Right hand sux. How fast you are? (Need tips)

[Higon]

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! I've been practicing finger picking every day for about 2 months and crap, I still suck! I mean, I'm a lot better then when I started, but I still suck. I can do some stuff really fast and clear, but I can't keep speed for a long time.

How you guys do it? I mean, you want to play Hammer Smashed Face. What you do when it comes to the fast riffs? With me It goes fast in the beggining, but then the strength fades out... How many time does it take to develop enough stamina to play fast?


Ps: I've started the right hand exercises again. At 40bpm 4/4, one hour a day, increasing 10bpms per week, practicing both 2 and 3 finger style. Let me see how far I'll go...

 

[SanderThomas]

My right hand sucks at this moment, I don't know what speed.
40 bpm is that eigths? sixteenths?

Here's a scale that Adam Nitti has on his website, I like it to practice speed on. Speed on the same string is good, but speed over 6 string is way more fun

It's a major scale pattern, I usually play it starting from 6th or 8th fret

4 string:

G-------------------------7-8-10-
D-----------------7-8-10---------
A---------6-8-10-----------------
E-6-8-10-------------------------


5 string:

G---------------------------------7-9-10-
D-------------------------7-8-10---------
A-----------------7-8-10-----------------
E---------6-8-10-------------------------
B-6-8-10---------------------------------

6 string:
C-----------------------------------------7-9-10-
G---------------------------------7-9-10---------
D-------------------------7-8-10-----------------
A-----------------7-8-10-------------------------
E---------6-8-10---------------------------------
B-6-8-10-----------------------------------------



Off course you can play this scale in different ways, ascending, descending, intervallic, etc...

If you use a drum computer, try sixteenths on hihat, with a bass on 1 and 3 and a snare on 2 and 4. This way you can easly say if you're playing on time or running behind or ahead.


You can play them as tappings too. I don't know what speeds I play these, I'll try it soon
I do know that my speed on a 6 stringer is way lower than on a 4 string, so there's a lot of practice to be done

 

[Erik Tiwaz]

Well, when I toured with Satyricon we played "The Scorn Torrent" which is 16th notes in 234 bpm in the end section of the song(the section lasts for about 3 1/2 minute if I remember correctly).
But what to do to increase your abillity to play at high speed?
Practice and patience (I kid you not)

 

[HippieOfDoom]

Practice is RIGHT!
But nothing will get the energy level up to where you need it to summon the stamina as playing loud in a rehearsal room with your band or on stage where the adrenalin is pumping. You can sit in front of your computer or drum machine all day playing half-assed all you want, but it won't get you the speed and attack you're looking for. You need to dig in and sweat! Music is just as much a physical thing as it is mental. Make sure to create the balance as needed to get your playing where you want it to be.
SDG

 

[Higon]

Interesting. I've noticed this, but never thought about it that way...

I'll try to beat the crap out of the bass next rehersal and see what happens.


Ps: Tyr, I have no patience =)

 

[RydManiac]

You don't need to always follow the guitar with those furious pick-man, play the riff but in half time

U want to play Hammer Smashed Face
Webster use his four fingers
That man is a brutal death machine

 

[Higon]

Webster use his four fingers

Webster is my hero! He's the reason a need to use a pick. How could someone use his pinky??

I tried this "half-time" stuff, but it sounds pathetic (mainlly 'cause in my band the bass have a higher volume than the guitar.).

 

[Unregistered]

practice,practice,practice. with your band and by yourself alot. use your metronome alot. the half-time thing works when your starting, but with time the speed will come.

p.s.- i know this is off topic, bit i registered for this forum and it is giving me a hard time with posting and everything else anyone else(it won't let me e-mail the moderator to tell them!)

 

[RydManiac]

I my band we play some speed metal 200 bpm, so half time is sometines a good invention

 

[Dirty Road Cola]

If you want to play fast you must first learn to play slow.

I know that sounds very, very stupid but listen and do this and it'll facilitate playing faster: Practice scales,modes, etc. at 40 BPM. Start with quarter notes (always subdividing), then eigths, triplets, sixteenth, sixtuplets, etc etc. This will improve your subdivision, your meter and speed all in one exercise.

If you get frustrated while practicing; stop. Go do something else and come back to it later (10-15 minutes). Practicing while angry will not improve your playing; it will only degrade it.

The Adam Nitti exercise is great too; work on that slowly as well.

 

[suffocation667]

Try using more than two fingers. I play my bass with three, and I can play faster on three than some bass players who use four fingers. It all depends on your dedication to bass.

If you want to learn songs that will stress your fingers and build up speed, try these songs:

Iron Maiden - Aces High
Iron Maiden - The Trooper
Atheist - Unholy War
Atheist - Piece of Time
Death - Spirit Crusher (a very good song to help build coordination)

 

[Higon]

Atheist - Piece of Time
Death - Spirit Crusher (a very good song to help build coordination)

Masterpieces! I'm working on them.

And talking about Piece of Time, that introduction. How do you guys play it? It's like a shredding exercise, I can't find a confortable way to play it.

I do it like:

Fingering: 1: Point - 2: Fuckyou - 3: Ring - 4: Pinky

G|--------------------------------------------------------|
D|*------------9--8------------------------9--8-----8-----|
A|---7----------------7--6-------7---------------7-----6--|
E|*-----6--5----------------5-------6--5------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------|
	 3  2  1   4  3   2  1  1	3  2  1   4  3  2  3  1

Do you know any better way to play it?

 

[SanderThomas]

How fast is this thing played? Can't find a midiversion and I don't know this song...

 

[Higon]

Don't know exactly. Maybe 80-90 BPMs at 16th. 4/4.