Exercise R Us

Question:

Check it out! Working with a metronome helped me alot! (and Al Dimeola, and Ingwie, and EVH, and…  Seems kinda’ boring but you can get fantastic results quickly, usually within two weeks. Try playing as slow as you can at first without messing up the time. Seems like a bass-ackwards way to increase speed, but it works.  Start with the metronome on 60.  After about 10 or 15 minutes, crank it up to 80, then 100, then 120… etc. Try not to tense up, and try not to "anchor" your pick hand on the bridge or pick guard.  Like the other dude said, "stay loose".   J.F. Cole Dallas TX – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > … What is the best to pick up speed?

Response:

You can’t play it fast if you can’t play it slow!!! LJ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Check it out! > Working with a metronome helped me alot! (and Al Dimeola, and Ingwie, > and EVH, and…  Seems kinda’ boring but you can get fantastic > results quickly, usually within two weeks. > Try playing as slow as you can at first without messing up the time. > Seems like a bass-ackwards way to increase speed, but it works.  Start > with the metronome on 60.  After about 10 or 15 minutes, crank it up to > 80, then 100, then 120… etc. > Try not to tense up, and try not to "anchor" your pick hand on the > bridge or pick guard.  Like the other dude said, "stay loose".   > J.F. Cole > Dallas TX > … What is the best to pick up speed?

Response:

>You can’t play it fast if you can’t play it slow!!!

Nicely put….. As everyone mentioned, it all comes with practice…. no-one is a speed demon from the start.. You gotta walk before you can run… just give it time..it will come C’ya Steve http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/1524 ICQ 3839381 Running Intel Free

Response:

> >You can’t play it fast if you can’t play it slow!!! > Nicely put…..

<snip> I think we’re all in agreement that "Walk before you run" is good ol’ common sense.  However, the concept I was trying to introduce is slightly different. Just as there is an upper limit to how fast you can play, there is also a lower limit on how slow you can play. Some tempos are so slow it is hard to stay in time.  E.g., It is very difficult to accurately count quarter notes at a tempo of 20 bpm.  (You will find you need to subdivide, probably to 16ths or 32nds) The idea that playing fast is a matter of developing finger dexterity is only half true.  That’s a big part of it, but there’s a certain "subconscious time awareness" that is obvious at very slow tempos but not so apparant at faster tempos.  E.g., Playing quarter notes at 120 is likely a no-brainer for most us. We each have an individual range of tempos that we can play in, from our slowest speed to our fastest.  This range varies with an individual’s innate potential as well as the amount of training they’ve had.  Obviously, some people can play faster than others.  Conversely, some people can play SLOWER than others. The jist of my initial post was that if you focus on extending the lower end of your tempo range, i.e., play EXCRUTIATINGLY SLOW, the upper end of your tempo range will increase as well. It’s kind of like preparing for a sprint by running a marathon.  It’s a strange phenomenon, but as far as increasing speed on guitar (or any other instrument) it really works. Even for more experienced players, give it two weeks for 30 minutes a day and you’ll see what I mean.  The results can be dramatic.  Other benefits to this approach are that you reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome and it improves your overall level of musicianship. Peace, J. Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

Good points. Playing fast is limited by how fast you can move accurately, playing ssllooww is just as, if not more challenging and calls upon your ability to count meter accurately. Big difference. In my experience guitarists generally have horrible sense of meter, me included. Use of metronome or even drum machine highly recommended. SS – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> >You can’t play it fast if you can’t play it slow!!! > Nicely put….. > <snip> > I think we’re all in agreement that "Walk before you run" is good ol’ > common sense.  However, the concept I was trying to introduce is > slightly different. > Just as there is an upper limit to how fast you can play, there is also > a lower limit on how slow you can play. > Some tempos are so slow it is hard to stay in time.  E.g., It is very > difficult to accurately count quarter notes at a tempo of 20 bpm.  (You > will find you need to subdivide, probably to 16ths or 32nds) > The idea that playing fast is a matter of developing finger dexterity > is only half true.  That’s a big part of it, but there’s a certain > "subconscious time awareness" that is obvious at very slow tempos but > not so apparant at faster tempos.  E.g., Playing quarter notes at 120 > is likely a no-brainer for most us. > We each have an individual range of tempos that we can play in, from > our slowest speed to our fastest.  This range varies with an > individual’s innate potential as well as the amount of training they’ve > had.  Obviously, some people can play faster than others.  Conversely, > some people can play SLOWER than others. > The jist of my initial post was that if you focus on extending the > lower end of your tempo range, i.e., play EXCRUTIATINGLY SLOW, the > upper end of your tempo range will increase as well. > It’s kind of like preparing for a sprint by running a marathon.  It’s a > strange phenomenon, but as far as increasing speed on guitar (or any > other instrument) it really works. > Even for more experienced players, give it two weeks for 30 minutes a > day and you’ll see what I mean.  The results can be dramatic.  Other > benefits to this approach are that you reduce the risk of carpal tunnel > syndrome and it improves your overall level of musicianship. > Peace, > J. > Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

Ohm. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I would like to suggest that starting slow and gradually increasing speed with > a metronome over weeks/months is how you train your nervous system to NOT > respond naturally. The natural response to playing fast is to tense various > muscles, defeating the purpose. Start slow enough to play the line loose and > tension free. increase speed a notch and work on releasing the natural tendency > to tense muscles while playing that line. Over months, you’ll be playing at > great speeds, but your right hand will feel like its doing practically nothing. > This is akin to Zen Buddist teachings.

Response:

I would like to suggest that starting slow and gradually increasing speed with a metronome over weeks/months is how you train your nervous system to NOT respond naturally. The natural response to playing fast is to tense various muscles, defeating the purpose. Start slow enough to play the line loose and tension free. increase speed a notch and work on releasing the natural tendency to tense muscles while playing that line. Over months, you’ll be playing at great speeds, but your right hand will feel like its doing practically nothing. This is akin to Zen Buddist teachings.

Response: