Learn How To Play Fast Guitar Solos Effortlessly Using These 5 Principles Of Shred

It’s very challenging to play fast guitar solos with ease when you practice like most guitarists do.


It’s a fact that most guitar players struggle while playing fast, even when they get the notes right.


Why?


They do subtle and not-so-subtle things that make playing guitar fast much more difficult than it needs to be.


To start shredding on guitar with ease (like the pros), focus on following the five principles of shred below.


This helps you finally play guitar solos like you always wanted and in less time than you would’ve done so before.

 

Principle#1: Optimize Your Energy


Wasted energy in your body turns into unnecessary movement, which turns into sloppy guitar playing at fast speeds.


Minimize the energy you use to play notes and you make more room in your technique for efficient technique that allows you to play guitar fast with little effort.


One of the biggest culprits for wasted energy on guitar is: using too much pressure to fret notes. This video shows you how to get rid of unneeded pressure to make fast guitar playing easier:

Principle#2: Aim For Always Getting It Right, Not Getting It Right Just Once


Most guitar players practice to get something right once or twice before they move on. You want to play killer shred guitar solos with ease?

Good. Start practicing to “never get it wrong”.


What does this mean?


It means practicing for incredible consistency in your guitar skills.


For instance, when a guitarist in a band learns his guitar solo, he doesn’t just learn a few notes at home. He learns how to play it perfectly no just alone in his room, but for playing live in front of others.


THIS is what truly sets apart good guitarists from great guitarists.


Here are some ways to practice to “never get it wrong:”


·         Practice something until you are able to play it 10 times (or more) in a row without mistakes

·         Practice performing a given lick while walking around or playing it for others

·         Add challenges to your practice by playing without looking at your hands, while talking to someone or any other challenge you can think of

 

Principle#3: Make Performance A Goal


As alluded to in the previous principle, playing live is an incredible test for your guitar skills.

This includes, performing.


In other words, expressing yourself not just through the notes you play but the way you carry yourself on stage.


Learn how to shred while doing this and you’ll have truly world-class playing skills.

Principle#4: Look At The Fine Details


Guitar players who don’t become great often do not/do not know how to find the subtle mistakes that hold back their playing.

For example:


Many guitar players start off by learning how to play riffs or guitar solos. However, most of them settle for “almost” playing these things correctly, or subconsciously avoid the harder parts of a lick while playing the easier ones.


Become an analytical guitar player to find your mistakes, correct them and improve faster than anyone else.


How?


Here are some tips to help you do it:


Find and correct mistakes in both hands by separating them while practicing as shown in this video:

·         Analyze techniques used during solos and learn how to play things perfectly in terms of rhythm, technique application and of course, actual pitch (don’t allow yourself to “almost” play things right)

·         Look for tension in your body to let you know when there is something to look for, then work to minimize overall tension while playing after determining the mistake and fixing it

Practice things in smaller chunks to make them easier to process rather than taking on everything at once

Principle#5: Work With A Teacher


Taking lessons with a guitar teacher has the power to massively improve your skills in very little time – no matter where you are in your guitar playing.


What are the benefits to working with a teacher (that you don’t get by learning alone)?


I’ll tell you:


·         You learn how to correct bad habits and mistakes in your playing that you’d never notice on your own

·         You learn new perspectives on guitar technique and music that come from working with an experienced musician

·         You find out how to take the most efficient path towards reaching your musical goals

·         You gain motivation to practice and improve in times when you struggle


Now that you understand how to start playing fast guitar solos more easily using the principles in this article, learn how to write your own creative solos.


Check out this resource about how to write great guitar solos.