How To Play Guitar Fast And Easy Using A Simple Step-By-Step Method That Makes Speed Come Effortlessly

Playing guitar fast is easy when you keep your picking and fretting hands in perfect sync. Most guitarists never learn how to do this and struggle to play fast for many years… don’t end up like them! Follow the steps below to make fast guitar playing feel effortless by locking both hands in sync like gears in a watch:

 

Step One: Set Up Your Fretting Hand For Consistent & Perfect Timing

 

 

 

 

Play Guitar Fast With Consistent Timing

 

 

 

Train yourself to only fret a note at the exact moment you pick the string. Do not leave notes fretted when you are not playing them. This applies to anything, including: scales, arpeggios or any guitar lick that repeats on the same string.

 

Apply This Into Your Guitar Playing Right Now Using The Following Exercise

 

  1. Choose any guitar lick you want to play faster and cleaner.
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  3. Break the lick down into short 3-note sections. Playing less notes helps you focus more closely on the movements in your fretting hand.
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  5. Play through each 3-note section while only fretting at the exact moment you pick the string. Do this for 2 minutes per section.
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  7. Integrate two 3-note sections together. Play through them continuously for 2 minutes while focusing on fretting at the exact moment you pick the string. 
  8. Play through the entire lick for 2 minutes while only fretting notes when you play them.
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Using this exercise consistently helps you play guitar faster and cleaner by keeping your hands in sync. It also becomes easier to identify and fix the mistakes you are making by practicing in short 3-note bursts. This makes practicing guitar feel fun rather than frustrating.

 

Step Two: Lock Both Hands Together Using Efficient Picking Technique

 

 

 

Efficient Guitar Picking Technique

 

 

Don’t make the common mistake of always using alternate picking. While switching strings, use an efficient guitar picking technique that moves in the direction of the string you’re moving to.

 

Apply This Into Your Guitar Playing Right Now Using The Following Exercise:

 

Use this approach to play with efficient guitar picking technique:

 

  • Whenever you move to a string that is higher (thinner) use a downstroke.
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  • Whenever you move to a string that is lower (thicker) use an upstroke.
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  • Use alternate picking while playing guitar licks that stay on a single string.
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Playing with efficient guitar picking technique trains you to feel when your hands are perfectly in sync. Keeping your hands in perfect sync makes playing guitar fast very easy.

 

Play slowly through this scale 5-10 times to feel what it’s like to play in perfect sync between both hands (keep in mind the concept from step one as well):

Note: While playing the third note, continue the downstroke to play the first note of the next string (like the motion of strumming a chord). Do not break this into two separate motions. Do this every time you transfer from one string to another.

 

Now feel how inefficient it is to play the same scale using only alternate picking:

Notice how using strict alternate picking sometimes forces you to move the pick in the opposite direction of the string you are moving to. This wastes motion and makes fast guitar playing a struggle.

 

Step Three: Make Fast Guitar Playing Easy Using Non-Stop Picking Momentum

 

Always maintain consistent momentum while moving from one string to the next. This is how you make it easy to play guitar fast.

 

Apply This Into Your Guitar Playing Right Now Using The Following Exercise:

 

Breaking up the momentum of your pick attack while moving to the next string makes fast guitar playing a struggle. Playing this short sweep picking lick with different picking approaches helps you understand how important momentum is for playing fast:

 

Play this lick using strict alternate picking as indicated:

Now, play it using sweep picking:

Using strict alternate picking feels MUCH more difficult, because it breaks up the momentum of the pattern. This same concept applies every time you change strings (regardless of the type of guitar lick you are playing).

 

See a video demonstration of how the step-by-step method above that makes fast guitar playing easy:

 

 

Apply the three steps in this article into your guitar playing by practicing them with any lick for just 10 minutes per day. It gets easier and easier the more you practice. Playing fast on guitar becomes much more effortless after only a few practice sessions.

 

Here’s What To Do Now To Take Your Guitar Speed To The Next Level

 

  1. Determine the specific guitar speed goals you want to reach. For example: Play X guitar lick at Y beats per minute 5 times in a row without mistakes in 3 weeks.
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  3. Learn how to play guitar faster in less time by practicing more efficiently.
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  5. Take lessons with an experienced guitar teacher who has helped others achieve your musical goals.