Learn How To Play The Guitar Fast In Less Time Using Quick & Simple Fixes

One of the biggest misconceptions is that learning how to play guitar fast takes a very, very long time.


Mastering the guitar certainly takes a long time – But being able to play guitar fast doesn’t have to take long.


There are several key actions to take that make playing guitar fast much easier and help you gain speed in less time – no matter what you are practicing.


Ready to learn what they are?


Great!


Let’s get started:

Make Sure You’re Using Correct Thumb Position


Bad thumb position is huge when it comes to playing guitar with speed.


Many guitarists wrap their thumb around the top of the neck. This prevents you from playing fast because:


1.   You can’t stretch play notes wider than 3-4 frets

2.   You can’t move quickly on the fretboard without wasting tons of energy


This video demonstrates why bad thumb position is a problem for speed:

Solution: Keep your thumb close to the middle or lower area behind the neck.


This makes it easy to stretch for notes and move effortlessly across the fretboard. Making this easier leads to less mistakes.

 

Always Fret Notes With Your Fingertips


Fretting notes on the soft padding of your fingers is a problem for several reasons:


1. It muffles the notes you play.


2. It brings your finger into contact with the string longer, wasting energy and motion in the process.


Playing on your fingertips makes your guitar playing more efficient, clear and crisp so you move quickly from one note to the next.


Note: Of course, there are exceptions for when you should use the side of your finger or padding to play notes, such as while using sweep picking rolling technique. But these are the exception, not the rule.

 

Make Movement In Both Hands As Efficient As Possible


For your picking hand, this means:


Use picking technique that doesn’t waste motion and maintains momentum to keep you from slowing down – as shown in this video:

Use thumb muting to both effectively mute strings and maintain a picking motion that uses minimal motion, as shown here:

For your fretting hand, efficiency means:


Using only as much energy as needed to play notes by:


·         Only fretting a note when you need to play it

·         Only using the minimal amount of pressure while fretting to get notes to sound

·         Using fretting positions and patterns that lead you down an efficient path from one note to the next


For example: The circled green fingerings here are more efficient (in terms of minimal movement) than the red ones, which are crossed out:

Make Things Easier By Breaking Down Bigger Patterns Into Smaller Ones


This concept is so simple and powerful – yet frequently overlooked.


Breaking down bigger guitar licks or patterns into smaller ones enables you to identify mistakes easier, play at faster speeds and practice with less frustration (since you don’t constantly start over to play an entire lick at once).


For example:


·         Practice guitar scales or arpeggios by focusing on only perfecting 3 notes at a time before adding more.

·         Practice guitar licks in short 3-4 note sections, then combine everything together once each section is mastered

·         Break down songs into smaller sections just like with guitar licks


This simple approach makes practicing guitar infinitely easier, less frustrating and more fun.


Now that you understand some quick and easy fixes to improve your overall guitar playing and speed, it’s time to double your speed.


Learn how to double your current guitar speed while practicing less by downloading this free shred guitar eBook.