Is there such a thing as being able to play too fast? I don't think anyone would ever say that you can play too fast. The only thing that may be questionable is whether someone is using speed to create something very musical, or they are just playing a bunch of notes only for the sake of playing fast. Speed doesn't have to be just a bunch of flash. It can be a legitimate ingredient used in creating something very musical. Speed can be used to cause excitement in the music. Whether it is used in a written passage of the song, or if it is part of your solo, speed can be a very wonderful and musical thing. It's up to you to use discretion as to when the speed is appropriate. The main question many of the more inexperienced players ask is "I want to be able to burn!!! How do I learn to play fast!?" Well read on, because speed is this month's topic at Pro's Corner.

So what's the secret to playing fast?!?!

Is everyone gathered in close?...

...Are you ready for the secret?...

Well, here it is...

Ok, so it may not sound all that exciting, but it's true; the best way to develop your speed is to practice slowly, correctly, accurately and with good hand posture.

One of the best friends you could have to help you achieve this would be a metronome (or some time-keeping device like a drum machine). Take a scale form, arpeggio form or line you are working on. Set your metronome at 60 bpm (beats per minute) and practice you scale and arpeggio forms using eighth note rhythms (1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and, etc...).

Practicing this painfully slow will be a challenge, but this kind of discipline will help you in several ways:

• First it will help improve your "time" by forcing you to play your rhythms correctly at a very slow tempo. This can be a challenge but the more you do it, the better your sense of "time" will be.
  
  
• Second, this will help you to play accurately, with fewer mistakes. This will correctly record the scale patterns in your brain, so that when you build up your speed, there will be fewer mistakes because the information is so accurately etched in your brain!
  
  
• This method of practicing also develops fantastic right hand/left hand coordination. This aspect is crucial to developing your speed.
  
  
• When you practice at this tempo it also allows you to concentrate on keeping good left hand (or right hand, if you play left handed) posture; keeping your hand positioned so that your fingertips come directly at the fretboard, not from below, or from the side, but directly. This will give you excellent control of many aspects of your playing.

As your practice routine continues you can gradually increase your metronomes tempo, but keep it as slow as you can, for as long as you can. Practicing at these tempos, in this way, for long periods of time everyday will get you the speed and accuracy you are looking for.