7 Effective Speed-Boosting Tips for Guitarists

Most guitarists want to up their game by playing faster. The secret? The right approach and plenty of practice. Forget ‘talent’ and experiment with these seven tips and train yourself to speed up your playing.

#1. Practise Alternate Picking

Alternate picking is a technique where you literally alternate between downstrokes and upstrokes. Playing this way is much faster and more efficient than just playing downstrokes.

» Learn to Play with a Plectrum

#2. Improve Your Finger Independence

If you want to get faster, having good control over every finger of your fretting hand is essential (the hand you use to hold the strings down). Drilling finger exercises like regularly repeating scales and arpeggios will help improve your finger independence.

#3. Use a Metronome

A metronome is a really handy tool that gives you a consistent beat to play to, so you can practise playing at a really specific tempo. Start with a tempo that’s slow enough so you won’t make many mistakes – no matter how slow that is and, as soon as you’re playing your riff or lick perfectly at that speed, nudge up the BPM of your metronome a bit. Rinse and repeat until you can reach a top speed. Practising with the help of a metronome can also help improve your feel for timing.

» Metronomes

#4. Stretch Your Hands and Fingers

Having good hand and finger dexterity is another essential if you want to speed up your playing. Regularly stretching your hands and fingers can help improve your flexibility and your speed. It also helps prevent any aches, pains and injuries.

#5. Focus on Your Technique

Good technique is another crucial aspect when it comes to playing more efficiently. Make sure that you’re using the right hand position and picking technique. Pay attention to your posture as well, because playing with good posture can really help speed up playing and prevent injury. Regular practice will help you improve your technique and help you become a more confident and faster guitarist.

#6. Coated Guitar Strings

Some guitar strings come coated with a protected layer that prevents rust, making them last longer than uncoated strings. This coating has the added effect of making the strings feel smoother and therefore easier to navigate and play. Try out some of the coated sets from the D’Addario XT and D’Addario XS Series and you’ll see what I mean. These strings have an extended lifespan, a way higher than average breakage-resistant and really smooth playability.

» Coated Electric Guitar Strings
» Coated Acoustic Guitar Strings

#7. Keep Going

To finish, I just want to emphasise how important it is to keep up the hard work if you want to learn to play faster. Every now and then, try out some new things, like a completely different music style or technique and keep things fresh for yourself. Keep going and you will absolutely notice that you’re only getting better and faster.

Let us know in the comments which tips worked best for you.