Module: Technique & Control
Build speed safely using focused, repeatable drills.
Lesson objectives
Speed is something that happens after accuracy - not before. Playing a passage fast with errors trains the errors. The movements your hands learn under pressure are the movements they'll reproduce at any speed, so lock in the right motion first, then let speed follow.
Pick a short passage you want to play faster - a scale run, a chord change, a lick. Set a metronome to about 60% of your target tempo. Play the passage cleanly four times in a row. Only then increase the tempo by 5 bpm. Drop back if you make an error. Repeat.
The rule is strict: four clean reps before advancing. One mistake sends you back. This isn't punishment - it's how you avoid training the wrong movement at high speed.
A metronome shows you exactly where you slow down or rush. Without it, you drift through hard sections without registering where they are. The click makes the weak spots obvious, which is where the work goes.
Set it, play with it, and pay attention to where you pull against it. That's where to spend time at the current tempo before advancing.
Tension is a speed ceiling. Once your shoulder, forearm, or wrist is locked up, speed maxes out - the muscles can't contract fast enough because they're already braced. This is why some players plateau and don't understand why.
Practice staying loose. Shake out your fretting hand before a run. Between repetitions, let the shoulder drop. If you feel your jaw clenching, that's a sign you're forcing it.
Apply this to one specific passage this week - not your entire repertoire. One scale position, one chord change, one riff. Mark your starting tempo and track where you end up after five sessions of focused practice. The improvement will surprise you.
