Author Topic: Guitar Halp.  (Read 740 times)

So, as you may have known, (as I was constantly going on about it) I have bought a guitar and have owned It for about a month now. I can learn things fairly easy, but have been running into one problem since day one. I can't quite move my fingers around fast enough. I get the chords right when I'm not looking, most of the time at least, If I'm playing slowly. If I try to pick up the pace, (tempo of 110+) I play the chords alright, put I still have to go slow in changing my fingering. I'm extremely annoyed by this because I can go downstairs and play something on the piano at a 150+ tempo and get everything right.

My question to you; Is there some sort of tip or bit of advice that I can use to pick up my fingering?

I have tried to find mysterious expert tips to move my infgers quicker but unfortunately there are none. You just need to practice and you'll get better. When I began playing it took me a while to get my fingers into the right positions, and in the frame of about six months I'm able to get into the correct position to play most notes relatively quickly.

So yeah just practice dawg.

Index finger, thumb, middle finger, thumb, ring finger, thumb, pinkey, thumb, repeat

I have tried to find mysterious expert tips to move my infgers quicker but unfortunately there are none. You just need to practice and you'll get better. When I began playing it took me a while to get my fingers into the right positions, and in the frame of about six months I'm able to get into the correct position to play most notes relatively quickly.

So yeah just practice dawg.
How did I know you would be the first poster? Oh well, Thanks for the advice.

Still waiting for Rockslide to show up.

How did I know you would be the first poster?

Just helpin' out my bros. B)


Like Sirrus said, you need more practice. Believe me, you wont be able to pick up speed until you practice A LOT. I've been playing for about two years (self-taught) and I can do some fast stuff, but only after day to day diligence.

110+? That's pretty fast for a beginner. Just start out slow, and when you get good at that speed, speed it up a bit more, and repeat.

I had this problem too.
Pick points out of the song that are too fast.
Start slow, like at 60, then increase.

I made up some exercises that helped increase my left hand speed:

Finger the following chords in order without strumming: G, D, E, A, C, repeat. The chord shapes are formed and positioned in such ways that it not only warms your hand up before practice, but helps your muscles get used to forming shapes quicker. The reason I say not to strum is because then you'd be worrying (consciously or subconsciously) too much about how clean the hold is rather than the position. Once you feel comfortable with your speed, then start strumming each chord because speed is nothing without proficiency.

Practice hammer-ons and pull offs between all your fingers. Start slow with frets directly next to eachother, then pick up speed and stretch them out while maintaining the same force until you reach your limit. This will strengthen your fingers, practice the techniques, and help your speed.

Play a song you already know but faster, then play it faster, then faster, etc. Make sure you can play it as perfectly as possible each time before you speed it up again. This particularly helped me with speed, and also helped me learn to songs faster because I knew how to play more quickly. Being used to fast paced playing has helped me decipher picking patterns among other things more easily.

The final and most important exercise: Practice until it hurts. Play every day even if your fingers feel like they're being cut off, even if it's just for a few minutes. Once you develope those callouses... Practice even more. Your body developes muscle memory, and playing constantly is basically like doing brain exercises for your hands.

Practice
Practice
Practice.
That's all there is to it.

I made up some exercises that helped increase my left hand speed:

Finger the following chords in order without strumming: G, D, E, A, C, repeat. The chord shapes are formed and positioned in such ways that it not only warms your hand up before practice, but helps your muscles get used to forming shapes quicker. The reason I say not to strum is because then you'd be worrying (consciously or subconsciously) too much about how clean the hold is rather than the position. Once you feel comfortable with your speed, then start strumming each chord because speed is nothing without proficiency.

Practice hammer-ons and pull offs between all your fingers. Start slow with frets directly next to eachother, then pick up speed and stretch them out while maintaining the same force until you reach your limit. This will strengthen your fingers, practice the techniques, and help your speed.

Play a song you already know but faster, then play it faster, then faster, etc. Make sure you can play it as perfectly as possible each time before you speed it up again. This particularly helped me with speed, and also helped me learn to songs faster because I knew how to play more quickly. Being used to fast paced playing has helped me decipher picking patterns among other things more easily.

The final and most important exercise: Practice until it hurts. Play every day even if your fingers feel like they're being cut off, even if it's just for a few minutes. Once you develope those callouses... Practice even more. Your body developes muscle memory, and playing constantly is basically like doing brain exercises for your hands.
Damn man, I've been doing that GDEAC thing for a while already and I'm ever so slightly better.

practice
that's it
I didn't used to be able to play eighth notes right at all on my saxophone
with years' practice I can get sixteenth notes now

little exercises like VH suggested could also help
dunno about for guitars, but touching all of your fingers to your thumb sequentially helped for me

It's pretty much the same proccess with Bass. Bass players usually have larger hands but mine are small, so I had to get used to moving more until someone taught me a trick. All it takes is practice and such.

It's really all this, I can switch between chords relatively quickly if I'm switching from Dmaj to Fmaj, but if I play the same chords broken up, It gets harder.