How fast can you play?

[tmw]

I clock in at about 45mph.

LOL...that's impressive

 

[troyus]

Faster than any drummer!!! For a few minutes.

 

[peterbright]

My metronome maxes out at 208bpm...but I consistently hit straight 16ths at that. I've never found a use to be faster than that. Any more and I think my fretting hand would suffer. I don't play speed metal or anything like that, but I think the fastest I've ever had to hold constant in a band setting has been driving 8ths at 196bpm with a few 16ths thrown in.

You can download a free software metronome that goes to 1000 bpm.

 

[Danksalot]

done i win

bow to my superiority

16th's @ 250

You realize that 16th's means FOUR noter per click on the metronome, right?

 

[Andrew.Glose]

16th's @ 200.

But how often am I going to use it?

Not often.

Having the ability to do so whenever I feel like taking the music there is what it's all about.

 

[El-Bob]

You realize that 16th's means FOUR noter per click on the metronome, right?

you realize that's a possible speed right? TBer erlend can do it, check out his youtube video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DIcWeIP1qVM&feature=related

 

[Andrew.Glose]

you realize that's a possible speed right? TBer erlend can do it, check out his youtube video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DIcWeIP1qVM&feature=related

Not to be rude, but why would anyone want to hear that in a musical context?

When I think of speed, I think of Matt Garrison or Hadrien Feraud with 4 finger technique, in which you can hear every note they play. Clear. Not clanky. Melodic.

 

[Insanity^2]

16ths at 100 I can do, but it gets sloppy any faster, 1 year 2 months playing.

 

[Tnavis]

you realize that's a possible speed right? TBer erlend can do it, check out his youtube video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DIcWeIP1qVM&feature=related

I'm hearing triplets, personally. Not a slight on the player, i'm just hearing that as 16th note triplets as opposed to straight 16th notes.

 

[El-Bob]

Not to be rude, but why would anyone want to hear that in a musical context?

When I think of speed, I think of Matt Garrison or Hadrien Feraud with 4 finger technique, in which you can hear every note they play. Clear. Not clanky. Melodic.

I'm hearing triplets, personally. Not a slight on the player, i'm just hearing that as 16th note triplets as opposed to straight 16th notes.

i'm not hearing these triplets, iirc erlend uses 4 fingers, so maybe there would be some "quadruplets" or something like that...
anyway, i think he's a great player, you guys obviously aren't into technical death metal though

 

[Erick Lam]

you guys obviously aren't into technical death metal though

There's nothing technical here. It's sloppy as hell.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

I definatly can go faster if I got a drum beat to lock into, rather than just a ticking metronome...

Gotta love dual kicks

EDIT: What you have against tech death metal? It blows my mind better than most jazz

 

[Tnavis]

iirc erlend uses 4 fingers, so maybe there would be some "quadruplets" or something like that...

I could see that. More of a swung shuffle four note grouping as opposed to straight sixteenths.

 

[El-Bob]

EDIT: What you have against tech death metal? It blows my mind better than most jazz

+1.

 

[EADG mx]

done i win

bow to my superiority

16th's @ 250

I've seen that video. Actually seemed pretty sloppy to me.

 

[EADG mx]

Then why the heck do you post in it? Why polute it if it's pointless to you?

I want to know what my fellow bassist are achieving in term of speed in order to set reasonable goals and a time frame for myself. Most, not all fortunately, don't seem to get that and seem to view this as a sort of pissing contest instead. I had hoped for more from fellow musicians. Especially since the question is an easy one.

Because like others said, music isn't a race.



I just don't see why you need to compare yourself to others. Play as fast as you need to and don't worry about what others are doing. Just because someone's faster doesn't necessarily mean you need to keep up.

 

[NKUSigEp]

I can play extremely fast, really slow.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Well, i picked up one of these:

Invalid Link Removed

From what i gather in the manual and stuff it can pump out a 16th note beat @ whatever tempo you want, up to 250 bpm...

Even if it doesnt, its better than the 'nome i have now

I love speed. I even drive fast.

 

[bullshark]

Play as fast as you need to

That's exactly the point: I can't right now. I can play faster than I could 3 months ago, but it's still isn't fast enough for some of the material I'm asked to play.

 

[jbaird]

The last thing I did that I found really improved my playing was actually just straight test of how fast I could play, one note, in time to a metronome. Sounds like a dumb but it was as much mental as physical being able to hear 8th, triplets, 16ths in a beat at faster and faster speeds I probably have just tapped my finger on a desk or whatnot, long as I was just trying to lock in to the beat.

This helped just trying to play at lower tempos and not feel rushed by the beat, not being rushed means I can play better, sound better, etc. I'm playing songs out of 'Standing in the Shadows of Motown' too, not trying to emulate speed metal, but even some of easier songs there require some fast fingerwork.