5 Ways You Can Play Guitar Faster Right Now
I’m going to be completely honest with you. I got the idea for this post in the middle of a show, while I was playing. I think it’s generally assumed that while you’re playing you’re TOTALLY concentrating, in the zone, etc. While this is the case, I’ve found that I do the best when I’m concentrating, but relaxed. My mind wanders a little bit, but that’s OK. I’m still concentrating. OK I’ve derailed…
I got the idea for this post during our performance of a song called Otherside from our new record. I was playing my “desert island” guitar, the PRS Hollowbody. While I’ve got my Hollowbody set up to do a lot of things, it’s not exactly set up as a lightning fast solo/lead sort of guitar. I play this guitar on Otherside because there’s an acoustic section in the middle. There also happens to be a big guitar solo. And Mac also happens to introduce the band on this song. It is so difficult to play “lead” stuff on Otherside that I find myself laughing every night as I’m playing it.
I promise I’m going somewhere with this…
During the song, I got thinking. If setting a guitar up a certain way can “slow you down”, it only stands to reason that setting your guitar up a certain way can speed up your playing. Instantly.
While I am the furthest thing from an advocate of “look at me, I’m playing FAST” kind of playing, many people judge their progress by how fast they can play. Maybe you’re doing better than you think.
So what follows is a list of “5 Ways You Can Play Guitar Faster Right Now”:
- Use thinner strings: this is the reason why I can’t play as fast as I want on Otherside. That guitar has 12′a on it! If you’re using thicker gauge strings, you might be getting great tone, but it could be at the expense of speed. Experiment with thinner strings and you could be pleasantly surprised.
- Use a thicker pick: You might be using a thinner pick to ease your strumming ability. But there’s a reason both bluegrass and metal guitarists tend to use heavier picks: they make attacking the strings less work, thereby making your picking more efficient. More efficient picking can lead to faster playing.
- Lower the action: Are you picking up on a trend here? It’s all about efficiency. Lower action makes it easier for your fretting hand to move. Easier movement leads to more efficient movement. You guessed it. That can lead to faster playing.
- Try more legato: You’ve been working so hard on your alternate picking. I applaud you for that. But in most cases, you can play faster legato. Give it a whirl. The average listener doesn’t know the difference, and this could open up some new tonal possibilities for you. You could play faster and break out of a rut all at the same time.
- Fake it: When all else fails, fake it. I’ll never forget the time I was struggling trying to play a certain solo EXACTLY right. My guitar teacher offered me these timeless words of encouragement: “Fake it, dude!” Of course there’s no replacement for years of practice, but sometimes it’s just fun to hold on for dear life. Act like you’re a fast player, and you just might find out you are one…
If you enjoyed this post you might like these:
- Guitar for the Absolute Beginner #2: How I hold a guitar pick
- Guitar for the Absolute Beginner: How to play guitar in 30 days
- Guitar for the Absolute Beginner, # 1: Make a practice plan to ensure your success
- Can you learn to play guitar by playing Guitar Hero?
- Guitar for the Absolute Beginner #3: Every Anglican Does Get Baptized Eventually, and other tricks to memorize string names
