In the many years that I have been teaching there is one common mistake that is made by all levels of players including the professionals and that is the one of going too fast when learning new pieces, licks, songs, or any other musical thing. You will get to where you want to be far quicker by slowing whatever it is down to a snails pace, then working on the correct technique for the quicker application. Once this is achieved - which is the most difficult part - we then work on speeding things up very slowly.

So what is it that is currently difficult for you? What would you like to be able to play a lot better than you can now? For beginners it could be changing smoothly from a C chord to a G7 chord. For intermediates it could be getting the riff to the song Pretty Woman up to speed smoothly. For advanced players it could be learning a blistering blues solo by your favourite player. What ever it is this sequence of events will have you on track to success in no time at all. Just remember this technique works for all levels no matter where you are know or where you are in twenty or thirty years time.

First of all pick something that is currently very difficult for you to play. Now take your time to think about it, pick something that you really like because you are going to play it a lot. Also pick something within your playing range. If you pick something that only a pro could play and you are just beginning then you are fooling yourself. Then get the music or tab for it, grab your guitar, and here goes.

First of all put your fingers on the notes that you need to play one by one (or if they are chords, finger them all together) very slowly without any time. That is don’t play to any count. Make sure you are using the right fingering. Once you have that going right, I recommend that you play everything to a very slow count. Do this for a few days so the muscle memory system begins to work. Yes your muscles have a memory in case you didn’t know. This is an important step. If the music is long learn it lick by lick.

Once you have that going really well, you can then proceed to play what it is in time very slow with the metronome set to between forty and sixty beats per minute. You do have a metronome don’t you? If you haven’t, then sixty beats per minute is one beat per second to the second hand on your watch.

The next step is to make sure you are using the correct technique for what it is that you are doing. Like alternate picking correctly, making sure you are playing up strokes on the up beats etc. This is the most difficult part of learning something tricky for the first time.

The next bit is the easiest really, but where most guitarists fall flat. Once we can play what it is that we are learning at a slow speed with the correct technique we then begin to work it up to the desired speed on the metronome slowly. If you have it going okay at fifty beats per minute and your goal speed is one hundred and twenty beats, see if you can work it up by four beats every few days. In only five to seven weeks you will have it perfect. Most guitarists make the mistake of rushing this bit. If you are making mistakes then you need to keep at the current speed. Don’t move up. This is important if you want to be a great guitarist. The great ones don’t rush anything.

Happy Practising
Kevin.

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This lesson was first published in the New Zealand Musician Magazne Aug/Sept 2002 issue.

© Kevin Downing 2002
© New Zealand Musician Magazine 2002

For more great tips see Kevin's book The Secrets of Successful Practising for Guitarists

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Kevin Downing is a professional guitarist, teacher, and author.
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