Speed And Accuracy Practice Techniques And Exercises

To become a great guitarist, you will need to move your fingers the way you wanted. You will need enough practice and perseverance to do it too, especially when you're just starting. Here, I will teach you some techniques and give you some exercises that I'm using. But first, you will need to start by reading a tablature (tab). Many of us know this. But I have included it for others who don’t know.

e|-----------------------------
B|-----------------------------
G|-----------------------------
D|-----------------------------
A|-----------------------------
E|-----------------------------

This is the standard tab. This is used by the guitarist global. Next is how to read it.

e|---- thinnest-------------|bottom
B|---- 2nd thinnest---------|
G|---- 3rd thinnest---------|
D|---- 3rd thickest---------|
A|---- 2nd thickest---------|
E|---- thickest-------------|top

I will give a nice example for you to understand it completely.

e|-------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------|
E|---0---2---4---5---7---9--11---|

As you can see there is a 0. It means you’ll pluck the string with an open E. 2 is considered the 2nd fret (fret is the space between or before the embossed wooden line). It may look like this:

e|--F----|--F#---|--G----|--G#---|--A----|--Bb--|-B---|-C---|-C#--|-
B|--C----|--C#---|--D----|--Eb---|--E----|--F---|-F#--|-G---|-G#--|-
G|--G#---|--A----|--Bb---|--B----|--C----|--C#--|-D---|-Eb--|-E---|-
D|--Eb---|--E----|--F----|--F#---|--G----|--G#--|-A---|-Bb--|-B---|-
A|--Bb---|--B----|--C----|--C#---|--D----|--Eb--|-E---|-F---|-F#--|-
E|--F----|--F#---|--G----|--G#---|--A----|--Bb--|-B---|-C---|-C#--|-

0|  1st     2nd     3rd     4th     5th     6th   7th   8th   9th   etc.....

This are called frets. They are getting smaller as the neck approaches the body. The standard number of frets is 24. But some guitars only consist 22 or 23; others are longer. If you still have difficulties, find someone or a lesson that will help you to read a tab.

Now we need a good exercise to practice our fingers to move as we like. I will give you a good start to exercises.

Exercise 1

e|---------------6---------------6----------------------------------|
B|-----------5---------------4-------------------3---------------3--|
G|-------4---------------5-------------------4---------------5------|
D|---3---------------3-------------------5---------------4----------|
A|-----------------------------------6---------------6--------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|

Here is my first example. Looks simple huh? You won’t know until you try it. If you have a tempo meter, you can use it as your guide. For others don’t have, you can just play and adjust your speed a little every turn. At first this will be very easy and simple. But with every turn, this will give you some headache. Try it from tempo 30 – tempo 60 by adding 5 tempo every turn and assume that it is a sixteenth note.

If you completed and polished the exercise 1, we can now continue.

Exercise 2

e|--13----13-----9-----9----|--------------------------|--------------------------|
B|--12----11----11----12----|--13----13-----9-----9----|--------------------------|
G|--11----12----12----11----|--12----11----11----12----|--14----14-----9-----9----|
D|---9-----9----13----13----|--11----12----12----11----|--12----11----11----12----|
A|--------------------------|---9-----9----14----14----|--11----12----12----11----|
E|--------------------------|--------------------------|---9-----9----14----14----|

Again, try this one but instead of up to 60, make it up to 90. And we will use quarter note instead of sixteenth. We will use this as for chords. Many songs are constructed with chords and you can even create a song with chords. This can help you practice chord switching. Now, we will use a different example.

Exercise 3

e|---------------------------------------------------------------1---|
B|---------------------------------------------------1---3---4-------|
G|---------------------------------------1---4---5-------------------|
D|---------------------------1---3---5-------------------------------|
A|---------------2---3---5-------------------------------------------|
E|---1---3---4-------------------------------------------------------|

Here, we will use the tempo of the first exercise and, again, this exercise is in sixteenth note. Some may notice something in this part but for others who don't, this is a C Ionian Harmonic Mode. I used a scale for others to know that you can even use scales for your practice, just like we did in this part. You can even use Major scales like C D E F G A B. Scale is a family of note, just like Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti.

As for the next part, I will give another example but instead of left hand practice, we will now go for the right hand practice. Of course you also have to time your pick stroke. Assume ^ is for down stroke and v for up stroke.

