How Do You Play Fast on Guitar?

You hear famous guitarists play with blazing speed.

It’s so impressive.

And you want to play like that… but your fingers move like snails.

So what’s the solution?

Here are three steps I’ve used to help hundreds of guitarists play faster. And fair warning: you’ll be tempted to skip the first step—don’t.

1) Don’t skip this: build accuracy first

The foundation for speed is accuracy—both the right notes and the right rhythms.

Play as slowly as necessary to play it correctly.

When you can play the passage accurately at a slow tempo, you’re building the coordination your fingers need. Speed comes later.

2) Find your “practice zone”

Let’s say you can play something accurately at 60 bpm.

Now try 65 bpm.

• If it’s still accurate, try 70 bpm.

• If it falls apart, go back to 60 bpm.

Your practice zone is the fastest tempo where you can still play accurately.

Here’s the key: spend most of your time repeating it in that zone—clean and relaxed—then test a slightly faster tempo. Once you can play the faster tempo accurately, you’ve just found a new practice zone.

That’s how speed grows: small wins stacked over time.

3) Use speed bursts

Sometimes gradual tempo increases aren’t enough by themselves. A great technique to mix in is speed bursts.

Here’s an example:

• Play 12 notes at your comfortable tempo

• Then play 4 notes at double tempo

After the burst, ask:

• Did the burst stay as accurate as the slow notes?

• Was it relaxed or tense?

Repeat this a few times. Over time, speed bursts train your brain and fingers to feel what faster tempos are like—without forcing you to play fast all the time.

One final encouragement

Yes, learning to play faster is exciting.

But don’t let the pursuit of speed steal your enjoyment of making music.

Every day, spend a little time simply playing—slow or fast—just for the joy of it.

Keep making music,
Sean