resource though for people who want to tackle speed.

[BillyC]

Just have a guitar in your hand all the time, whenever possible.

[Jazzyteach65]

Originally Posted by derek

I know I am not who you were refering to, but the Rolling Stone top 100 is a popularity contest. Rock guys can be really good at their thing, but it is a fairly small box compared to a competent jazz guy. Me, I am trying to be both.

Amen. I will back this sentiment till I die. Relying on Rolling Stone for "top 100" guitarists is like going to Walmart to buy the most superb wine I want, or like reading People magazine for the top 100 atheletes.

Take for example Jimmy Page-I'm sure he's voted like 1 or 2, biut he was sloppy as hell, repeated his licks and rhyhtms too much, and primarily played in open keys.

[larry graves]

Isn't there anywhere we can hide from that nasty stuff [rock], I thought this forum was a safe-haven, obviously not; surely there must be a forum
catering for it? Chops, who needs those kind of chops to play a sophisticated music like jazz, we dont need mind-stunting speed to cover up a feeble infrastructure. Before the death threats, let me say this, it is just my opinion, based [albeit] on 56 years of playing most styles of guitar music.

[Jazzyteach65]

also remember, SPEED DOES NOT MAKE THE PLAYER!

Speed is just another tool to help you articulate ideas, but personally, when somebody is phrasing fast, it's like someone speaking too fast. I would rather hear an eloquent slow speaker make sense than one who is trying too hard to impress others with big words fast.

I personally don't care for speed b/c I am naturally not fast, and I am also recovering from a rotator tear. I will probably never be a speed whiz, but you know what? It doesn't bother me one bit!

Now, don't confuse quickness (being able to adjust to the musical situations, key and temp changes ect quickly, playing at fast tempos) with speed (firing on all cylinders)

[Reg]

What I notice is that players who have problems with speed usually have bad or weak areas in their technique, both hands. Take a few lessons with a teacher who can back up what he preaches about the burnin dept... It's not a yes or no thing or it might hurt my ability to play in the pocket or groove... it's required to play in most pockets. Being technically proficient on your instrument is one of many standard requirements of being a musician. It's not rocket science... put together a program with goals and check points and the last time I checked it doesn't happen by thinking about it...put in the time. I'm sure you have more than the required talent to get your chops up... Get after it...Reg

[gravitas]

Why don't we all go and ask Chris Potter how important chops are.


...Oh yeah, really important.

Originally Posted by Reg

What I notice is that players who have problems with speed usually have bad or weak areas in their technique, both hands. Take a few lessons with a teacher who can back up what he preaches about the burnin dept... It's not a yes or no thing or it might hurt my ability to play in the pocket or groove... it's required to play in most pockets. Being technically proficient on your instrument is one of many standard requirements of being a musician. It's not rocket science... put together a program with goals and check points and the last time I checked it doesn't happen by thinking about it...put in the time. I'm sure you have more than the required talent to get your chops up... Get after it...Reg

Agreed.

[TommyD]

Originally Posted by soulkat9

Playing fast is cool, but I like playing slow the most.

""Without a song, the day would never end
Without a song, the road would never have been"

That's "Without a song, the road would never bend"

Best, tommy/

[C.A.JO.]

Originally Posted by franco6719

No shortcuts in my experience and, more importantly, people I have spoken or studied with who have the outstanding technique. Hard work. Period.

I couldn't agree more. Being able to play fast, clean, and smooth comes from practicing the right way, putting in the necessary time, and having patience and persistence.

I also agree on your above written statement about the "one note-beauty-thing" being boring. Really, how many would like to hear one note for 12 bars? Is that even musical? Some swear that this is true emotion, real feeling, etc. I find it very hard to look at this way. Often looking at blues players I notice uneven vibrato, and intermediate craft. It can be musical, but I prefer listening to people who have a well developed craft, smooth and even tone, AND being musical. But as mentioned above it's about personal taste. So if someone likes it, fine by me. I just don't find a one-note solo musical or emotional.

Developing speed:
Find a thing in which you want to increase speed. Establish an initial max tempo/bpm at which you can play the thing clean. Find a goal tempo, the end goal.

Go back to 30% of the initial max tempo, and practice at this tempo for a week: Don't try to play it faster!!! When playing this slow, you should analyze what's wrong.

Ask yourself these questions:
- Is my neck, face, and forehead relaxed?
- Is my left shoulder relaxed?
- Is my right shoulder relaxed?
- Are my left hand fingers close to the fretboard?
- Am I using excessive tension in the left hand?
- Is my right hand picking movements efficient?
- Are my upstrokes and downstrokes even?
- Is my back tense or relaxed?

Lack of speed often correlates to excessive tension, and lack of synchronization between the hands. Remember excessive tension doesn't mean no tension! Fret a note , lift your left arm, and there will be some degree of tension! The point is to not use more than what's needed!

Spend a week at 30% of your max tempo, and use the time to analyze your technique. Once you've located flaws, correct them. In week 2 you go to 50% max speed, and continue to analyze. In week 3 you go 75% for 3-4 days, then 85% for 3-4 days. In week 4 you go to 95% max tempo. After 4 weeks, do a new speed test. If you've continued to analyze and correct week after week at these slow tempi, your speed will be faster than the initial speed-test. After this 4th week, you start a rotating cycle every week:

Day 1. 60% max, then 100% for a couple of minutes.
Day 2. 80& max, and then 100% for a couple of minutes at the end.
Day 3. 95% max, and the 100%... get the point!
Days 4-6 is the same as days 1-3.
Day 7. New speed test, adjust, and continue the cycle week after week 'till you reach your desired speed.

This process (or something similar) is created/published by the virtuoso guitarist Tom Hess. He's not into jazz, but look at his technique, and you get the point. He knows what he's talking about. You can find the exact process he recommends at his website. I've used it/something similar with great success.

[TommyD]

One thing that slows down players is lifting fingers too high (true on most instruments), and the cure is sloooow playing, while controlling finger lifts. If they still lift too high, play slower. And guess what? You have to continue the practice until it's unconscious, otherwise it won't get into your subconscious brain where it will be automatic.
Miles said it; "Learn it then forget it!"
Tommy/

[markerhodes]

"Cracking the Code" looks interesting.

[nick11link]

To add my two cents, you should also focus on finding the most efficient way to finger the phrases you want to play. The less you have to move your left hand, the better (in my opinion)

[BillyC]

Watch Andreas Oberg. YouTube - Fast Guitar Solo (2005) Andreas Oberg

Very short, fast, but relaxed right hand movement.

[Bailz]

i find that playing cells/digital patterns is very useful for speed. The problem is getting away from a fast scale sound and getting into a more musical sound like the be-bop heads. thats a good point about playing bop heads. Ive heard a few great players say that they learnt loads of bop heads. i think getting a lot of bop heads under you belt is great for so many reasons.

[markerhodes]

I agree that learning bop heads helps one's playing (plus they're a thrill to play well and fast once you get them down!).

[Andregu]

Originally Posted by guitarplayer007

Are there any books i should get to really develope my speed for soloing and chord playing. I feel i'm lacking in the speed department. My speed is'nt awful but not what it should be for jazz.
thanks
Ken

Hi Ken

Attached are 1 file[treble/tab] containing 3 scales to practise .[Have also diagrams but they would not attach]---

Common a minor pentatonic 2 notes per string 1/8th notes
A diminished scale 3 notes per string quaver triplets
A chromatic scale 4 notes per string 1/16ths

Once familiar with fingering and picking directions use a metronome to gradually increase speed start slow eg 60 bpm speed up eg 10 bpm daily with jazz improvisation you may need to get the 1/8th`s up to 350 bpm eg the faster Charlie Parker tempo`s.Short bursts of triplets and semiquavers could be dispersed betwwen the quavers-tricks like hammer on`s ,pulloff`s,sweeps for arpeggios etc

Once mastered and sick of these scales just substitue others ,transpose to other keys etc Ones with stretches will be more difficult.The trick is to arrange usually the same number of notes per string to achieve fast runs etc.Trying playing one after the other without stopping to practise at shifting between 1/8ths, triplet 1/8ths and 16ths

If you give me some feedback I`ll send more of these type of files.

Andregu