How fast can you play 16th notes?

[IamGroot]

OP here.

For regular playing, my 95 BPM is plenty adequate. I dont do any speed metal. But I my solo side, I do this:

Sorry, its so fast, its a blur.

So lets say the metrome is set on 60 bpm.

16th notes have 4x60=240 notes per minute.
32nd notes have 8x60=480 notes a minute
12 tuplets have 12x60 =720 notes per minute.

To be honest, I cant do 12 tuplets clean at 35 Bpm. Nor triplet 32nds. My restraint is my plucking. I can do 9 tuplets.

The guy that voted >140 bpm is doing 140x60=840 notes per minute, so he could do all the above at 60, but maybe not at the 100 bpm tempo required.

 

[5StringBlues]

I can plays much faster with a carrot than either picks or fingers.

 

[eJake]

I also can’t really think of any song I would play of two octave scales, especially at that speed. Unless you play a death metal version of the “The Sound of Music” Do Re Me song...
And in my experience strings do matter... the low E is much easier to blast out fast notes, but probably just “duh-duh-duh” single note 16ths

Lol i said two octave scales because they require multiple strings and shifts (on a 4).

 

[alaskaleftybass]

 

[James Collins]

I've been playing a bit more guitar than bass lately. I finger pick on guitar. I have been practicing for Capricho Arabe by F. Tarrega.

Really the song just requires playing around 60 bpm with a lot of 32nd note passages that you tend to play a little faster than the tempo when you can. In practice, I will go through all of the 2 and 3 octave scales on the guitar neck playing quarter notes, half notes, triplets, and 16th notes in succession with a metronome.

I can very easily play 16th notes at 80 bpm. I can do fairly well to 100 bpm but it gradually gets more inconsistent. I can play faster, but after that I can't hit the timing with the metronome really at all. The hardest part is getting the proper accents.

In this piece, I am playing 32nd notes at 60bpm which should be similar to 16th notes at 120bpm. Many of those passages use ligado which helps but has its own timing difficulty. While I can play at similar tempo to recordings, I cannot play along to a metronome at that speed.

I tend to be fastest with im and mi plucking. My imam plucking is the slowest and hardest to accent. I don't think one hand tends to slow me down more than the other. Both kind of hit the wall together and at that speed it feels like they are just off time together. My goal is to be able to play 16th notes at 120bpm as consistently as I can 1/4 notes

 

[ab2112]

Not as fast as Rocco that's all I know.

 

[IamGroot]

Lol i said two octave scales because they require multiple strings and shifts (on a 4).

Learn to shift to get 4 notes per string which will greatly smooth out your 16th note scales.

Edit,...if you play ofpf.

 

[IamGroot]

Hammer-ons in place of plucking

 

[SiliconElle]

Lol. At first I thought I was on the double bass side.

Idk what I can currently do, but the fastest I’ve played written parts fingerstyle in concert is probably when covering “One” by Metallica at one of my high school’s “pops” concerts. I think that was 16th note triplets at around 120, which would translate to 16ths at 180bpm. I remember doing that with index and middle fingers, much to the amusement of my guitar teacher who had recommended thumb index middle to the other students. I used thumb index middle in places where string crossings made index middle harder.

As for scales, when I was in better shape, I could probably go 140 on a really good day. I’m learning a lot of Beardfish songs rn, and a scale run on “Green Waves” is 16th notes at around 125bpm. I can play that pretty solidly on a 5-string, but I find it harder on a 4-string.

 

[azureblue]

back when, I was in a horn band that loved Tower of Power. And loved to play "what is Hip" A tad faster than the record. And every body had to solo. so WIH for about ten minutes. Three fingers for me, but Rocco does it with 2...

 

[Diamond_Dave]

This thread just shows that if you can think of a thing, there's someone out there doing it on the internet with a high level of skill.

 

[IamGroot]

I have been practicing speed lately since i am getting older. I just checked it and its 115, not 95 bpm.

I humbly submit the Groot method for building speed:

1 Use a metronome
2 Practice perfectly. If you cant play it perfectly, slow it down.
3 Find your comfortable speed for 16ths. If its greater than 80 bpm, go to step 8
4 At comfortable speed, alternate 2 8th notes and 4 16th notes.
5 . Alternate 2 8th noes, 3 triplet 8ths and 8 16 notes
6 Practice straight 16 notes for 2 minutes. Try to get away from playing single notes to something more musical. I practice scales or 1 4 5 with walk ups or walkdowns.
7 Bump up the speed and repeat.
8 When you get to 80 bpm, try practicing 32nds. Set the metronome down to 40.
9 Alternate 16ths, sextuplets, and 32nds for two minutes.
10 Alternate 16ths, quintuplets ("opportunity" or "Lollabrigida"), Sextuplets (I feel it as an irish jig,), septuplets (Gina Lollabrigida) and 32ths. Be able to switch seamlessly for any of the above.
11) Practice 32nds for 2 minutes.

