How to speed up major scale?


Jay Pham
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Joined: 10/02/20
Posts: 16
Jay Pham
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Joined: 10/02/20
Posts: 16
02/17/2022 4:24 pm

Hi everyone,

I'm having some trouble playing the major scale fast.

I'm practicing a solo and there's a pattern that sounds like a major scale, but the player here play it so fast. Here's the link to the cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAnLwJ9ysWM&t=0s (at 0:50).

[u][/u]

I tried to play it as fast as I can for the past week but still can not meet the requirement. [br]I wonder if I'm not practicing enough, or is there a way to increase my speed that I don't know about?

Thank you in advance.


# 1
DraconusJLM
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Joined: 06/21/21
Posts: 360
DraconusJLM
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Joined: 06/21/21
Posts: 360
02/17/2022 4:42 pm

The first bar of this is played legato: pick the first note, 11th fret held down with index finger; hammer on 12th fret with middle finger; then hammer on 14th with ring or pinkie. Repeat on next string. The pick on 11th, hammer 13th.

The second bar is just a case of slowly increasing speed using a metronome. Start at a comfortable speed, then increase by 2 BPM, then decrease by 1, then increase by 2, decrease by 1, and so on. That's the method promoted by Anders which I've tried with success (although I tend to use higher increments).

Good luck with this. It's damn fast


I wish this forum had a "block user" feature. Possibly I'm not the only one......

# 2
Jay Pham
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Joined: 10/02/20
Posts: 16
Jay Pham
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Joined: 10/02/20
Posts: 16
02/17/2022 4:47 pm
Originally Posted by: DraconusJLM

The first bar of this is played legato: pick the first note, 11th fret held down with index finger; hammer on 12th fret with middle finger; then hammer on 14th with ring or pinkie. Repeat on next string. The pick on 11th, hammer 13th.

The second bar is just a case of slowly increasing speed using a metronome. Start at a comfortable speed, then increase by 2 BPM, then decrease by 1, then increase by 2, decrease by 1, and so on. That's the method promoted by Anders which I've tried with success (although I tend to use higher increments).

Good luck with this. It's damn fast

Thank you for the advice. My mother always say that I was an impatient person. Maybe I should sit down and practice patiently more


# 3
DraconusJLM
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DraconusJLM
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02/17/2022 5:19 pm

I'm currently working on what I've decided will be my last attempt to shred. The worst part of it is having to go slow in order to avoid mistakes or sloppy playing. Patience isn't my strong point, either :-)


I wish this forum had a "block user" feature. Possibly I'm not the only one......

# 4
ChristopherSchlegel
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Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
ChristopherSchlegel
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Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
02/17/2022 9:09 pm
Originally Posted by: Jay Pham

I'm having some trouble playing the major scale fast.[/quote]

Playing fast single note lines requires extremely small motions. You have to develop relaxed & efficient picking hand technique and control with minimal motion.

Originally Posted by: Jay PhamI'm practicing a solo and there's a pattern that sounds like a major scale, but the player here play it so fast. Here's the link to the cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAnLwJ9ysWM&t=0s (at 0:50).

That particular passage could be played legato (with hammer-ons) potentially making it easier to do. But in the video it is being played with alternate picking (picking every note).

[quote=Jay Pham]I tried to play it as fast as I can for the past week but still can not meet the requirement. [br]I wonder if I'm not practicing enough, or is there a way to increase my speed that I don't know about?

If you are not used to playing that fast it can take a long time to develop that skill. So, yes you have to practice a lot. But it also requires developing the right technique. This tutorial systematically covers learning to alternate pick for fast musical lines.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=287

The following ones in the series expand the idea. They include practicing scale patterns on adjacent strings with alternate picking as well as legato.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=928

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=929

Hope that helps!


Christopher Schlegel
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Christopher Schlegel Lesson Directory
# 5
Rumble Walrus
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Rumble Walrus
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02/17/2022 11:06 pm

Wow Jay - thanks for asking this question prompting these great responses; especially Christopher's suggestions. I'll be digging into that.

My Bluegrass flat picking friends- and these guys are smoking fast alternative pickers - talk quite a bit about the mechanics of it. Each of them discovered their own mix of finding the right anchor, elbow, wrist, angle of attack, etc. Also things like beginning on an upstroke or downstroke?

They reassure me that the more I do it, the more my body will naturally adapt and find the right combo that works for me. If I genuinely hit a limit, I'll try a deliberate minor change. My last minor change was a very slight adjustment where I was anchoring. Amazingly enough An immediate result was that I stopped dropping my pick as often as before. Go figure. [br]I-feel-really-slow!

But I'm working on it


# 6
Jay Pham
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Jay Pham
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02/18/2022 8:54 am

Thank you, Mr.Schlegel, Mr.Walrus, and DraconusJLM for your valuable advice. I do really need to keep working on it. [br]I will be back when I have any questions and hope everyone will continue to help me too


# 7
ChristopherSchlegel
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Posts: 8,328
ChristopherSchlegel
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02/19/2022 5:21 pm

You're welcome!

Originally Posted by: Jay Pham

I will be back when I have any questions and hope everyone will continue to help me too

Sure thing. Please ask more when & if necessary. Best of success with it!


Christopher Schlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor

Christopher Schlegel Lesson Directory
# 8

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