# How to build up speed in both hands?



## dmm30 (Nov 6, 2011)

I've been practicing with a metronome lately and it's helping buuuuut, I find that at 150+ bpm I'm super sloppy and trip over my fingers and picking. If I go back to 100 or 130 it seems I just get stuck in the rut of playing slow.Also, I'm getting intimidated by fast solos. I'll go through it slow a few times then I just throw in the towel and go onto something super easy or learn something new. So I know a little of a bunch of songs but nothing all the way through, and it's driving me nuts!!!!!What can I do?


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## jeremy_green (Nov 10, 2010)

Guitar is a cumulative process... Keep challenging yourself with new pieces, each one pushing the speed envelope a bit. If you nail it GREAT! If not, that's cool, move on. In time your threshold will increase. The key is learning new material regularly that requires you to use it. Do this in conjunction with regular metronome work.

Patience young one : )


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

Speed = Accuracy + Economy

I built up speed pretty well by focusing on one hand at a time. I started out playing extremely slowly, focusing on keeping my fingers as close to the strings as possible and making the smallest movements I could. I mean, I went_ really _slowly! I went down to about two notes per second, with super-focused concentration on the individual actions. I sped up gradually, over two weeks. 

For my picking hand, I worked out the fastest movement I could possibly do by just scratching on my thigh. Then I did that action on one string, playing one note. Next, I added a second note and would play the first one for a while and then swap to the second one. After a while, I shortened how many times I played each note until I was down to playing each note once, back and forth. Then I added another finger, did the same routine, and then added a fourth finger, all fretting consecutive notes on one string. Then I moved the notes about over the string--and so forth. 

An important thing to mention is that you should not be tense in either arm. When I play it sounds like I play aggressively, but I use a light touch.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

> An important thing to mention is that you should not be tense in either arm. When I play it sounds like I play aggressively, but I use a light touch.


Yeah relax. I took the time last year working on the tune Take Five. I spent the whole weekend on it ..over and over.. by the end of the weekend my right arm was stiff as heck.. because I didn't relax.


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## geezer (Apr 30, 2008)

In addition to what has already been posted...What helped me alot was to play a few repeating licks that have notes on 2 or 3 strings . After you have it nailed , you can cycle it over and over and gain speed . I had some trouble with my fretting hand keeping up , so I started doing some simple legato exercises , and it really helped with me fret with a lighter touch , and play cleaner/faster. With me , I found that picking fairly hard (with a hard pick ) made my playing way tighter as well.


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## Baconator (Feb 25, 2006)

When practicing scales or other patterns I've been impressed by how effective playing SLOWLY through a clean amplifier can really improve technique and, eventually, speed. I tend to find that when I try to increase speed as I improve I usually try to rush things which results in little, if any, improvement. Just practicing at a slow tempo and really focusing on clean, even notes will yield great results if you give it enough time. It does take some time though, so relax and try to enjoy the process even if it does seem boring.


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## dmm30 (Nov 6, 2011)

Thanks everybody! I talked to my guitar teacher today about this problem and he said the same things.I've found that warming up for 20 minutes as apposed to 5 minutes really helped me today!


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