Every guitarist secretly wishes they could play like Steve Vai or Yngwie Malmsteen at some point in their lives, even if they are not fans of that style of music. The truth is that even if you are not a fan of "Shred Guitar" style playing, you need to be able to play fast every now and again.......Not convinced? Read on...
Why buy a Ferrari capable of doing 200mph if you live in the UK where the maximum you are legally allowed to drive at is 70mph? Would you get into a lift full of 15 people unless you knew it had been tested to a maximum capacity of 21 persons even though you probably couldn't actually squeeze that many inside!!
It's all about being well within safety margins. Sure, you can't drive the Ferrari at 200mph anywhere in the UK but it's going to be a dream to drive at 70mph and you will have no worries about wearing the engine out. Likewise the elevator is going to have an easy time hauling 15 people up and down all day, well within its maximum safety load.
So next time you're playing your favourite guitar solo and that fast passage comes up, wouldn't it be better to know you can easily play it at an even faster tempo if you had to? No more nerves, no more tensing up and no more onstage panic as it approaches. Knowing that what you actually have to play is well within your comfort zone.
Just how do you elevate the level of your picking to increase the speed of your ability?
Well, obviously enough, the answer is to make playing fast as easy as possible and you do that by becoming more efficient in the way you pick each note. Less effort equals more time and energy saved that can help increase your speed easily and effortlessly.
A good place to start focusing on is the amount of up/down motion you use when actually striking the string. Once the note has been picked and the string is vibrating and sounding the note, any further pick movement away from the direction of the string is wasted movement. Wasted movement means time wasted returning back to the string and hence a delay before striking the next note. So aim to eliminate as much excess movement as possible by trying to keep the pick as close as possible to the string at all times.
Next consider how much of the tip of the pick is actually needed to play the string, also know as "Depth Gauging". Logic suggests that if you are 'digging in' too deep then you are using much more effort as you "muscle through" the string. So playing on the very tip of the pick is the way to go. The amount of effort needed to pick the string will be less and as a result you will find the whole procedure of plucking a note easier.
Try to relax as you play fast passages. Easier said than done sometimes though. If you tend to tense up on faster passages this will definitely cause you to slow down, and in a live gig situation this can be even worse. Again, if you can play something faster than you actually need to play it at, you wont even think anything off blasting out a super speedy scalar run at 140bpm if you can play the thing at 180bpm already.
Luckily there is a device that can not only help you achieve picking perfection, it can also physically prevent you from playing in an inefficient way at the same time. Developed at the world famous Berklee College of Music in the USA, the Stylus Pick has helped thousands of guitarists since its inception, its unique shape and design will stop you when you play things wrong, yet help you when you pick them in the correct manner.
Why not give a Stylus Pick a try and see how you get along? Most users tend to report that starting their practice session with a Stylus pick for 10-15 minutes before moving back to their regular guitar pick reaps MASSIVE rewards in picking and now incorporate it into their daily workout.
We ship these devices worldwide and if you are in the UK , delivery is completely FREE and with huge savings on bulk orders, there's no reason why you shouldn't give it a try and start seeing the benefits right away.