For the most part, I am happy with my overall finger plucking technique. I'm a floating thumb player that does well with moving quickly from string to string and I'm great with muting. However, I have been trying for years to increase the tempo that my middle and index fingers can "walk", but without much success. I am constantly pushing the two fingers to increase their playing speed, but I cannot seem to get them to move faster. Any ideas on exercises or techniques that I can try to get more plucking speed out of my right hand?
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When I need to play fast I play as lightly and quietly as possible. One exercise I do is to alternate playing quarter notes at mezzo-forte dynamic and eighth notes or sixteenth notes at a pianissimo dynamic.
For fast repetitive plucking, I do best with single index finger.
I've never pursued this method but Jamerson and some others would pluck upward with the index finger and then also pluck downward with the other side of the index. Kind of a "wiping action" with the index, up and down plucking, one side and then the other side of the finger. It can allow for extreme speed plucking but it is an acquired skill.
I've never pursued this method but Jamerson and some others would pluck upward with the index finger and then also pluck downward with the other side of the index. Kind of a "wiping action" with the index, up and down plucking, one side and then the other side of the finger. It can allow for extreme speed plucking but it is an acquired skill.
Metronome, relax, lots of practice. One of the tips I saw somewhere that helped was that in addition to working up speed incrementally, to play something at a slow speed and then immediately play it twice as fast, switching back and forth. I don't know why it helps, but it does. I use both methods when I'm trying to work up a really fast passage..
Unless your creating your own high speed music, I agree with the above. Learn to play the song phrase or measures perfect. That way you'll develop a repertoire of references to chose from in the future when you need to create grooves or play similar riffs in other songs. This gives the mind body something to store and recall.
Might not be for you because my technique is pretty heavy but I've sort of combined pick-like hand movement with finger strikes. So I actually sort of shake my whole hand while striking the strings. That or utilizing hammer-ons and pull-offs wherever possible in conjunction with economic plucking (using one finger strokes down across multiple strings on descending lines) helps speed things up if the line can be played in such a way.
I do this by holding my index finger tip between my thumb and middle finger and using the index tip as if it was a pick. Works for me.
Like all activities that require speed... You need to relax your muscles - relaxed muscles move much faster. Muscles are working in either strength mode or speed mode. As such, learn to play lighter and with your finger tips for speed parts. A general observation is that better players play with their rigs turned up louder but then play with a lighter touch. This also gives you the opportunity to play with greater dynamics.
I've been learning 3 finger technique for the last 7 months or so in front of Netflix. An hour each day, just running drills at a moderate pace. My speed and endurance are MUCH better than they used to be. Think of it like hitting the gym 