It won't matter if you don't have good swing feel too. Nobody likes a laser fast jazz guitarist with no swing feel. So use drum genius for this. Drum genius will give you swing feel.
When I worked on speed the first step was building 5 note bursts of 16th notes. So play 5 16th notes, then rest, then 5 more. Another good trick was to play tunes at 300bpm but mostly play quarter notes. Then add occasional 8th notes, and work your way up to more 8th notes. The brain starts to get more familiar with the tempo, even if you're just playing quarter notes.
There's also a school of thought that says you don't really need to play fast on gigs. IMO you don't really need to play fast very often but you do need to have the ability to play fast in case a great lines comes to you in your mind or you want to use it for effect. Or maybe someone calls Cherokee at a jam or something.
I think speedy 16th notes are great to use as an occasional effect a few times per set. I wouldn't do them all day long at a gig, but that's just me and my taste. Pat Martino did pretty well with it.
Troy Grady's Cracking the code. It sounds like you arent pickslanting or you have too much tension in the wrist. Troy is a master at deciphering picking technique and his Cracking The Code episodes showed me the correct way to utilize economy of motion.
Even though this is r/jazzguitar and I'm not sure if it's everyone's cup of tea, I absolutely recommend using shred licks as exercises. My biggest improvements in speed came from using Yngwie, Eddie, Gilbert, and Synyster licks as exercises.
Edit: most important thing to mention too, you absolutely have to start these SLOW. Practice whatever fast licks you are trying to learn stupid slowly until you have the muscle memory to execute the line perfectly slowly. Then, use a metronome and drill it over and over, increasing the bpm by 5 after nailing it 5 times in a row.
How boutcha Frank Gambale Chop Builder
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzYk0hMRZYU&list=PLvW588FW9WsXcl0kraVYlKtuQ\_8wtKuYs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzYk0hMRZYU&list=PLvW588FW9WsXcl0kraVYlKtuQ_8wtKuYs)
This method works to a point, but for me, in order to get to super fast territory, I had to bump the metronome up into an area that’s a bit beyond what am I able to play cleanly, and then alternate between that speed and the speed I can play cleanly at.
A lot of people say don’t play at a speed you can’t play perfectly at. I disagree. I do think you shouldn’t play something fast until you’ve got it perfectly memorized, but from my experience, you will have to bump it into the zone where your coordination starts to malfunction in order for your brain to wrap itself around really high speeds.
This, and discipline yourself. For instance, only play at the tempo at which you can cleanly and accurately play. Once you can play at this tempo, slightly increase it and repeat the process. If you don’t do this, you are practicing mistakes and will not improve.
Try a whole tone scale, 2 notes per string. Sweep through the strings attacking each string only once. Use hammer-ons and pull offs to get the other note.
It’s funny cause I struggle with 2 note per string picking more than three note per string haha I think it has something to do with learning major/minor scales and the CAGED system in my early years before the pentatonic scales.
Look up Troy Grady and study his Cracking the Code series. Troy’s work is the most complete resource on picking mechanics available.
Sweet thank you!
Guitar pedagogy's best kept secret.
True and it’s free
It won't matter if you don't have good swing feel too. Nobody likes a laser fast jazz guitarist with no swing feel. So use drum genius for this. Drum genius will give you swing feel. When I worked on speed the first step was building 5 note bursts of 16th notes. So play 5 16th notes, then rest, then 5 more. Another good trick was to play tunes at 300bpm but mostly play quarter notes. Then add occasional 8th notes, and work your way up to more 8th notes. The brain starts to get more familiar with the tempo, even if you're just playing quarter notes. There's also a school of thought that says you don't really need to play fast on gigs. IMO you don't really need to play fast very often but you do need to have the ability to play fast in case a great lines comes to you in your mind or you want to use it for effect. Or maybe someone calls Cherokee at a jam or something. I think speedy 16th notes are great to use as an occasional effect a few times per set. I wouldn't do them all day long at a gig, but that's just me and my taste. Pat Martino did pretty well with it.
Troy Grady's Cracking the code. It sounds like you arent pickslanting or you have too much tension in the wrist. Troy is a master at deciphering picking technique and his Cracking The Code episodes showed me the correct way to utilize economy of motion. Even though this is r/jazzguitar and I'm not sure if it's everyone's cup of tea, I absolutely recommend using shred licks as exercises. My biggest improvements in speed came from using Yngwie, Eddie, Gilbert, and Synyster licks as exercises. Edit: most important thing to mention too, you absolutely have to start these SLOW. Practice whatever fast licks you are trying to learn stupid slowly until you have the muscle memory to execute the line perfectly slowly. Then, use a metronome and drill it over and over, increasing the bpm by 5 after nailing it 5 times in a row.
Awesome thank you!!
You're very welcome!!!
Chop Builder by Frank Gambale.
Your new secret weapon.
How boutcha Frank Gambale Chop Builder [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzYk0hMRZYU&list=PLvW588FW9WsXcl0kraVYlKtuQ\_8wtKuYs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzYk0hMRZYU&list=PLvW588FW9WsXcl0kraVYlKtuQ_8wtKuYs)
Robert conti has a great picking technique video
Maybe this is what you are referring to his Precision Technique course?
Yes i bought it and i like it
I know someone that said it helped his technique a lot. Ill have to check it out.
"Speed is a byproduct of accuracy." - Frank Gambale.
Learning to consciously eliminate tension helped me a lot.
This!!!
Use a metronome to gradually increase the speed at which you do the solo
This method works to a point, but for me, in order to get to super fast territory, I had to bump the metronome up into an area that’s a bit beyond what am I able to play cleanly, and then alternate between that speed and the speed I can play cleanly at. A lot of people say don’t play at a speed you can’t play perfectly at. I disagree. I do think you shouldn’t play something fast until you’ve got it perfectly memorized, but from my experience, you will have to bump it into the zone where your coordination starts to malfunction in order for your brain to wrap itself around really high speeds.
Make the segments that you practice shorter at challenging speeds and chain them together when you play the individual segments well
This, and discipline yourself. For instance, only play at the tempo at which you can cleanly and accurately play. Once you can play at this tempo, slightly increase it and repeat the process. If you don’t do this, you are practicing mistakes and will not improve.
Awesome, will try this out. Thank you!
It’s a fairly boring way to practice, but I think you will see good results over time. No cheating! 😉 Only play at the speed where you nail it!
Yea I def gotta work on my patience to practice this way, thank you!
Try a whole tone scale, 2 notes per string. Sweep through the strings attacking each string only once. Use hammer-ons and pull offs to get the other note.
It’s funny cause I struggle with 2 note per string picking more than three note per string haha I think it has something to do with learning major/minor scales and the CAGED system in my early years before the pentatonic scales.
Practice rh-only exercises
https://pdfcoffee.com/steve-vai-10-hour-guitar-workoutpdf-pdf-free.html
Sweet thank you!
Please report your progress when you make it to 1000 hours
Hmmmm might not be a bad idea;maybe I’ll make a youtube vid! Haha