Why Playing Fast Guitar Solos Is Easier Than You Think When You Get Rid Of Self-Limiting Beliefs
Playing fast guitar solos is one of the most fun things to
do on guitar for sure.
Whether you are new to playing fast or can already play a few things with speed, it’s easier than you think to get to a higher level with your soloing.
However, it’s hard to play fast guitar solos cleanly and effortlessly when you have one or more false beliefs about what it takes to get better.
Below are the beliefs that make playing fast guitar solos hard, why they are incorrect and why it’s actually easier than you think.
False Belief #1: “Only Amazingly Talented Players Can Play Fast Guitar Solos”
The biggest killer to your ability to play fast guitar solos isn’t your natural talent (or lack thereof). It’s the beliefs you plant in your head.
Fact: No guitar player began playing incredible solos at the beginning, and any great guitarist you can think of was at your level or lower at some point.
So how did they become great players?
It wasn’t by believing they couldn’t improve.
It was from taking consistent action to get better based on the idea that they could and would do it.
False Belief #2: “Speed Will Just Come Eventually Over Time”
This is partially true. Yes, in most cases, you do get better over time at guitar – However, people who believe this get better MUCH slower and often develop poor habits that come from a lack of organized practice and planning.
What’s the solution?
Simple.
Setting clear and tangible goals for your lead guitar skills.
For example:
Instead of saying to yourself, ‘I want to get faster on guitar.”
Try something like this:
“I want to play x guitar lick/scale/technique/etc. 10 times in a row at 185 beats per minute without mistakes, by the first day of next month.”
This makes your goal much more tangible and gives you clear ways to observe your progress and stay motivated as you get better.
False Belief #3: “Playing Slow During Guitar Solos Means Sacrificing Speed”
It’s a common belief that once you’ve developed some speed, you need to constantly play fast while soloing in order to showcase it. At least, many guitarists do this whether they know or not.
Fortunately, playing fast guitar solos doesn’t necessarily mean playing fast all the time.
Fast speed all the time eventually becomes boring.
There needs to be a balance of tension and release in your solos to best use speed for the powerful expressive tool it is.
Takeaway: Use your speed as you like, but keep in mind that you don’t always need to be playing as fast as possible to create excellent music. If you can’t play as fast as you want just yet, focus on improving all areas of your musicianship at once.
False Belief #4: “To Get Fast, You Have To Practice 5+ Hours Every Day”
Bad news: Practicing for many hours every day often becomes overwhelming, causing you to lose motivation to practice guitar.
Good news: It’s easy to make massive progress to play any fast guitar solo exactly how you want without practicing many hours a day.
Why?
Because effective practice is about quality, not quantity.
Practicing smart gets you better results in much less time than you ever thought possible. In fact, practicing just 30 minutes a day easily brings big results…
“Ok, but how? What is a way I can practice to get more results from less practice time?” – you ask.
I’ll tell you.
Using this practice method is the perfect choice for when you don’t have much time to practice. It’s also just an excellent practice approach in general.
Want to learn more ways to become a faster guitar player in
as little time as possible?
The solution is effective and organized practice.
Learn how to organize your practice now for big results using the guitar practice generator.