I've watched hundreds of students try to build speed on guitar and fail.
They practice the same lick over and over, pushing themselves to go faster, and it still sounds sloppy.
But it's not their fault.
Nobody ever showed them how to actually break it down.
Most guitarists think with enough repetition, eventually it'll "click." But here's what that really does. Every time you play something sloppy, your fingers memorize the sloppiness.
You're not building speed...
You're building bad habits. Engraving them into your brain.
There's a better way.
I have a stupid simple 4 step system I've used with students over the last 25 years to build speed — clean speed — and it works every time.
This works on scales, solos, licks, riffs. Anything that needs speed and precision.
But I'll warn you, step one is going to feel wrong.
Quick note before we start: If you can't play the whole thing clean at a slow tempo yet, break it into small sections. Work on each section by itself, then piece it all together.
Step 1: Start slow. Really slow.
I know. You want to play fast. That's the whole point.
But if you start too fast, you'll play sloppy and repeat your mistakes. And now you know what that does.
So here's the rule:
- Use a metronome
- Start way slower than you think you need to
- Make sure every single note is clean and in time
If it feels too easy, you're doing it right.
Step 2: Don't just "get it right." Lock it in.
This is the part that makes the whole system work, and most people screw it up.
They play something wrong ten times, finally nail it once, and celebrate.
"Done! Moving on."
Not so fast.
Getting it right once is luck. Getting it right four times in a row is skill.
Here's the game: Can you play it 4 times in a row with zero mistakes?
Mess up on the 4th time? Start over.
It sounds brutal but this is what separates "I kinda know it" from "I own it." Once you hit 4 in a row, then you move on.
Step 3: Bump up the tempo. Just a little.
Crank the metronome up 2 to 5 bpm. That's it.
Play it again. Same rule. 4 times in a row, no mistakes, before you move on.
This is where the magic happens. You're building speed in tiny, clean increments instead of repeating sloppy mistakes over and over, training your brain to do it wrong.
Step 4: Track your tempo.
Keep a practice journal. It doesn't have to be fancy. A notebook, a note on your phone, whatever.
Write down the tempo you ended on today. Tomorrow, pick up right where you left off.
People think they don't need this part. But without tracking your progress, you're guessing. With tracking, you can actually see your speed climbing week over week.
Now repeat.
Do this every day. Even 10 minutes a day with this system will get you further than an hour of sloppy grinding.
If you stick with it, you'll be shocked how much faster and cleaner you can play. It doesn't happen overnight, but when it clicks, it clicks. And that's a freakin' good feeling.
Try this today:
Pick one riff, one scale, one solo. Run it through all 4 steps.