How to become a good speed guitarist

Right, now you’re playing guitar, but want to play at guitar-burning speeds? Are you awed by people like Kirk Hammett and Jimi Hendrix and the breakneck speeds they play at? If you’re just starting out with speed guitar, here are some tips and ideas for you to get good at it.

• Get comfortable: Always warm up before starting speed guitar practice. Find a pick you are comfortable with, and a comfortable position – one that is relaxed, not tense. Also find out how you prefer to attack the string - perpendicular or at a slight angle?
• Coordination. This is one of the most underrated aspects of speed guitar. Most people think you only need a quick left hand on the fretboard – but picking skills are vital, as you will see! Good speed Guitar Lesson needs a high level of coordination between your right and left hand.

Make sure your left hand is light on the strings, and does not need to move too much – use your wrist for most movements. A correct right hand technique involves correct picking, as we will see below. Don’t underestimate any of these components!

• Alternate picking. This refers to a technique involving quickly alternating the pick stroke upwards and downwards. The quicker your right hand can make these strokes, the quicker your playing will be. To practice alternate picking, simply use a guitar pick to play one note with a “down” stroke and the next with an “up” stroke. Play all notes in these motions. It is important to aim for clean, accurate notes first – try for speed later!
• Tremolo picking. A useful way to practice alternate picking is through tremolo. Simply put, tremolos are fast recurrences of a single note. Try and begin each of your lessons/practice sessions with tremolos. They really help warm up your right hand!

Playing tremolo is simple - pick any phrase and then triple each note.  Try out a wide variety of styles using this method – blues, jazz, solos – the works. Be patient, and you’ll see the huge advantages this technique brings you!

• Chromatic exercises. This is another set of useful exercises to help you become a good speed guitarist. Chromatic exercises involve playing 4 consecutive frets, ideally with increasing speed. These exercises will also build your finger strength – a vital skill for speed playing. Use a metronome to chart your progress – begin with a speed of around 100-120 BPM, and slowly increase. Also, use variations within your chromatics to mix it up!

• Use a metronome. You can do hundreds of exercises to build your speed skills, but without actually using a metronome there’s no guarantee you’ll get faster. A metronome will help you measure your speed in definite terms – and this is always motivating! Most standard electronic keyboards are equipped with a metronome – or you can download free ones from the internet. Use it to increase the number of notes you can play per beat of the metronome.
• Focus on the music. Good speed playing is nothing without a sense of rhythm and musicality – don’t forget that! Listen to some of the greats to get a sense of how to blend speed with melody and rhythm. John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen are people you could listen to.

Now get shredding! Good luck!

Source : http://www.torrins.com/