How can I increase my speed??

[AngryHatter]

Originally Posted by Jason

I use a regular sized pick, medium to hard, but I choke up on it and just leave the very tip exposed. Same principle. I prefer mediums because I like the little bit of "snap" after they flex just that tiny bit. I can pick fast as hell, but coordinating that with the other hand is another story!

The plectrum itself is a matter of personal taste.
I use the Gibson, McLaughlin cuts his own out of plastic sheets.
To me, thickness plays a large part in it, so no matter how it's labeled I like them about 80mm thick with a tapered edge.

[Quill]

Originally Posted by Wizzle

... You can also try not to hit the string with too much pick, that'll slow you down. Something that really speeded my right hand up was tilting the pick forward slightly and hitting the string with the pick at an angle to it instead of holding it parallel and hitting the string with the flat of the pick.

Originally Posted by River

Yes. Hold the pick at a slight angle, and alternate between down and up in a circular motion. There's a name for the technique, though it's not coming to mind right now. Much more fluidity of motion.

Circle picking! #62 from the "99 ways" thread (I love that thread) - if you want to see it done, look on Youtube for anything by Mr. Buchanan, or Danny Gatton:

“Use circle picking to play faster. It’s an old jazz technique. Start by playing with your pick at an angle. Hit the string with one edge of the pick, and you’ll find that you’re in position to come back on the upstroke with the opposite edge. Then, alternate pick with a rotating motion in either a clockwise or counterclockwise circle. The pick, while not changing its angle in relation to the string, is circling that area of the string. It’s not done with the wrist, but with the fingers holding the pick. When first learning, start with a large circle, just to get the feeling. After a while, you should be able to get two or three notes going so fast that it’s like a quiver. The reason it’s faster is because your picking motion is not interrupted for a change in direction. The circle also gives the notes a flowing quality.”—Roy Buchanan

... what the hell: here's one of my favorite Gatton videos, Live at Gallagher's:

You Tube

You Tube

At 3:22, for exactly one second, he circle-picks a quick little descending run - then, at 4:52, he circle-picks a series of single lines (and everywhere else, he does everything else!) It always amazes me how he somehow kept the pick totally out of the way of the rest of his hand, and can come in for chording so smoothly you almost don't catch it sometimes. The tone you can get with circle-picking is really nice; I have always loved Mclaughlin's playing and go back to his music again and again, but I prefer the sound of circle-picking to the sound of the more whip-like movement, coming almost from the elbow, that McLaughlin would use for the really over-the-top stuff.

I remember a great quote from John Abercrombie - who is very light with his right hand - that went something like this: "I love the way McLaughlin plays, but I for one like to go to a movie once in a while ..."

And to the OP: Jeff, it's hard to comment directly to you without knowing where you are at, exactly. Looking at the exercise you posted, I remember having trouble with exercises like that, which combine open strings with fretted notes. In the little bit of teaching I used to do, it seemed to me that whenever a student moved into working on material that involves fretting and picking each note, the coordination issues became simpler - and the speed started to come. Then, after a while, they could go back to open-string material and it was easier for them. That was my experience, too. Best of luck!

[AngryHatter]

There is SO little left hand work compared to the picking in this piece.
If you've never seen it, bet your jaw drops.
Chords as triplets...

YouTube - Roy Clark Live in Branson

YouTube - Roy Clark Live in Branson

You'll recognize the piece at 1:34.
Check out the thumb slapping at 4:27 - oh yeah - on a twelve string, no less.

[Jaypee319]

+ Over 9000 for just going over scales and using a metronome.

along with the scales, I put to use a drill to shore up both my right and left hands. It's just a fairly simple chromatic scale drill utilizing all fingers, alternate picking of course.. where to start on the fretboard is irrelevant to me in this one, just start wherever- be it on the first string or the sixth string, and the order should go like (with the left fingers 4= pinky, 3= ring, 2= highway finger, 1= index):


4-3-2-1, and descend from the first string down all the way to the sixth. then shift a fret up or down and repeat. you can do it the other way (1-2-3-4) as well.

just remember, when doing this- make sure you are hitting each and every note clearly. Speed is nice, but it sounds really N00b-ish if done in a sloppy fashion.



Hope that was of some help.

[Jaypee319]

Originally Posted by River

I couldn't pick fast with a heavy pick to save my life.

strange, I'm like on the opposite end of the spectrum. (I can't stand lighter gauges when it comes to shredding it up. light gauge to me is below 1mm, btw)

[MorganPeline]

They look like gimmicks but I think the book 'The Principles of Correct Guitar Practice' and also the 'Stylus Pick' can actually help alot....always worth a try!

PRACTICE GUITAR - Download

Jamey Andreas

The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar [Primary text for The Principles System] - $29.95 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

Stylus Pick is the most effective speed-picking method ever developed.

