Whats the Fastest Way to Play the Guitar Really Good?

Question

i've been playing for almost 2 years and sorta getting unpaitent
i really want to play good in the fastest way
right now i'm learning "The Beast and the Harlot"
can anyone help me how i can learn faster?

i sorta slacked my first year but starting getting serious in december 2006

when i mean serious i mean 6 hours a day or the rest of my free time

Answer 1

I've been playing Guitar for eighteen years, and I've been asking myself that question since day one. Regardless of how good I get, I always want to be better. So don't worry, you're not alone. I've met many great guitar players in my life, but I've yet to meet one who *didn't* want to be better than they currently are - that's the challenge of this beautiful instument, and what keeps us all coming back to it...that desire to do the best we possibly can :-)

(...And with the greatest respect folks: Saying to this gentleman all you have to do to get better is "Practice, Practice Practice" ...is a bit like saying all you have to do to stay alive is "eat, eat, eat." No offence intended, but that's a highly simplistic answer and not much help.)

Here's some brief general tips that really helped me along the way. Hopefully they can help you too. They apply equally to whatever type of music you want to play.

1. STRUCTURE YOUR PRACTICE. When you practice Guitar, *how* do you practice? Do you just throw yourself into a song, or do you break your practice up into sections and figure out stuff bit by bit? The latter is a FAR better way to do it - many would say the only way. Break your practice into smaller and smaller chunks. Don't practice a riff - practice half a riff, then the other half later, then put them together again- it really helps.

2. VARY YOUR PRACTICE: It can be tempting to play one riff / song / piece / section / scale over and over - but don't overdo it. Your brain needs time to figure stuff out and let it all sink in. I find the more I vary my practice with different pieces and different styles, the better I get at everything, not just the stuff that I really want to nail and get right.

3. SLOW DOWN: Even now - I can still try to play things too fast when I'm learning them. So I always remind myself that's it's perfectly okay to play at a rate of one note every three weeks, as long as the music is PERFECT for taking so long. Speed will come - get it right first.

4. WORK ON FINGER STRENGTH AND INDEPENDENCE: Get hold of a book and DVD called "Pumping Nylon". It's a book full of excercises to build strength and independence in your fingers (which will also help with speed) - it's still the best book on this subject I've ever seen! It's written for classical guitar, but don't let that put you off - all the advice in it is pure gold!!

5. LEARN ABOUT HOW YOUR HANDS WORK: If your hands aren't positioned on your guitar properly, not only will you not play fast, or well, you'll also run the risk of damaging your hands over the long term. Again, "Pumping Nylon" is great for helping out here.

6. PRACTICE MORE OFTEN: Eddie Van Halen would practice over four hours a day when he was learning - listen to him play and you can hear it. Ted Nugent once said: "Practice till you see blood coming from your fingers - then you know you're getting somwhere. Myself I think that's going too far - but the principle is right. To really imporve, you need at least two hours of structured, organised practice a day. And when even that doesn't work...

7. TAKE A FEW WEEKS OFF: Yes it sounds crazy. But if I practice and practice and I'm still getting stuck and not getting better, I take two weeks off and don't practice at all. Then when I come back to it, I feel fresh again and my brain has had a chance to absorb everything. And I play better. I can't explain it - it just works for me.

8. LEARN TO LOVE THE FRUSTRATION: Playing the guitar is all fits and starts. Every time I have a long period where I don't seem to be improving or growing as a guitarist, I become really happy. Yes that's right - happy. Because I know a rapid spurt in my ability is just round the corner. That's the way it goes. Months and months of nothing - then an amazing improvement in my playing almost overnight. It's been that way for 18 years - It'll be that way for the next 18 too I reckon.

...which leads me to my final point:

8. BE PATIENT: You've been playing two years. Well done for sticking with it. But when you've been playing for ten times that long - that's when you 're really going to hit your straps. Playing Guitar is a life-long journey - and it will take you to places you've never dreamed if you let it. One day you'll struggle. The next, you'll fly, then you'll struggle again. It'll drive you nuts but it'll make you really happy too.

Hope all this helps. I could say more, but there's plenty of other sources of great advice out there. Try all the above and see if it works for you. Ultimately there's no hard fast rules - if it works for you, then do it.

Good luck, have fun, play heaps and smile a lot. :-)

Answer 2

Some of Queen's heavy rock songs have fast guitars like Stone Cold Crazy Now I'm Here Ogre Battle etc

Answer 3

If youre practicing as much as you say you are, then it should only be a matter of time, some people progress quicker than others, don't get discouraged. although lessons are a good investment if you really want to know how to play well. in the mean time, pick the hardest song you can think of, and try and play it, don't stop until youve got it licked, pick another hard one and start all over.

Answer 4

Teach yourself! Sit, practice, but don't practice normally. Reflect, evaluate over your practice!!!

It's real important, only then you can find the easiest ways for YOU to perform technical skills and techniques, and only YOU will be the judge of what style suits you best. You will also develop your own playing style which will identify you as a guitartist. That's very important.

Answer 5

Hate to seem repetitive, but PRACTICE. I practice my guitar at least 2 hours a day, every day. It helps. If you aren't already taking lessons, sign up! Also, constantly try learning new songs, finding tabs on the internet, learning new licks, etc. etc.

Answer 6

Do you want to be fast or do you want to be good? Practice makes perfect. Maybe guitar isn't for you. I know a guy who wanted to play guitar...took lessons and everything...came to find out it wasn't for him...he now plays the drums.

Answer 7

practice, practice, practice. It's the only way to get better and it pays off. You have to work for what you really want.

Answer 8

you have to be a natural, sounds like you don't have it if you been playing for 2 years

Answer 9

Esteban.

Answer 10

Practice, practice, practice.