The 3 Keys To Playing Guitar Fast And Easy Without Making Sloppy Mistakes

Playing guitar fast feels amazing, but quickly becomes frustrating when sloppy mistakes ruin your playing. Good news is, playing guitar fast and crystal-clear becomes easier than ever when you know the skills to work on to eliminate sloppy mistakes.

 

This requires understanding the main keys to playing guitar fast that enable you to play at the impressive speeds you want to play at.

 

Work on these 3 keys to guitar speed and start playing guitar faster and cleaner than ever before:

Key #1. Train Yourself To Make Fast Guitar Playing Feel Easy By Using The Most Efficient Movement Possible

 

One of the biggest causes of sloppy mistakes while playing guitar fast is inefficient movement. Using unnecessary picking hand or fretting hand movement is like traveling in a crooked line from one point to another (instead of a straight line).

 

Here’s an extreme example:

 

Imagine trying to play a 6-string sweep picking arpeggio using triplet 16th notes (6 notes per beat) at 150 beats per minute… using alternate picking. This would obviously be a struggle compared to using sweep picking, which makes the arpeggio much easier.

 

Here are some less-obvious examples of inefficient movement and how to fix them so fast guitar playing becomes easier than ever:

 


  1. Using Strict Alternate Picking To Play Scales
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Many guitarists mistakenly use alternate picking to play everything (wasting movement in the process). This makes playing guitar fast and clean feel harder than it needs to.

 

Compare the picking approach used in the two parts of this tab:

This first one uses alternate picking and contains a total of 6 picking motions.

 

The second one uses more efficient picking motion by sweeping the last note of the first string to transition to the first note of the next string.

 

This sweeping picking motion saves movement because:

 

  • You don’t need to move the pick below the string to perform an upstroke (as in the example of the left)
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  • You use less overall picking motions: 5 total (counting the sweep as one motion)
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By saving yourself this extra movement, your picking technique becomes incredibly efficient when you expand this idea to play much longer licks. Saving movement like this makes playing guitar fast feel much more easy and effortless than the alternative.


  1. Using Inefficient Fingerings
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It’s common for guitarists to use inefficient note fingerings because it feels easier than getting used to a new way of playing. For example: avoiding using the pinky and playing with the ring finger in its place during certain patterns.

 

Always check your note fingerings to make sure they use the least amount of movement possible in the context of the lick you’re playing. This simple adjustment often has drastic effects for making something difficult feel much easier to play.


  1. Always Wrapping The Thumb Around The Top Of The Neck
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Having the thumb wrapped around the neck helps while playing vibrato or bending strings… However, it makes it very difficult to play other things like scales, arpeggios or wide note patterns. In these cases, keep your thumb around the middle of the back of the guitar neck.

Key #2. Make Your Fast Guitar Playing Perfectly Clean With Excellent Muting Technique

 

Most guitarists play sloppy when they play fast without even realizing it. This is because they do not use muting technique that prevents any unwanted string noise from occurring.

 

Here are the keys to playing guitar fast while eliminating string noise:

 

Fretting hand – Lay the side of your index finger lightly on any strings above (in pitch) the one you are currently playing on.

 

Picking hand – Use the side of your thumb to mute any strings below the one you are playing on (as described in this article about guitar muting technique). Use any available fingers to lightly dampen higher strings for extra protection against unwanted noise.

 

Use this exercise to train your ear to listen for and eliminate sloppy string noises:

 

  1. Choose any guitar lick you want to clean up.
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  3. Record yourself playing the lick 10 times. As you play through it, pay close attention to any noise that is occurring and focus on identifying where it is coming from (improper fretting or picking hand muting).
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  5. Listen back to your recording to get exact feedback on the mistakes you need to correct.
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  7. Make any necessary adjustments to mute correctly and prevent string noise from ringing out.
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  9. Play through the lick again and repeat the process until no unwanted string noise is being made.
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Repeating this simple exercise with different licks for just a few minutes each day quickly cleans up your guitar playing. Do this for just 1 week and watch as frustrating mistakes disappear.

 

Note: Make sure to practice this at fast speeds (not just slow speeds). This helps eliminate any muting problems that occur in different playing situations.

Key #3. Play With Power And Speed By Picking Notes With Intention

 

Picture your favorite rock/metal guitar players… Do you imagine them playing the notes in their riffs or solos with a very weak pick attack? No! You probably picture them playing with passion and intensity to create tons of expression in every note.

 

Picking notes with power isn’t just a cool mental image or something guitarists do to look cool performing on stage… it makes your playing sound much better and clearer.

 

This video shows you how to pick with power to make fast guitar playing sound badass:

As you heard in the video, picking with power adds tons of intensity into your playing. It also helps you clean up fast guitar playing by making any mistakes loud and obvious. Don’t worry, this is a good thing!

 

Using a strong pick attack helps you discover weaknesses in your playing so you know what to practice to get better.

 

Many guitarists use a weaker pick attack because they have trained themselves to “ease up” during difficult notes in a lick (because they don’t want others to hear their mistakes)… Training yourself to always pick with power helps you push through this barrier and finally correct your mistakes rather than hide from them!

 

Want to learn more ways to play guitar faster and cleaner than ever? Take this free guitar speed mini course and become a badass shredder within the next 2 weeks.