[L60N]

Originally Posted by fatb0t

Warm up your fingers when you first pick up your guitar by practicing three note per string major scale shapes. Make sure you practice both alternate picking & legato techniques. Always use a metronome and monitor how many bpm you gain weekly.

Here's the fingering, though the description of the modes is slightly mis leading.

Thanks for posting the chart!

The only scales I know off by heart are the 5 positions of the major & minor penatonic and the minor blues scale. Also the natural scale (in one position lol)

Could you tell me how they link up the fretboard? Im at work right now so I cant have a crack at sussing it, just trying to visualize it

[MorganPeline]

This book seems to be good for linking up notes etc:

Amazon.com: Guitar Fretboard Workbook (9780634049019): Barrett Tagliarino: Books

Amazon.com: Guitar Fretboard Workbook (9780634049019): Barrett Tagliarino: Books

[jerryo]

Originally Posted by River

I couldn't pick fast with a heavy pick to save my life.

+1

I tried a 1.5 mm and it was like trying to walk with my shoelaces tied together.

Went back to my good ole .88 and it does the job.

Where did the 'thick pick ' myth come from anyway i ask myself

[Paragon]

I'm still learning.. far from being good.

About Justin Sandercoe

Just found this one.. Free Guitar Lesson - TE-003 ? Scale Picking

[River]

Originally Posted by jerryo

+1

I tried a 1.5 mm and it was like trying to walk with my shoelaces tied together.

Went back to my good ole .88 and it does the job.

Where did the 'thick pick ' myth come from anyway i ask myself

I use a Jim Dunlop USA Nylon .60, and light top/heavy bottom (9-46) strings. I think the "heavy is better" stuff comes from Metal, with a lot of drop tunings.

Some of my guitar heroes use light strings and heavy picks, some use heavy picks and light strings. What that tells me is "use what works for you".

[itchybro]

WIsh I'd seen this 20 years ago.

YouTube - Steve Morse Clinic

YouTube - Steve Morse Clinic

[GNR4EVR]

Originally Posted by dennistruckdriver

[littlebigfis]

Play fast in three note chunks out of a scale, then four, then five, then six, then 7. start at different points, descend and ascend. Play to a metronome, stretch it but keep it reasonable clean and under control. Then get backing tracks, slow them down with the amazing slowdowner to the highest speed that you can play sixteenth notes comfortably with the rhythm. Then start to improvise slightly, 3 note, 4 note, 5 note .... chunks. play notes at different speeds during these improvisations, whole notes, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16 (let it flow). Incorporate bending and vibrato and slides. Before long you will go from sounding canned to sounding bearable. Being bearable is a reasonable goal, lol!

[itchybro]

All good tips but as Fripp said: "Speed is a by product of accuracy."

[itchybro]

What I want to know is what road leads THIS way?

YouTube - guthrie govan - hendrix style

YouTube - guthrie govan - hendrix style

[Vadis]

My goal when I picked up my guitar again after a hiatus was to work through this book:

Shredders swear this thing is the "Shred Bible" and I can see why.
I've already seen some nice improvements after just a month but bare in mind I having had to relearn a lot techniques I had picked up wrong over the 6+ years of playing prior. And I screw around with other things (Guitar Pro or just noodling) when I pick up my guitar. I would recommend checking it out at least

[lpshredder13]

I like to use a really light pick, but theyre too flimsy for speed so i turn it completely side ways at a 90 degree angle. It doesn't sound quite as clean but it lets the pick go over the string with almost no resistance.

[lowe]

I always looked drills and stuff to speed up, but i think its all about experience. itll come

[saivenkat]

Thanks for the advice... I will keep up with the practice..

[Phil47uk]

If you just want to practise for speed, start of with your index finger on say the 5th fret of the first string. Pick down, then your next finger on the 6th fret..pick up, then your next finger on the 7th..pick down then your little finger on the 8th fret..pick up and return the same way you went up but in reverse. In other words a chromatic run. When you can synchronize both picking and fretting hand, slowly build up speed.
Now do the same thing but each time you go up moving to the next string, so you cover all six strings..Then go up and down the run on all six strings.
When you can do that move up diagonally. In other words the first run goes 5678 on the first string 6789 on the second and so on. Then up and down diagonally. 1st...5678765 2nd.. 6789876 3rd...78910987 etc etc..
The secret is in synchronizing the picking hand with the fretting hand, using alternate down/up/down picking.

[SiriusAbbott]

I have taught this chromatic finger exercise for years,I also always stress picking,both technique,and articulation(generally suggesting a less flexible pick).
the basic theory here is to use the following pattern on each string ascending chromatically=
index,pinky,ring,pinky,
index,pinky,middle,pinky....etc.
then descend,hitting every note you just played once sequentially
as seen here....

YouTube - finger exercise a

YouTube - finger exercise a

[BlackCat]

Justin has a good video on keeping your fingers low.

I don't have time to find it for you, but it's on his website, and it's a good lesson.