Exercise 4

e|-------------------------------7---|--11-------------------------------|
B|-----------------------7-----------|-----------7-----------------------|
G|---------------8-----------8-------|-------8-----------8---------------|
D|-------9-----------9---------------|---------------9-----------9-------|
A|-----------9-----------------------|-----------------------9-----------|
E|---7-------------------------------|-------------------------------7---|

     ^   v   ^   v   ^   v   ^   v       ^   v   ^   v   ^   v   ^   v

This next part, we used eighth note but for the tempo, we will use tempo 30 - tempo 90. Now, let’s practice both hands. By doing so, we will use a long exercise for this part.

Exercise 5

e|-----------4--1-----------|-----------5--2-----------|-----------6--3-----------|
B|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
G|--------3--------2--------|--------4--------3--------|--------5--------4--------|
D|-----2--------------3-----|-----3--------------4-----|-----4--------------5-----|
A|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
E|--1--------------------4--|--2--------------------5--|--3--------------------6--|

    ^  v  ^  v  ^  v  ^  v     ^  v  ^  v  ^  v  ^  v     ^  v  ^  v  ^  v  ^  v

e|-----------7--4-----------|-----------8--5-----------|
B|--------------------------|--------------------------|
G|--------6--------5--------|--------7--------6--------|
D|-----5--------------6-----|-----6--------------7-----|
A|--------------------------|--------------------------|
E|--4--------------------7--|--5--------------------8--|

    ^  v  ^  v  ^  v  ^  v     ^  v  ^  v  ^  v  ^  v

Next up will be Picking Arpeggios, an exercise to help you more.

Exercise 6

e|--------------------|---------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
B|--------------------|---------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
G|--4-----7-----6-----|--4-----6-----7------|--4-----7-----6-----|--4-----6-----7-----|
D|-----4-----4-----4--|-----4-----4-----4---|-----5-----5-----5--|-----5-----5-----5--|
A|--------------------|---------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
E|--------------------|---------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

Now, let’s start the techniques. I will show you on how to work with a Sweep Picking. This technique can be very handy as you may know. Sweep Picking is just like strumming, but instead of a chord, we will use this for a lead example. Sweep Picking is just like pick stroke but for some instance, instead of up – down – up – down, it can be, up – up – up – up – down – down – up. Let me show you how for you to understand more.

Exercise 7

e|-----------15-----------------17h-18----18----------|
B|--------14-----------------17--------18----18-17-15-|
G|-----14-----------------15--------------------------|
D|--12-------------17h-15-----------------------------|
A|--------------16------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------|

    ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^      ^  ^  ^      ^  v  ^  v  ^   
 

e|--15----------------------------------------------|
B|-----15-14-------15-------------------------------|
G|-----------14-15----15-14-------------------------|
D|--------------------------15-14-------17----------|
A|--------------------------------16-17-------16----|
E|-----------------------------------------17----15-|

    v  v  ^  ^  v  ^  v  ^  v  ^  v  ^  ^  v  ^  v


e|--------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------18----19----------|
D|-----15-14----------14-15----17----19----20-------|
A|--16-------13----12-------16----------------20-19-|
E|--------------13----------------------------------|

    ^  ^  v  v  v  ^  ^  v  v  ^  ^  v  ^  v  v  ^

  
e|-----------------------------------------18-------|
B|--------------------------------14----17----20----|
G|-----19-18-------------------14----15----------19-|
D|--19-------17-------------15----------------------|
A|--------------17-16-17-16-------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------|

    ^  ^  v  v  v  ^  v  ^  ^  ^  ^  v  ^  ^  v  v

Learn from yourself and try to make an exercise with your own idea and practice it as much so you can perfect it. Practice is the only thing for everyone to attain some great stuff. You can make exercises from different scales. Ask others for help on scales for there are so many scales that you can try to practice your speed and accuracy. Don't forget to increase the speed every after each turn for as good as your fingers can jive with your music. And another, create and practice a technique of your own so you can play the guitar easier with the aid of that technique.

I hope you have understood this lesson, and that it'll come in use for you one day. Good luck!

Comments

[xDeV]

Good lesson =].

Appreciate the exercises.

[ryanoc615]

Very good lesson
It was very helpful

[zebackq]

it makes my finger move faster.
thanks man

[yaaarp]

I love the 1st part where it explains where all those letters/notes are on the fret board. I couldn't find this anywhere else. Thank you. Is there a trick to memorize which fret corresponds to those letters like G and E B and all that? Any way great lesson.

[betterman239]

just wanted to say thanks for posting this, it's very helpful.

[gozitaz]

great lesson.
the first part explains a few things.
Very helpful