Can't seem to get the speed

[progrmr]

Working on a guitar version of Miles Davis' All Blues from my Hal Leonard Jazz Play Along book

There's a run...super fast. I hear these kinds of runs all the time in the Jazz I listen to as well. It goes like this:

--6-5------------------------------
------8-6-5------------------------
-------------7-6-5-----------------
--------------------8-9-5----------
---------------------------5-8-7---
-----------------------------------

It's pretty straight forward. I've been working on this run for a couple hours now and I seem to have hit a wall and can't go any faster. When I try to speed it up and things fall apart I slow down again but I can't seem to get it really quick and clean.

Any tips on how to practice this? This clean/quick speed is something that I've never had. I understand speed to be a by-product of accuracy. When I sit down to practice, do I just do this run over and over and eventually I'll get it right?

If I can get this speed thing down I will have advanced to a new level of playing for me. At the moment though, it eludes me and it's starting to piss me off lol!

 

[Monkus]

Speed is gradual and a lot of it is muscle memory. Use a metronome and start way lower than your playing ability. Try to get the duration and attack of playing the notes cleanly. Raise the speed of the metronome very gradually while maintaining the clarity of your playing. Once you reach your threshold, back down a bit and practise. Take regular breaks. Play something familiar that you like. Speed takes time. I can say by using this approach in three months you'll see a great improvement.

Btw, it doesn't have to be that jazz riff, it can be a major scale, a minor pentatonic, the intro from 'fade to black' by Metallica. Play regularly, cleanly and often with a metronome or as I prefer, a rhythm from a drum machine or keyboard. Take regular breaks. Hope this helps.

 

[Eric]

Speed is gradual and a lot of it is muscle memory. Use a metronome and start way lower than your playing ability. Try to get the duration and attack of playing the notes cleanly. Raise the speed of the metronome very gradually while maintaining the clarity of your playing. Once you reach your threshold, back down a bit and practise. Take regular breaks. Play something familiar that you like. Speed takes time. I can say by using this approach in three months you'll see a great improvement.

Btw, it doesn't have to be that jazz riff, it can be a major scale, a minor pentatonic, the intro from 'fade to black' by Metallica. Play regularly, cleanly and often with a metronome or as I prefer, a rhythm from a drum machine or keyboard. Take regular breaks. Hope this helps.

What he said. I'm still working on my speed (and accuracy, for that matter), and what I've found in the past is that it's endless repetition, muscle memory, and accuracy that will be key in getting the results you want. Just work on knowing the part -- speed will come later.

If you do as Monkus suggested, the gradual increase in tempo via a metronome will help it along.

 

[progrmr]

I will throw in the metronome tonight, start it slow and figure out what is beyond my clean/accurate playing then back it down a bit and start there. It's clearly my technique. In thinking about it, I think a big part of it is motion in my fretting hand/fingers.

I remember seeing a lesson the spider practice technique...when switching strings, you move the fingers up/down to the next string one at a time rather than pulling all the fingers off the fretboard and position above the next string, then playing. I do the latter which is slowing me down I think.

Never a dull moment right...lol!

 

[sumitomo]

Fix it so if you play below a certain speed you get zapped in the a$$ with a cattle prod,that will speed you up. Sumi

 

[Katastrophe]

--6-5------------------------------
------8-6-5------------------------
-------------7-6-5-----------------
--------------------8-9-5----------
---------------------------5-8-7---
-----------------------------------

This is why I don't play jazz. That run is a beeeeeeeyyyyyyyoooooootttttch!

It's off kilter. The only thing I would add is to practice economy in your left hand. Keep your fingers as close to the strings as possible while learning this phrase, and concentrate on using just enough pressure to fret each note, without a death grip on the neck. Too much tension in your hand and arm will slow you down.

You are using your pinky, aren't you????

 

[progrmr]

yea, the pinky is there. I'm starting the "21-day Challenge" with this run. I practiced it tonight for 10 minutes at 60bpm, then practiced a few other things, then came back to it for 10 minutes at 70bpm. That's ridiculously slow, but I figure I'm doing the process justice.

It's weird but should be like any other piece right?? Practice it enough, and it will become polished and smooth (I hope lol!)

 

[Moander]

Simple....

Break it down into 2 string runs. It is a twitchy run, and by doing this, you join the parts in a week, and you should see it fall into place....