Does it take years to play at blistering accurate speed?

[cire113]

Ive been practicing pretty daily for hours and the fluidity of my technique still isnt there..

I practice mostly really slow to build coordination and accuracy..

Does this just take a really long time?

[bThumper38]

Yes

[Duckwater]

Yes

[RustyAxe]

Yes, it can take years. It takes even longer to know what notes NOT to play.

[lfmn16]

No.

I saw an add in Guitar Player magazine. Apparently it's very easy and anyone can do it if you just follow this guy's method!

How long have you been playing? Are you practicing hours a day or just playing stuff you already know? There is a huge difference.

[stflbn]

Style and Taste trump Blistering Accurate Speed.

IMHO.

[Shakin-Slim]

Originally Posted by stflbn

Style and Taste trump Blistering Accurate Speed.

IMHO.

+1 always

[ducknturtle]

It takes very little time to play blistering fast flurries of notes. To play it well...that's another matter!

[Randall]

Some guys can play that way quickly, others can never get there. Depends on natural talent, training and ambition etc etc etc. Are you planning to replace myung from Dream Theatre?

[JimK]

Originally Posted by cire113

Ive been practicing pretty daily for hours and the fluidity of my technique still isnt there..

I practice mostly really slow to build coordination and accuracy..

Does this just take a really long time?

No...for some, that is.
Once upon a time, Oteil Burbridge played around here in Va. Beach bar band. He had only been playing bass for about 4 years...incredible facility, technique & speed for such a relatively short time.
What he had-
Economy of motion with his fretting hand & a very fluid plucking hand (IIRC, very strict alternation between the index & middle fingers).
So, you may be practicing for hours per day...you need to ask-
"Am I practicing the right stuff"?
I should know...years & years...practicing wrong...etc.

Another thing about playing fast-
More important...thinking fast.

[anonymous122511]

Originally Posted by JimK

Another thing about playing fast-
More important...thinking fast.

Yes.
You can only really play as fast as you can hear. I can only really push the limits when I achieve a meditative kinda focus. I actually practice that focus by playing very slowly.

[kesslari]

Originally Posted by JimK

Another thing about playing fast-
More important...thinking fast.

In fact, if you want to play blisteringly fast, you have to live fast.

Drive really fast.
Eat really fast.
Walk fast. Talk fast. Dial phones fast and text fast.
Have sex fast. Your girlfriends may not like it, but hey, you're trying to improve your musical skills.
And yes, the thought of "blisteringly fast" sex does scare me a little. Ow!

[Green1]

Originally Posted by cire113

Ive been practicing pretty daily for hours and the fluidity of my technique still isnt there..

I practice mostly really slow to build coordination and accuracy..

Does this just take a really long time?

I would recommend picking up the technique builders DVD and book from Todd Johnson, theres some good stuff in there to make your hands stronger and faster.

[Psycho]

Yes, but don't let it stop you.

I've been somewhat disadvantaged playing bass. I was born 15 and 1/2 weeks premature and had a stroke at two days old. Despite the motor skill damage and mental inhibitions, i'm steadily working my way to playing at high speeds, i've already got The Phantom Of The Opera under my belt and a few other faster paced songs as well.

If I can do it, I think anyone can given enough proper and correct practice. Make sure you're using a technique you find comfortable, and start with reasonable goals. Don't let anyone or thing stop you from trying and reaching your goals, especially not yourself.

[Diplowmatt]

I think it's probably better to play a song at full speed no matter if you mess up or not. That way you don't get used to playing it slow, and you can always go back and clean it up later.

I heard that from someone once...

[smeet]

I absolutely disagree with that statement...

To learn to play fast, practice playing slow. Remember, you learn what you practice. If you practice mistakes and sloppiness, that's what you learn.

Get your playing extremely relaxed and smooth and efficient at very slow speeds. Once you are using the minimum motion and strength and playing perfectly at a slow tempo, slowly begin to increase the tempo. Stay relaxed and smooth at all tempos. Eventually you will play faster than you thought possible.

[ShredderMaximus]

I would recommend starting to practice a 3 finger technique NOW. And by practice I mean playing everything with three fingers. If lotsa speed is what your shooting for, 3 fingers won't exactly make you faster on its own, but it will make it alot easier to maintain prolonged speeds.

Billy Sheehan, 3 fingers
Cliff Burton, 3 fingers
Alex Webster, 3 fingers
Steve Digiorgio, 3 fingers

I mean the list goes on, and I really kick myself for not starting to use it earlier.

And I think another aspect is getting confident with your theory. I passed my biggest roadblock by learning to just trust my fingers more and to stop over-thinking things so much.

But yeah, it'll take awhile.

[edbass]

Originally Posted by stflbn

Style and Taste trump Blistering Accurate Speed.

IMHO.

True enough, however blistering accurate speed is a nice tool to have handy.

[anonymous122511]

Who cares how long anything takes?
A) You never really "get there"
and
B) You got someplace to be?

[lowfreq33]

Blistering speed? Maybe a couple weeks.

Accuracy at those speeds? Quite a bit longer.

Learning that nobody wants to hire a bassist that doesn't know how to groove? Some people never get it.