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Exercise for right hand plucking speed?

F

For_Ironys_Sake

Jul 7, 2008
41
0
#1
I looked and i really didnt see a thread about this but if there is one then I'm sorry! :crying:

But i need help >>> :help:

I've been trying to play a lot of stuff like older metallica(mainly off of "kill 'em all") and stuff of the sort, even some faster punk, but my hand will either just not pluck that fast or it will like tense up and slow down. I know I'm supposed to be relaxed and not stress my hand too much, but even if I do that I'm still not fast enough.

Any exercises or advice would be awesome. Thanks

Oh, and I dont feel like using a pick (not too good with those haha) and I feel like sticking with two fingers
 
#2
Part of your problem may have to do with your choice of words. :) If you're "plucking" the strings, you need to work on your technique first. Somebody posted this site the other day and I thought it was awesome http://www.studybass.com/. You might find some help there. You should be sort of sliding your fingers across the strings from one to the next. I believe there's some good info on that this in the link.

Once you've got your technique right (or if it's already right) then the only thing that's going to bring the speed is patience and commitment. Trying to go as fast as you can until your hand cramps up sin't going to do it. Working really patiently with a metronome will. Trick is to find a nice comfortable tempo and just keep playing at it, for like 5, 10 minutes non stop. Take a break, then go up a notch. Repeat. Repeat again. Go backwards, go forwards. Take a long break, or hit it again the next day. It's hard to have faith in practicing slowly before you see that the results are really almost magical. The speed comes from muscle memory. Once your fingers go on automatic pilot you don't need your brain anymore and the speed just follows. Some of us never use our brains anyway. :)

Oh yeah - that website above has a nifty online metronome too.
 
#3
A thing that helped me, to get the righthand speed up, was to train explosiveness.
For example, if you are training to run 60 meters, you dont need stamina over long time, you want explosiveness.

A simple thing that I did, and still do, it to play four notes as fast as i could, but started slow, of course (middle index middle index). Im not sure if thats the best method, but it helped me. Now Im able to play galopping (like Maiden - The Trooper) with just the two fingers.

"will like tense up and slow down" Did you warm up before you play?

Also, as Joe said, work on the technique part too!
Hope it helps some:]
 
#6
The standard wisdom around here for playing faster is this:

play with a metronome
play slowly, at a speed where all your notes come out cleanly, evenly, and accurately.

then incrementally speed up the metronome a bit each time you practice -if you get sloppy, dial it back a bit. Write down the tempos you cna play accurately at as you go and you'll see them slowly creep up.

Keep this up for a month or two and your speed is guaranteed to improve.

You are wise to know to play lightly
 

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