Speed Improvement - Guitar Tips

Hey it’s Visal here guys,

Today I’m going to be bringing you a few more tips to help with the speed improvement exercises I posted earlier. I posted a lesson on a similar topic in the past as well. Consider this as the continuation. Be sure to check out that past lesson as well in the archives section.

Tips like the ones I’m about to mention are important but often neglected by many. Put these into effect and it will propel you past a standstill which some of you may be having with regard to speed picking.

This first tip has actually nothing to do with you or your playing method but might help those struggling due to the neglect of this. It is to GET A THICK PICK. If you have a bendy pick, which helps your rhythm playing or what not, it’s time you get a thick pick if you want to play fast. The reason in short being that a bendy pick will bend as you play a note and will not have the time to reset to it’s original position before the playing of the next note which will hamper your speed to a great extent. If you prefer nylon picks, I recommend a pick in excess of 1mm. If you prefer plastic picks, a 1mm pick is a good size to start out with.

When holding a pick try hold the pick closer to the base of your thumb (as close to the striation of the thumb without having more than 20% of the pick below the cross striation). This will give you better grip and control and finally speed.

It will also assist in the pick slanting method, which I taught you earlier. It will help you go through notes with the feeling of slicing butter. Again, don’t slant it up or down but sideways. If you slant it up, your down strokes will be harder, if you slant it down, your up strokes are harder. So I recommend that if you are slanting the pick up or down as mentioned, CHANGE IT!!!

This is a rather strange but effective tip for which to move your picking hand. Take your hand forward and keep it vertically (as if to shake someone’s hand). Then try to twitch it clockwise and anti-clockwise (very slightly) repeatedly. Now hold your pick and attempt the same thing (aim for that same feeling as the twitch) on just one string holding a single note to begin with. It will be crude at first, but if you work on it, you will surely get way better with regard to your speed picking if you master this. Slowly move on to picking a few notes and then finally to scales and what not on different strings.

I know some of this might not be very clear. It’s hard to just type it out. If there is any doubt, don’t hesitate to ask me. Comment or mail me (address is on the right).

Visal.