Developing speed with two finger plucking

[Lamphun_Lamyai]

There's no shortcut to technical progress all you can do is practice.

Personally I believe there are effective ways to practice and ineffective ways to practice. I mean, why do you seek out teachers and ask for help on forums? We are seeking to maximize the effectiveness of the techniques we use to develop our skillsets.

Are there "short-cuts?" Perhaps not, but again, what I'm doing here is asking others to draw on their own experience and to provide suggestions on how to develop a certain skill, in this case, plucking speed with accuracy. Can I do it on my own? Yeah sure. But will just practice, practice, practice help me develop a skill if I'm approaching the tasks haphazardly. Maybe. Maybe not.

I've gleaned some good ideas on how to structure my practice to develop speed with accuracy. If I had not asked the question, I'd just bumble my way along. The suggestions help to open up a path to skill development using techniques that worked for others. In my case, working with a specific technique should create the conditions for developing muscle memory faster - over time and with dedicated practice - then simply bumbling along the best I can without a technical game plan.

So are there "short-cuts?" Maybe not, but some technical approaches may work better than others for developing a skill...for each individual. What works for one person might not be optimal for someone else. So you reach into you bag of techiques, try different approaches, and stick with what is the most effective for myself personally.

 

[Lamphun_Lamyai]

This actually isn't a bad approach to increasing speed and accuracy. I've started using it to increase my speed playing Hysteria, and I'll incorporate the technique into increasing the speed of other songs that I'm playing but need work.

 

[JohnBrown13]

I was pretty active on the forum when I first started out and then I just got into playing. And I've done a load of playing.

I've got a year under my belt now and one plateau that is holding me back has been the speed needed to accomplish higher speeds in two finger plucking. Many of the song which I know and I'm proficient playing and which I've memorized, for example ZZ Top "Tush," is a base line I can play but I'm playing quarter notes. At 144 bpm I can hit the song with quarter notes, but when I go to eighth notes which actually comprise the bass line in reality - well, it's faster that my fingers can alternate and I get sloppy as I quicken and begin to miss notes.

A lot of songs I come across have pretty fast bass lines, i.e., eighth notes which I find a challenge. So my question it: How to I approach "speed practice" in order to increase my speed and dexterity? I'm already hamstrung by my age (73) and I just don't have the reflexes I used to have even 20 years ago no less when I was in my 20's, but I'm a firm believer that I can improve from this 73 year old baseline in plucking speed reflexes with practice. I'll never be as fast as a 23 year old but it's all relative. I just need to get faster reflexes than I personally have now.
o‘yin sayti
How can I accomplish this? I'm open to constructive suggestions!

First off, respect for pushing this at 73 — that mindset matters more than anything. You can absolutely improve from where you are.
For speed, the key is slow, controlled practice. Take those eighth notes way below tempo (even 60–80 bpm), focus on clean alternation, and only increase speed when it feels effortless. If it gets sloppy, back off a bit.