4 Tips To Improve Your Speed On Guitar

by Rodrigo Sanchez, Jan 16, 2023 . 3 min read

These 4 Tips To Improve Your Speed On Guitar can help you become a better player.

They will address the question of how to get faster, in a simple and logical way. It is important to clarify that speed is not the end-all-be-all, but a very important tool. Also, speed goes hand and hand with accuracy. After all, there is no point in moving your fingers fast while hitting the wrong notes.

These tips apply to anything related to your guitar playing, from scales and chords, all the way to songs and exercises. 

Start slow

This is arguably the simplest and most ignored tip for developing speed on your instrument. Doing it slow is key to advancing. How slow? As slow as necessary for you, play the part clean. You will also have to simplify and work in segments. If you aim to learn a guitar solo, for instance, start with the first phrase only, or just a few notes. Play them perfectly at a speed that you are comfortable with. After you can do that cleanly, then you can start to slowly speed it up.

The easiest way (and fun!) way to go about this is to use an app such as the Ukulele and Guitar Coach to practice. The app is specifically designed to help musicians improve their speed and technique on their instruments. Users can select the song they want to practice and set their own tempo. It then guides the user through the song, starting at a slow pace and gradually increasing the tempo as the user becomes more comfortable with the material. It’s available to download on IOS & Android.

Get a glimpse of its capabilities with this quick video:

Use a metronome

There is no better tool to keep you honest than a metronome. It helps you take something that you can play slowly, and gradually increase its speed. With a metronome, you go step by step. If you apply yourself, you will be able to play the part at the right speed. Remember, you need to be patient and go slowly, moving the metronome up just one BPM if necessary. The goal is to always be accurate. This is arguably the most important of these 4 tips to improve your speed on guitar.

Practice daily

Another very simple tip that often gets ignored. To improve, there is no better path than daily practice. Even if it’s just a few minutes. What you practice on Monday will be severely better by Friday, if you practice everyday. Otherwise, you’ll have to work twice as hard just to remember what you practiced five days ago. And remember: it’s far better to practice 30 minutes per day, than 3:30 hours once a week.  

Don’t tense up

Keep close tabs on your hands, arms, shoulders and back. Be conscious of any tension happening, and try to relax as much as possible. Stretching before playing is a good idea as well. Also, be conscious of your breathing. There is a tendency to tense up when playing fast passages, which is detrimental. Stiffness from practicing happens to many players, so beware, especially as your practice becomes more regimented. 

We hope that these 4 Tips To Improve Your Speed On Guitar are of great help. With patience and effort, you will be changing chords fast in no time. The same applies for your speed with scales, songs, and more. Remember to have fun in the process!