Speed and accuracy

[jwilliams]

I'm desperate for some exercises to help me in my finger speed and accuracy. I've heard and read about those ones that basically tell you to do scales over and over again, or do triads up the neck, etc, but they have failed. My main problem is that my fingers seem to be too tense when I try to play quickly..anyone know a solution or practice regiment to cure me of my ailment?

Also, some exercises to help with skipping strings..my improvisations seem to be too linear and get stale fairly quickly..

[Aresius]

I'm desperate for some exercises to help me in my finger speed and accuracy. I've heard and read about those ones that basically tell you to do scales over and over again, or do triads up the neck, etc, but they have failed. My main problem is that my fingers seem to be too tense when I try to play quickly..anyone know a solution or practice regiment to cure me of my ailment?

Also, some exercises to help with skipping strings..my improvisations seem to be too linear and get stale fairly quickly..

It doesn't matter what exercises you practice if you don't practice them correctly. Technical exercises must have a reason, otherwise they don't work, in other words, they won't help you in any way. It seems to me that your problem is not the particular exercise but more the way you practice them.

The three things that you should concentrate on are the things that make great technique. They are 1. Being relaxed 2. Sound and 3. Economy of motion. And any of those shouldn't suffer because of the other. The starting point to all playing is to be relaxed. I suggest that the next time you pick up your guitar, start by making your body completely relaxed and then, when you're relaxed, start playing something simple while maintaining the relaxed feeling. Do not concentrate on anything else but the relaxation at this point. Once you get to know how it feels to play while relaxed, start to listen to your playing while you practice your exercises. Really concentrate on the tone. Are fingers playing together? Is your pick attack consistent both ways? Is there unwanted noise? etc. Once you start to ask yourself questions like these, your playing starts to improve much better 'cause you concentrate on the things on your playing that have a musical point. Don't worry about how fast you can play or things like that, it will come with time if you only have the patience to practice correctly in slow tempos. Think about it, if you practice something in slow tempo with ****ty tone, every possible muscle locked with tension (really, people do tense up muscles they do not need when they play, or do they play guitar with their facial muscles?) do you think that those things will magicaly go away when try to play it faster. Fast and slow playing should not feel any different. It's just playing. In fast tempo, everything just goes by in less time. It's still music, no matter how fast it is.

Whew, that was a long post. Ask if anything seemed a bit unclear. Also, when I'm at it, I recommend that you pick up these two books:

Gallwey, Timothy: Inner Game Of Tennis
Neuhaus, Heinrich: Art of the Piano

I recommend them because most people have more problems between their ears than in their hands. Those books should give you something to really think about. They have shaped my ways of thinking during this last year and a half.

[fingerpikingood]

it's not the scales themselves, nor the arpeggios that will supply you wit speed and accuracy.

imo you should checkout some other threads referring to speed.

but basically i recommend practicing those in 16ths, starting so slo it's easy and ramping it up slowly until you can[t play perfect 16ths cleanly. then slow down a little and keep repeating that.

if you don't feel a burn in your forearm muscles you are doing it incorrectly.

you won't improve until you heal from having worked out the right muscles.

the good thing about scales and arpeggios is that these are useful things you can play too.

if you need to use a metronome then use one.

for me when coming to instruments i like to practice with muscles flexed, i liked tgo press hard and all that, while practicing.

once your muscles are good, and your technique is good, and the motion you are asking your fingers to do is no longer holding you back, you will find you can play real relaxed, real effortlessly and real comfortably.

if you had never walked before, it wouldn't make sense for someone to give you the advice to just walk casually or effortlessly, or anything like that.

however, once you would have done it a bunch of times, it would become second nature, totally simple, without noticing the effort even, automatic. i find learning an instrument is the same way. the effortless comes over time.

that's why it looks so easy when someone else does it.

they have done it so many times and pushed themselves so hard, that now that is, in the realm of easy for them.

[Crossroads]

See what advice myself and others gave here http://www.ibreathemusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14494&highlight=legato (http://www.ibreathemusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14494&highlight=legato)

The only other thing I'd add is - for specific exercises (apart from the Gilbert DVD), get the inexpensive book Speed Mechanics by Troy Stetina, and pay special attention to the first 40 or so exercises there ... they are designed to build the strength and control necessary for you your left hand (ie your fretting fingers), particularly for the pinkie which tends to be much slower & weaker when trying to build alt. picking speed.

If you like the idea of relaxing or doing specific muscle exercises, then by all means try that. But my advice is that which I gave in the earlier link (plus - practice every day from that first section of Speed Mechanics, as well as from the Gilbert DVD!).

If you want to play like Paul Gilbert (or whoever), then you need to practice that stuff a LOT ... eg several hours a day for several years.

Ian.