Guitar Lesson: Speed Picking and Synchronizing Your Hands

By: Todd A

So how do you get faster with your picking? How do you get both
your hands synchronized when you play guitar?

A few simple exercises are all it takes. That and the proper
guitar practice methods.

In this article I'm going to demystify the whole process.
Learning to play the guitar fast or to Shred is not rocket
science...just follow some simple steps. And you will be well on
your way to becoming a Guitar God...heheh

Notes: BPM stands for Beats Per Minute. Always practice in 16th
notes.

Step 1 Buy a Metronome if you don't already have one! You
can use one of the free online ones, but if you are serious
about your guitar playing, invest the money into a metronome.

Step 2 Set aside at least 30 minutes a day 6 days a week
to do your drills. Getting fast is no different than anything
else...IT TAKES PRACTICE AND DISCIPLINE!

Step 3 SLOW DOWN! This is probably the most important
step! Find a picking speed with your metronome that you can
COMFORTABLY PLAY with NO mistakes. You need to learn to
play your guitar correctly before you worry about going fast.

I know from personal experience that I like to play guitar fast,
and push my limit and ability until I get so sloppy it sounds
like hell.

Here's why this is such a bad idea...If you practice fast and
wrong, you will play fast and WRONG. That's it. So SLOW
DOWN and PRACTICE GUITAR with 100% accuracy. The speed your
looking for will come on it's own!

Step 4 Once you have a comfortable practice speed do your
drills (several listed at the end of the article) for at least 5
minutes NONSTOP. Take a few minutes break then fire up your
metronome and start another 5 minute drill session. Continue
doing this until you have finished your 30 minute speed drill
session.

(Tip: Use a Timer: you want to limit your drills to ONE part
of your practice, not the whole thing)

Step 5 Keep a detailed record of your guitar drills
progress! This is important so you can track your improvements.
What do you record? 1) Date and Time of Guitar Practice Sessions
2) Metronome Speed Setting and your Target Goal for the 6 day
period. Be realistic...if your starting at 50bpm don't expect
to play your guitar at 240bpm in 6 days. 3) I find it
helpful to keep notes on muscle tension and mood, as I had
developed poor guitar playing habits over the years. When I
review my notes I can tell what days my playing will be On or
Off based on my mood, plus Unlearn the bad habits ;o)

Step 6 Practice consistently 6 days a week and try to
push your speed up by 2 to 5 bpm each week.

Remember that when you move your speed up you MUST keep
playing your guitar cleanly. I.E.: NO MISTAKES.

If your making mistakes, your going to fast! See Step 3 again.

Thats all there is to it, keep at it and be consistant and you
WILL see improvement.

Keep Practicing that Guitar!

2 Simple Exercises to Get you Started.

-----------------------------------------1-2-3-4-

---------------------------------1-2-3-4---------

-------------------------1-2-3-4-----------------

-----------------1-2-3-4-------------------------

---------1-2-3-4---------------------------------

-1-2-3-4-----------------------------------------

Continue up the fretboard to the 12th fret then back down

Repeat for 5 Minutes

---------------------

-o------------------o

--------------7---------

----7-9-10---10-9-7--

-o------------------o

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You can make up your own from scales/arpegios, etc

About the author:
Todd is a computer technician in the Moncton area who
specializes in system cleanups, he launched a new site dedicated
to Internet Marketing.
Todd has been playing guitar for over 20 years,and offers free
tutorials and lessons at Learn to
play guitar.