5 Tips For Developing Speed In Your Guitar Playing

In this lesson, you’ll learn 5 tips for developing speed in your guitar playing. When it comes to playing guitar with speed, there are certain techniques to master. Here are 5 tips that can help you to develop speed in your guitar playing.

Fretboard Exercises

The first thing to do is enhance the development of your fretboard hand. This is done with finger exercises. These will allow you to use your pinky and increase your finger independence.

Fretboard Exercise #1

In this exercise, you use all four fingers. Start on the 1st string 5th fret and proceed to the 8th fret. Do this on all 6 strings.

Exercise #2

Here you do the same thing, but you change the pattern. This will help build independence within your fingers.

This exercise is a bit different. You start with an open string and proceed forward through the first 3 frets on each string.

These exercises will help you to develop your fretboard hand as well as the dexterity in your fingers. In time this will help you control the speed at which your fingers will be playing.

Use A Metronome

To play fast you must master timing. The best way to master this is by using a metronome. This allows you to play to the click and speed up the click to increase your speed. If you use this daily, you will increase your speed when playing the guitar.

Alternate Picking

When it comes to picking the guitar strings, you start with downpicking. Once you have that down, you advance to picking down and up. This is called alternate picking. This is how you increase your speed when picking individual notes.

Anchor Your Fingers

To build speed in your picking hand, you need to have stability in your hand. This can be accomplished by anchoring your ring and pinky fingers to the guitar body. Keep the picking hand from moving around when picking the strings quickly.

This is necessary for playing fast. If the hand moves too much it doesn’t allow for accuracy. When you pick the guitar strings with speed you need to have control of your picking hand to create a fluid motion in your guitar playing. This technique comes from the style of classical guitar.

Tremolo Picking

Once you get alternate picking down, you can then work at mastering the art of tremolo picking. This is what is needed for those shred types of guitar solos. If you can’t master this type of guitar playing, you will not be able to play fast.

Playing fast requires certain skill sets that must be mastered to play that way. If you don’t put in the time daily, it won’t happen. The muscles in your hands, wrists, and fingers need to be developed. And this only comes through time.

Additional Training

If you’d like to learn more about how to increase your speed along with other things that can help your guitar playing, I recommend you check out the book I authored. Lead Guitar Wizardry Vol 2.

Lead Guitar Wizardry is jam-packed with simple diagrams and clear explanations. This training manual lets you practice at a pace that’s right for you. You’ll learn the secret formulas and techniques that provide the foundation of rock guitar as if you were taking private lessons.

With this basic course, you’ll go from where you are right now, to where you’d like to be. All is a simple step-by-step method that anyone can easily learn from. Even if you have no previous musical training. Just follow the steps and you’ll be progressing in no time at all.

Beginner Guitar Lessons

In addition to my method books, I also offer private guitar lessons. I offer beginner guitar lessons, intermediate guitar lessons, as well as advanced guitar lessons. No matter where you are on your journey, my lessons can help.

So if this is of interest to you, contact me at your earliest convenience, and I will be happy to help you. Study this lesson and see how these concepts and techniques will help you to increase your guitar playing.

Best of luck.

Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins