Poll: How Fast Are You?

**grahambop** · 10-20-2019, 12:59 PM

I make that about 300 bpm (in eighth notes) so about 150 for 16th notes.

I never practise playing fast, I never like what comes out! It’s hard enough to play something good and melodic as it is.

For 16ths I probably cannot get above 120-130 bpm.

**DB's Jazz Guitar Blog** · 10-20-2019, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by grahambop

I never practise playing fast, I never like what comes out! It’s hard enough to play something good and melodic as it is.

I don't practise playing fast either. It sometimes works as a tool for creating excitement though. It has its place in the bebop tradition so it should not be ignored or played down. All my favourite guitarists can play pretty fast if needs be, some of them ridiculously so (Lagrene, Oberg, van Ruller, van Iterson, Martino, Farlow,, Doug Raney, Bruce Forman etc.) It's just a tool that comes with the trade for most name players. There are exceptions of course.

DB

**grahambop** · 10-20-2019, 01:28 PM

Agreed, I should probably try and improve my speed a bit. I think there’s a video where Pasquale Grasso says you can do this just by going a little faster each day, even if it takes a long time.

**Roberoo** · 10-20-2019, 08:32 PM

I can see how one needs some speed to express what you want but really you don't need to be fast be a great jazz guitarist. Django, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell. Jimmy Raney had facility but their greatest stuff was not about blinding speed (despite what gypsy jazzers play like now) it was about making deliberate musical statements that were lyrical and compelling. It wasn't a circus act like you see with some speed demons.

I had a great teacher that continually said if you can't play a compelling solo (over 8 bars) with quarter notes and 8ths you are playing bullshit and go back to the drawing board. In my opinion this holds true in most situations - not all - but most.

**rpjazzguitar** · 12-29-2019, 06:00 PM

I can play a practiced scale pretty fast, but I can't improvise very fast. If I'm trying to double time I get a few notes into it and I can't continue to generate ideas at that speed. If I try, it doesn't sound good. I play with another guitarist occasionally who can just rip at high speed. I ought to ask him what he practiced to be able to do that.

Or, I may think of a line or idea, but then I don't have the right hand for it. The bottleneck is always in the right hand.

OTOH, I rarely encounter a written out line that I can't get up to speed. I've rarely seen anything I couldn't play in a big band chart. I think there's some stuff in Steps Ahead charts that is difficult.

And, if you play well crafted line in a high tempo tune, it doesn't have to be 32nd notes to work.

The players I listen to repeatedly tend not to be speed demons. Jim Hall is my ATF. Wes, another fave, doesn't strike me as a speed demon (until you try to play his stuff). OTOH, I'm a fan of Chico Pinheiro who has, among every thing you need for guitar, monster level chops.