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Question: Am I trying to speed up my guitar speed too soon!?
I started learning the pentatonic scale 10 days ago and to start with I played it slowly for a couple of days, then i practiced it quickly but not as fast as possible, then after about a week i tried playing it faster and yesterday i was trying to play it as fast as possible, I've been stuffing it up heaps now, I practice 5-10hrs most days!. should I expect to play it so fast after a week or does it take months, am i better off playing slowly now and speeding up later!? I timed how fast I'm trying to play now and its all the way up the scale and back down, repeating the 6th note and the 12th, in about 4 seconds, I can't get it perfectly clear and continuous sound but I can get through it without missing any notes like once for every 5 times i try!. i was doing it this speed a few days ago and getting it right every time, but i slowed down for a while to get it perfect then ive sped back up, am i trying to learn it too fast!? im not naturally good at playing, i have to practice lots to get stuff rightWww@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
what good is it if you can play the pentatonic scales FAST and they sound like sh*t!.!.!. WORK ON PLAYING CLEAR, CLEAN NOTES FIRST!.!.!. then work up to the speed!. If you keep doing what you are doing hour after hour, you will get the speed!.!. but slow back down for now until you can play the notes cleanly!.!. then the speed will come!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
I agree with tron, just keep it at a good pace & sooner or later the speed will just come with practice, but mix it up don't just go up and down, do different variations & work with the scale it will better your playing ability!. Speed is not the most important thing, good timing and pace are what make the scale work!. work on speeding up your picking & then your fingers will catch up in time!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Agreed with Tron: Shredding is a style too, but accuracy is the most important component to musical composition!. You note only the pentatonic scale, try major, diminished, natural harmonic and minors!. The more you practice the more you learn there is alot to learn!. Have fun and good luck!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
The best way to develop speed is to start slow, and gradually (!) increase your speed!.
The best way I've seen to measure this is to practice to a metronome!. Not only does this help you develop your sense of timing, but it gives you a benchmark to go by!. Start at 100 bpm, for instance, and make sure you can play your scale patterns *perfectly*!. Gradually increase by 5 or 10 bpm, and don't go any faster until you can play it *perfectly* at that tempo!.
This is the best advice I have ever heard, and seems to be repeated by the most knowledgeable musicians (and guitarists) I have ever heard!.
SaulWww@QuestionHome@Com
its not that neccessary unless you have a time machine!. today's guitarist don't have to shred like the demons!.!.!.so think about your solo leads to sound kickass, but not so 80's!.!.!.
again!.!.if you are trying to sound like hair metal pioneers, then yeah you gotta torture yourself until your fingers bleed! LOL
otherwise, its wiser to get the entire pentatonic scales down pack'd in all 5 boxes of the chord progressions!.!.!. using different prgression formulas to achieve that!.!.!.uh, coming from different points of the scale modes and all that jive
uh, maybe mastering sick bends, haunting harmonics, Van Halen taps, vibrato, slides, sweep picking, double bends, double picking madness, pulloffs, hammer-ons, and even radical teeth picking ala Jimi Hendrix!.!. haha!!.!.!. those are enough to sound good on stage
just kiddin about the teeth action, man
you don't want to look desperate :)Www@QuestionHome@Com