How To Practice for Maximum Speed Part 2

~ How To Practice for Maximum Speed ~
Part 2: Speed Builder Strategy 2
by Tom Hess
www.tomhess.net

Please be sure to read Part 1 before attempting to follow the advice offered here in Part 2. I am offering a completely different approach to building great speed compared to what I described in part 1, but this new system does not work well unless you have mastered the ability to play cleanly and accurately at slow tempos (this is critical).

Unlike the first system described in part 1, which takes several weeks to complete, this new approach can be done in a single practice session. This new approach is not intended as a substitute for my other method, it is rather a supplemental practice tool intended for more advanced players.

“My Ladder System”

Let’s say you can play a particular technique at 100 bpm (beats per minute) on a metronome cleanly and consistently. Let’s also assume that your goal is to play the same technique at 200 bpm.

Warm up for: 15 minutes in the winter months
10 minutes in the spring and autumn months
5 minutes in the summer months

Play at 60 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 90 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 75 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 105 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 90 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 120 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 105 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 135 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 120 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 150 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 135 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 165 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 150 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 180 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 165 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 195 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 180 bpm for 2-3 minutes
Play at 210 bpm for 2-3 minutes

As you can imagine, the beginning of this routine will be easy if you can already play this without problems at 100 bpm. But it will be totally impossible to play well during the latter part of the routine. Play it anyway! Yes I know it will sound horrible, it will be a huge mess of sloppy musical chaos. Don’t worry about that when doing this routine, because you are not going to practice this way every day.

The ladder system is designed to do two main things:

1. (most important!) It will train your brain that greater speed is possible (even if sloppy for now) for you. To go far beyond what you think you can do well today is important as a psychological tool. You see, speed (like many aspects of music) has more to do with self – imposed psychological limitations than physical ones.

2. It gets your hands to move faster than they ever do in normal practicing (even though the motions are sloppy and not something you will put into a recording of your next solo),

Most speed barriers come as a result of synchronization problems between the two hands – lack of speed is usually not caused directly from how fast you are able to move your hands. BUT because the main cause is synchronization issue between the hands, your practicing becomes limited to synchronization practice and not on sheer speed (even if you are totally aware of it). Your increased synchronization skills will improve your overall technique, but you will have not really trained your hands to move much faster than before…..This system does. I’m sorry to have to keep repeating the point, but it is so important ‡ This system is a supplemental one and not a substitute for normal practicing.

A word of caution: Because this practice system is extremely demanding on your fingers, hands, wrists and arms, you must be very careful to avoid pain. If you feel any pain when doing this technique, you must stop at once and rest before attempting this again. Never play in pain, or excessive stress on your muscles or joints. Doing so can cause you serious long-term physical problems. Also, make sure you are thoroughly warmed up before practicing anything strenuous (especially when attempting any ladder systems!).


Many more of my articles are posted at my site here: http://tomhess.net

Copyright 2006 by Tom Hess. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

does beats mean note?
meaning 210 note is 2-3 minute?

usually when people talk about playing at a speed in bpm, they mean you play quarter notes (4 notes per beat) at the speed given.

Playing one note per beat at 200bpm isn't very fast at all - playing 4 notes a beat at 200bpm is pretty damn fast!

210bpm is exactly that - 210 beats per minute, which works out to 3.5 beats per second. If you played that with quarter notes at 4 notes to a beat you'd be playing 14 notes per second.... :eek:

Thank you to: zreynoldsp for the good explaination of BPM. He is correct. And I might add that you can also play 3 notes per beat (triplets) or 6 notes per beat or whatever you want...

Many virtuoso players give a very general guideline of playing 1,000 notes per minute or more to be at the virtuoso level. I'm just talking about sheer virtuosity (speed)...

Of course virtuosity (speed) is only one aspect of musicianship and for many (most) people such high levels of technical ability is not a goal (as they may into other things more than technique- which is of course cool).

I'm just throwing out the 1,000 notes per minute number for those that might be interested to know what many consider to be a sort of loose benchmark for a minimum virtuoso level when playing scales, arpeggios, etc. Of course there are certain things that are impposible to play at 1,000 notes per minute even for the most extreme virtuoso. Some things can't be measured by the 1,000 notes per minute standard as the techniques themselves don't lend themselvess to that type of possible speeds...so again the 1,000 notes thing is a very general benchmark for those that might be interested in that..

A basic breakdown of tempos would as follows:

16th notes at 250 BPM = 1,000 NPM (notes per minute)
16th note triplets at 166.66 bpm = 1,000 NPM (notes per minute)
32 notes at 125 BPM = 1,000 NPM (notes per minute)

:eek: Alternate picking 1000+ notes a minute? I like a challenge, but I'm not sure I'd manage that.... Legato I might get close, but picking every note no chance (for me anyway)...

Out of interest Tom, who has made the statement? Obviously, virtuosity is about total command of an instrument - but it's interesting when someone gives a specific benchmark....

Great Article Tom, this is very useful to me.

This really don't work for everybody.
I've tried it and I don't think it works that well I just get faster songs to play and I start slow with them and start getting faster. I don't use my metronome that much unless I'm having problems with the speed.

Originally Posted by: guitarboy313This really don't work for everybody.
I've tried it and I don't think it works that well I just get faster songs to play and I start slow with them and start getting faster. I don't use my metronome that much unless I'm having problems with the speed.

It may not be for everyone... but you should use a metronome to help make sure you're right on the beat... doesn't have to all be about getting faster...

O I play with a metronome. I just don't like to cus I play wit my drummer alot. Like everyday. And when I don't play with him I play with a metronome and normally I play acoustic like Bob Dylan and stuff like that.

Thanks Kole...

to zreynoldsp: its a very general number (1,000) and many people have loosely used it as a benchmark goal, the point is that it is just a number and is not the "final" or only determining factor obviously, many things go into being a virtuoso as you imply.. however mastering "everything" on the instrument is not one of them.. For example virtuoso shredders do not necessarily need to master fingerpicking techniques to be a virtuoso (or vice versa) the point is that yes there are more than just a number on a metronome that are involved, but those things are not the same for every player or every style...

When people ask something like, "how fast do I need to play scales or arpeggios (for example) to be at a virtuoso level?" the 1,000 number is the one usually given as a benchmark. It is not set in stone of course and it also does not imply that if one plays scales and arpeggios at 1,000 that he/she is considered a virtuoso automatically. In general the labels are not important though, but for many people, they want to know what others think this benchmark might be...

Hey I just wanted to mention that all links to my site given earlier in this old thread are now changed, basically it's the same URL as before except they end in .aspx not .php

I have been getting some emails about this from members of this forum, so I wanted to update you all :)