Building Speed

7 ELEMENTS OF SPEED

1. one hand movement – fast twitch muscle training

2. one hand efficiency – very small movements in either hand

3. 2-hand synchronization – 3 elements: pick, fretted note, note release at perfect time – hear it & feel it

4. string control – muting of other strings with picking hand palm & thumb as well as fretting hand

5. consistency – accuracy of the item played over a set amount of time (ex: 30 secs, 60 secs, etc.)

6. integration – ability to switch between item and any other item seamlessly

7. performance – get it right first try (practice by standing up, playing it once, then take hands away, then repeat)

train your brain to hear notes at high speeds

when can move hands fast but brain can’t process it, you play sloppily and don’t make good note choices

1. find top speed on a scale

2. select a short segment, ex: 6 notes of it

3. play it top speed & analyze how it sounds

4. repeat until all notes are clean

5. add another note to segment & repeat

6. continue adding notes & repeating

7. when have whole scale, increase by 5-10 bpm

gradually train your brain & ears to hear notes at higher speeds