Having a difficult time playing guitar cleanly at fast speeds? This is likely because you're making the same mistakes many other guitar players make. Here are 3 big reasons why guitar players struggle to play clean at fast speeds:
Reason #1. They Spend Most Of Their Time Looking For New Exercises
Spending your time locating tons of new exercises to work on doesn’t help you play faster without making mistakes. Learning correct practice methods and improving your technique are the things you need to focus on.
Bottom line: Clean and accurate speed comes through solid technique. Focus on improving technique and practicing effectively before spending time to find a bunch of exercises to work on.
Reason #2. They Use Weak Note Articulation
When you pick with strong articulation, it is easier to keep both of your hands in sync with each other. It isn’t possible to pick the strings with power when your hands aren’t in sync. When you play with weak picking articulation, it becomes easier to make sloppy mistakes without realizing it.
Bottom line: Force yourself to keep both hands in sync together by practicing while using more power in your picking hand. This makes your playing both cleaner and more articulate/clear.
Reason #3. They Don’t Focus On Releasing Of The Note Properly
The release of the note refers to how you transition from one note to the next. Many guitarists release a note sloppily and are unaware of the noise being created when moving onto the next one. For example: when two notes bleed together. This quickly ruins the sound of your playing if you aren’t careful.
Bottom line: Focus on how it sounds when you release notes as you play during a lick/exercise. Listen closely to hear any noise or bleeding. Pinpoint the cause of the noise, correct it and enjoy the clean sound you get as a result!
When you fix these 3 problems, your playing quickly becomes more clean (and faster playing feels easier). However, this is just the beginning.
Check out this guitar technique improvement article to discover more ways to quickly eliminate sloppiness in your playing.
Tom Hess is a successful guitar instructor, professional recording artist and songwriter. He helps guitarists worldwide to become better players with his personalized guitar lessons. Visit his electric guitar lessons website and get free guitar tips, guitar practice help, and additional advice on becoming a better musician.