3 Reasons To Stop Saying “I Can't Get Faster On Guitar”

Everyone feels frustrated by their lack of progress on guitar sometimes.


This applies especially to getting faster on guitar.


You’ve probably found yourself saying “I can’t get faster on guitar than I am right now”.

Good news though:


You’re wrong.


No matter where you are at level-wise, there is a very good chance that you haven’t even come close to fulfilling your greatest potential… which is good!


This means you have a lot of progress ahead of you.


Here are 3 reasons to stop saying “I Can’t Get Faster On Guitar” and start enjoying the ride as you make tons of progress towards killer shred speed:

 

Speed Is Relative – You Don’t Have To Play Everything At 1,000 NPM


It’s common for guitarists to think speed means being able to play everything as fast as possible.


But wait a second…


Is this what you really want?


Truth is, playing guitar with tons of speed sounds impressive when it feels impactful. If you play everything as fast as possible, speed becomes… well, a bit boring.


So, here’s a better way to approach speed:


Focus on using speed as a tool to make things sound more musically expressive.


This means using speed as a way to create tension and intensity, commonly before resolving a fast passage with slower, more melodic notes.


Even if you aren’t able to play every technique like a virtuoso, knowing how to use speed more musically can make just a few notes sound amazing!


This video showcases a little trick that helps break up fast guitar phrases to make them both easier and more musically interesting:

Practicing looking for musical ways to use speed is a great way to not only make things feel easier to play (as you master them), but to help you become a more complete musician. So, once your technique reaches the highest level you want – you will have mastered the ability to use everything you learned in music!

 

Becoming A Faster Guitarist Doesn’t Take As Long As You Think When You Have A Teacher


There are always different areas in which you can increase guitar speed when you are at a stopping point in one area.

Working with a teacher helps you identify effective ways to get faster that you would likely never even think of on your own.

Not only this, but you experience less frustration since you don’t have to guess about what to practice next, doubt whether you are doing something correctly or not know if you are close to reaching your musical goals.


A great guitar teacher helps with all this while also giving you someone to motivate and inspire you from week to week. This motivation is often the critical key that helps you burst through any wall on your way to mastery!

Your Favorite Guitar Players Were All At Your Level At One Point


No matter which guitar player is your favorite, one thing is true:


They all sucked at some point!


Even if you feel like your guitar speed is nowhere close to where you want it to be – you can know that even your favorite player was there too.


They got better, and so can you!


Guitar speed is not a natural talent given to some and not to others. We all have to work hard to become faster and cleaner players.

Still not sure what you need to work on to get faster on guitar? Find out now using this guitar speed cheat sheet, then work with your teacher to improve each point.