“I wish I could make my fast guitar playing a little more sloppy!” – said no guitar player on Earth.
So why do tons of guitar players struggle to play clean when they play fast?
This is the answer:
Not very many guitarists understand how to keep their hands in sync at fast speeds.
After you are done reading this article, you’ll be one of the few who does.
To get things in motion, check out this video to see how to keep your hands in sync when playing fast:
You now understand how to get your hands in sync while playing any guitar lick.
But this isn't it for what you're going to learn today.
The following are three of the best 2-hand synchronization tips for increasing guitar speed and improving accuracy:
2-Hand Synchronization Guitar Practice Strategy #1: Double Picking
As stated in the name:
Pick every note twice within the scales or sequences you practice.
Watch this guitar picking video demonstration by one of my top students that shows double picking in action.
Why does this approach work?
Answer:
When you pick every note twice, it’s harder to keep your hands in sync than when you pick them once.
(This is because your picking hand moves much faster than your fretting hand. So every mistake is easy to spot.)
And when you play things like you normally would?
Your picking feels like a knife cutting through butter and your 2-hand synchronization is tight like a drum.
You can use this approach in a couple of ways:
2-Hand Synchronization Guitar Practice Strategy #2: Practice Guitar On Clean Settings Sometimes
Spend some time practicing guitar on clean settings or unplugged. Pick the notes loudly enough to hear them across a large room.
One idea I use is to…
…imagine you are on one side of a field and trying to get someone on the other side to hear you.
And you don’t have any amplification.
Pick so loud that they can hear you 100 yards away.
Playing guitar unplugged shines a lot on ay inconsistencies in your picking attack which causes your hands to get out of sync.
Don’t practice on clean settings always. You also need to practice on settings that are true to the style you usually play. This is how you clean up sloppy string noises in your guitar paying.
Note: Avoid tensing up your fretting hand when you play on clean settings. Keep it relaxed like when you play using an amp. If you have trouble with that, this free eGuide on fretting hand technique will help you.
2-Hand Synchronization Guitar Practice Strategy #3: Use Single String Licks
What is a great way to assess your skills with two-hand synchronization?
Answer: how well you are able to keep your hands in sync while playing on just one string.
For instance: Continuously pick these frets on the thin E string: 10 7 9 10 9 7
Track how fast you are able to play a lick like this before your hands become out of sync.
Then apply the other tips in this article to make your synchronization more tight.
What happens next?
As you get great at picking in sync with single string licks – all your licks begin sounding better and more clean.
Now you know how to keep your hands in sync while playing guitar fast.
Now work on getting smooth fretting hand technique. How? I show you in my free guide about developing fretting hand finger independence. Get it right now and learn guitar playing secrets most guitarists never know.
About The Author:
Tom Hess is a highly successful guitar teacher, recording artist and composer. He teaches guitar players from all over the world in his online guitar lessons. Learn more on the Tom Hess Wikipedia page.