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Post subject: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:13 am
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can anyone give me some tips on speeding up my left hand so i can do better lead breaks, etc.
??????
thanks
by the way STRATS RULE

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:18 am
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:lol: too easy :lol:

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:25 am
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Stretch, make sure you spend as much time stretching your finger and wrist muscles as you do playing.
The grip muscles of our fingers are always in use. So they don't need building up. The release muscles get a lot less use and thats where people lose dexterity and speed.
Remember the strong powerful muscles are the long muscles, not the thick ones.
Just don't overstretch or stretch cold.

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:34 am
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Better lead breaks don't come from the speed of your hands-they come from what you feel in your soul.BTW the chiropractor that treats my hands says that these sand-filled stress relief latex balls and bags are very good for keeping your hands limber.

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Last edited by guitslinger on Thu Jan 06, 2011 5:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:55 am
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The more you play the better you get. Don`t worry about the amount of picks next to your user name, use your guitar pick.

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 5:21 am
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Play it real slow and then use digital technology to speed it up ala dragonforce ^^
An actual tip I would give is focus on the release of the note as much as you do the playing of it. Articulation is key when going for speed, as a well executed break will sound faster than a sloppily played one when played at the same tempo. It's sort of like drumming in the sense that a sloppy drum roll will sound slower than a clean drum roll, even if the clean one is played slower.

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 6:36 am
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The metronome is your friend.......... http://www.metronomeonline.com/ Practicing with one will increase your speed but you must start slow...... 8) +1 on Capo's comments

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 7:16 am
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I suggest you to practice many different scales with metronome .. start really slow and do not increase the speed unless you can play very clean at this level.

You can check Improving Guitar Speed


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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 1:19 pm
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There's 12 notes in music, 7 are gonna work, 5 won't. Sounds like good odds to me!

Now just keep playing 'em in every key a bit faster each go around. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 4:08 pm
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I am not a shredder, but I definitely at times like to play "fast". Sometimes very fast. But always remember what makes a great lead player is dynamics. Being able to play good slow, and the ability to fluidly meld in fast runs is as important as anything. Any great lead guitar player will have great control ... utilizing bends, slides, muting, false and true harmonics, and (Jimmy Page was the master of this) pauses.

But when it comes to playing those fast runs, utilizing proper technique is key here ... That means thumb in the middle of the neck. It also means using the proper finger for each fretted note (yes, you need to use your pinky). Once you have instilled proper technique, your left hand will get very strong and more speed than you could ever want will be on tap for you. It will make utilizing the upper frets for soloing a breeze.

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Last edited by 01GT eibach on Sat Jan 08, 2011 4:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 4:10 pm
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Solid Body Love Songs wrote:
:lol: too easy :lol:

+1 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 11:51 pm
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1. Play Scales. But learn how they connect all over the fretboard and what the theory behind it is so that you can actually apply it to your own improvisation. Also, don't play the same picking pattern over and over. Try playing three notes up starting on the first note (root) then three notes up starting on the second note (the 2nd), then starting on the third and so on all the way up the scale. You can also try playing three note groupings starting at the top and going down. You can also try four and five note groupings. You can try skipping strings too. Play the notes of the scale on the low E, then the D, then the A, then the B, then the G, then the high E. And do that going down too. And play with a metronome to get everything nice and steady. It'll help your rhythm when you're improvising too.

2. Learn fast licks that you like. In my case that meant a lot of Scuttle Buttin'. :lol: Some Robben Ford and Joe Pass too, because that stuff can be just as demanding of your right hand. Which believe it or not has a lot to do with how fast you can play. In fact, my left hand can usually out run my right hand.

3. Speaking of right hand, the way you hold your pick and what kind of pick you use can also effect how fast you can go. A small, heavy pick will go faster than a normal sized thin pick. A normal medium pick turned on it's side and played with one of the two bigger points will go faster than a normal medium pick held the traditional way. Or at least that's the way it works for me. I play normal medium picks on their side like that or Dunlop Jazz III's. Both make me feel a lot less clumsy picking.

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Post subject: Re: tips on speeding up my left hand
Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:12 am
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use a metronome


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