Good luck!

Edit: I find playing with a lighter touch down at the bridge is very helpful.

 

[Russell L]

Oh, somewhere around 100-120, I guess. But it don't matter. I don't play a lot of stuff that needs that much speed these days. I never was into speed so much anyway. My obsession is articulation.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

fast

 

[Rodslinger]

I use a pick so very fast

 

[RJC1811]

What is Hip by ToP is the measure for me and I can’t do it. I can go for a while and then it starts to break down and get sloppy then falls apart altogether. Here is Marlowe DK making it look easy.

 

[James Collins]

Lol. At first I thought I was on the double bass side.

Idk what I can currently do, but the fastest I’ve played written parts fingerstyle in concert is probably when covering “One” by Metallica at one of my high school’s “pops” concerts. I think that was 16th note triplets at around 120, which would translate to 16ths at 180bpm. I remember doing that with index and middle fingers, much to the amusement of my guitar teacher who had recommended thumb index middle to the other students. I used thumb index middle in places where string crossings made index middle harder.

As for scales, when I was in better shape, I could probably go 140 on a really good day. I’m learning a lot of Beardfish songs rn, and a scale run on “Green Waves” is 16th notes at around 125bpm. I can play that pretty solidly on a 5-string, but I find it harder on a 4-string.

I'm not sure I understand the math side of this. I think there is some error. Triplets would be 75% of the speed of regular 16ths. Triplets at 120 bpm would be the same as 16th notes at 90bpm. If you are in 4/4 time, there would be 12 notes per measure playing triplets and 16 notes playing 16ths. I think you are doing the conversion in reverse. If you were playing 16ths at 120 bpm it would be like playing triplets at 160bpm...with different accents.

 

[SAlcott]

As fast as I need to.

 

[James Collins]

I also notice that a lot of

I have been practicing speed lately since i am getting older. I just checked it and its 115, not 95 bpm.

I humbly submit the Groot method for building speed:

1 Use a metronome
2 Practice perfectly. If you cant play it perfectly, slow it down.
3 Find your comfortable speed for 16ths. If its greater than 80 bpm, go to step 8
4 At comfortable speed, alternate 2 8th notes and 4 16th notes.
5 . Alternate 2 8th noes, 3 triplet 8ths and 8 16 notes
6 Practice straight 16 notes for 2 minutes. Try to get away from playing single notes to something more musical. I practice scales or 1 4 5 with walk ups or walkdowns.
7 Bump up the speed and repeat.
8 When you get to 80 bpm, try practicing 32nds. Set the metronome down to 40.
9 Alternate 16ths, sextuplets, and 32nds for two minutes.
10 Alternate 16ths, quintuplets ("opportunity" or "Lollabrigida"), Sextuplets (I feel it as an irish jig,), septuplets (Gina Lollabrigida) and 32ths. Be able to switch seamlessly for any of the above.
11) Practice 32nds for 2 minutes.

Good luck!

Edit: I find playing with a lighter touch down at the bridge is very helpful.

I'm sure you do the same, but I would also recommend always alternating fingers with your plucking hand. Dragging your fingers slows you down and creates an uneven rhythm. I think we talked about this in another thread.

Also, I know there are many fretting hand techniques, but regardless, you have to lead with your left hand. Meaning while you're playing the first fret, the next finger is already in position to fret the second note, even if just floating above the string. You can't fret and pluck simultaneously, the left hand has to be ready to fret before plucking.

 

[IamGroot]

I also notice that a lot of

I'm sure you do the same, but I would also recommend always alternating fingers with your plucking hand. Dragging your fingers slows you down and creates an uneven rhythm. I think we talked about this in another thread.

Also, I know there are many fretting hand techniques, but regardless, you have to lead with your left hand. Meaning while you're playing the first fret, the next finger is already in position to fret the second note, even if just floating above the string. You can't fret and pluck simultaneously, the left hand has to be ready to fret before plucking.

I use strict alternation except when I cross strings.

Yes, practicing synching left and right hands is why metronome practice is better with more than one note. In my mind, it happens as one, although subconsciously, the left is leading, especially when shifting.

My left hand is much faster than my right from playing guitar with a pick.