# Fingers just not there yet??!



## Polofiesta (Jul 6, 2009)

So i have been playing guitar for two years and my fingers are still ii believe not up to part with how long i have been playing. I am willing to sit and play just practice things to help my fingers? How would I get my fingers quicker?


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

What is the problem? Do they get tired or sore, or do you feel that you don't have enough speed and/or accuracy?

No matter what the problem, a good instructor could help. Also, it could be your instrument - have you had it checked by a good tech?


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## Polofiesta (Jul 6, 2009)

I feel like my fingers do not have enough speed and accuracy. It is not my guitar . Would you reccomend any exercises or good tutorials online that would improve my technique ? Thanks alot!


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## fudb (Dec 8, 2010)

Well, I've been playing over 20 years, and am told by many that I'm a pretty smokin player... 

And I feel the same as you.

Bottom line - get a good (wooden) metronome and get to work.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

fudb said:


> Bottom line - get a good (wooden) metronome and get to work.


Yup. No substitute for working with a metronome when you want to build speed and accuracy. (Doesn't _have_ to be wooden, but it needs to be one with a click that you can stand listening to for extended periods of time.)


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Online Metroneome.

Practice every day. I play in a group that meets weekly and some people don't practice through the week ( no time). That's no excuse if you want to improve and they don't.


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## fudb (Dec 8, 2010)

bw66 said:


> needs to be one with a click that you can stand listening to for extended periods of time


AKA wood. LOL 

Actually, some of the Boss Dr Rythym machines have a "shaker" sound that's bearable... but once I got a nice Wittner, there was no looking back.


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## jeremy_green (Nov 10, 2010)

Why do you feel this way?
What are you trying to accomplish that makes you feel this way?
How many songs do you know all the way through?
Do you skip the solos?
When you play them do you do them note for note? Or just fake it?
How many hours do you practice? Saying 2 years tells us nothing. If you play 1 hr a week for 2 years that is 104 hours... an hour a day for the same time is 700+ hours.
Have you ever spent time working on technique specifically?


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

fudb said:


> AKA wood. LOL


Ha! But my wood metronome won't fit on my music stand. 

I have a Seiko SQ50 that's quite tolerable (though not to my wife!).


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## Jocko (May 17, 2010)

The secret of speed and accuracy is to start playing a piece very slowly and persevere with it until you can play it perfectly every time. Then go a bit faster until that is perfect. Keep building up the speed until you can play it at the speed you want. If you cannot play it right then playing it faster won't do any good.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Jocko said:


> The secret of speed and accuracy is to start playing a piece very slowly and persevere with it until you can play it perfectly every time. Then go a bit faster until that is perfect. Keep building up the speed until you can play it at the speed you want. If you cannot play it right then playing it faster won't do any good.


Yeah, set a metronome to half time of whatever you want to play and try it that way. You might have to adjust to slower or faster right away depending on the piece. Make sure you can play it perfectly at that speed and then kick it up a few bpm. Lather, rinse, repeat til you're faster than heck!


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Here's another thing you can try if you use "Windows Media Player" and you don't use a metronome. Play a song you want to learn. Right click on the player > Choose *Enhancements* > Choose *Play Speed Settings*. Good for slowing down a song for learning. Also good for slowing leads down for learning. The beauty of this enhancement is it slows down the song but doesn't change the key of the song. Try it, if you've never used it before. It's great.


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## Polofiesta (Jul 6, 2009)

Thankkksss to you alll.. What really hit me was when the person in this post who asked if I can play any songs fully through or just skip the solos and also fake the solo and not learn note for note. I can admit it that i am guilty of doing that. I havent really sat down and practiced technique but ususally play the song through and many times during the solos i get the basic idea andd justtt sort of fake it through. I play everyday but i wouldnt say i practice steatigically on technique. Here and there i do play scales and practice but not as often as i should. Thanks for making me realize it and any more suggestions?


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## Polofiesta (Jul 6, 2009)

I think cliffs of dover will really challenge me and i will discipline myself to go note by not and learn the entire song? Is thata good chooce? And any other songs? Thanks


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## jeremy_green (Nov 10, 2010)

Polo do yourself a favour and buy a copy of Transcribe! software (No I dont work for them. I actually did a blog entry on this you may want to read Six String Obsession: The coolest software EVER!!!). Spend a good deal of time pulling songs and bits of songs with it. Learn everything note for note for a while and force yourself into new areas. 

'Cliffs of Dover' is a monstrous technical piece so I say learn as much of it as you can but yes strive to make it as close to the original as possible. Use your ears to do as much lifting as you can. This is where Transcribe really helps. Tabs can become a serious crutch and have led to some very odd guitar players these days. I regularly see players with crazy high levels of technique - but they have NO EARS. Don't become this guy.


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## Andy Fake (Sep 25, 2010)

*good good question*

This surely is a good good question.

I won't be giving my two cents worth on it; but me will say this:

The answer to the question is a pretty long one.
There are indeed definite finger exercises to practice to become FAST. QUICK!
There are essentially 2 types of fast. Ha.

Becomming FAST! FAST! is a very very humbling ordeal. Ha. Imagine that.




...i mean really really really fast!

...like approaching the Speed of Light!!! 


Andy Fake


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