Guitar Speed Exercises: Learn To Play Faster

Whether you already play guitar or are completely new to the instrument, you are not likely to get any better or in particular any faster, without practice. Getting faster is not something you can learn from a book, and your local voodoo priest is not going to sprinkle some magic fast dust on to your fingers. Selling your soul will not do the trick either. It will take practice, and a whole lot of it, to get faster. Making some of all of the following guitar speed exercises the cornerstone of your every day practice schedule would be a great place to start getting faster.

As you begin to develop a practice routine, consider the equipment you use. One central piece of equipment you should own is a metronome. These are devices that help you keep a steady beat and various beats per minute. A metronome should be owned by you, so if you do not own on take the time to get one. They are truly invaluable as you effort to learn the guitar.

You will use the double-click picking style in the first lesson, playing the first four notes on the first string, up and down, then moving on to the next string and so on. Do this all the way down and back up again at a speed you are comfortable with. Next increase the speed on the metronome a little and perform the exercise again. Work until you are going as fast as you can, then finish by slowing the metronome and making one last pass through the strings. Finishing slowly will help you ease the burn in your hand and will promote accuracy as well.

Use triplets for the next exercise. Choose your favorite scale and play it in triplets, repeating the second note of the previous triplet with each set of three notes. Do this up and down the scale, double-picking, slowly at first and then faster. Remember as you finish the exercise to slow the speed.

Another helpful exercise is actually quite simple. Find a note on any string, and then find that same note, either one octave higher or lower. This will not only help with speed, but also with strength and accuracy. An added benefit is that you will learn more about the notes and their locations on the different strings.

Picking speed is important too, so go back to the first exercise and, instead of using the up down technique, strum each string using the down stroke going down. Use the up stroke coming back up. Before long you will see an increased ability to pick faster.

Not every exercise will work for everyone, and of course some of these exercises will work better for some than for others. What is as important as the exercise is a regular practice routine. Even the guitar gods keep their chops up to speed by practicing each and every day, and while you may or may not become the next jukebox hero, to become a better guitar player you will need to practice.

The guitar is not one of the world's most popular instruments because it is difficult. Instead, it is so because it is a fun instrument to play and is fairly simple to learn. You do need a bit of talent, but practicing is just as important if not more so. Keep at it, and with the implementation of these or other guitar speed exercises you'll be playing effortlessly sooner than you think.