stuck at 120bpm with 16th notes lol help

[liptontea]

argh i got stuck playing at 120bpm at 16th notes for quite awhile lol.

anyone wanna help and share some insights?

i tried to slow down and play clean again. so play and play until 120bpm still get stuck. haha.

it seems my left hand has no problem (i'm a leftie playing right hand) but my alternate picking just seems to be unable to catch up. and most time i would just lose the beat. and get frustrated :twisted:

the last thing i tried to do (to help me not lose the beat) is to play

updownupdown updown updownupdown updown...
instead of updownupdown updownupdown updownupdown updownupdown...

it did help me to catch the beat a little more but oh well still can't do it consecutively for >4 beats

 

[pianomankris]

What do you mean play clean 'again'?

You should always be playing clean.


The problem is probably your thinking of semiquavers. Try tapping them as right left right left, accenting (playing louder) the first one (in other words, accenting the beat). Do this not only for one beat, but over and over again. Try this again, this time beginning with your left hand. If you are right handed, beginning with the LH is more difficult.

Your hands only do what your brain tells them to do. If your brain can't keep up, then neither can your hands. It's as simple as that.


Guitar specific advice - Also accent the beat when picking, whether you begin with an upstroke or a downstroke. Don't try picking only on one string - to begin with, strum all strings when practising this.

4 a beat @ 120bpm is the same as 2 a beat @ 240bpm. It may be easier to try playing 2 a beat @ 240bpm, as every second note will fall on a beat, rather than every 4th note. In other words, you'll have less chance of going out of time.



So, to round off, just learn to think like a drummer, and practise actually tapping the rhythm, rather than purely using the guitar to practise.

Eventually 4 a beat at 120bpm will sound slow. My technically competent pupils can manage 4 a beat at 160bpm, and, to them, 120bpm seems 'slow' - the reason being that they can think at 160bpm, independent of the guitar.


The better you understand rhythm in general, the less something will just sound 'fast' - you'll eventually be able to distinguish the groupings of beats on hearing a recording for the first time.

 

[anuj_da1]

i believe you should be comfortable with the technique you use with your picking hand.. if you are not, you have to change it.. i usually use my pinky as a support like petrucci and malmsteen.. i started using this about a year ago and its greatly improved my stability and to play clean. i also use the top knuckle of my thumb rather than my wrist to propel the pick.. and place your pick at an angle of about 45 or greater with the strings.. you feel much less strain this way..i change my angle when i m not picking fast though... i get about 170-180 bpm quite comfortably and 190-200 on a really good day .. My stamina is really low as well.. so if i can, anyone else can

of course this is what I am comfortable with.. exceptions to this are paul gilbert and steve vai.. so you may want to check them out as well and decide what you are comfortable with..
hope this helped!

 

[liptontea]

I'm always playing clean, what i mean was after getting stuck i went back to the conventional advice of slowing down and playing clean thing again.

4 a beat at 120bpm or 2 a beat at 240bpm is the same for me. i will still lose the beat after awhile.

something i realize is that i lose the beat after my picking hand cant catch up and everything starts to sound jumbled up.

what do you mean by using the top knuckle of your thumb rather than your wrist to propel the pick?

i tried using my pinky an an anchor when i started but soon drop the habit as i feel it limits my speed, but sometimes i will use it when playing lead.

paul gilbert and malmsteen lol. i would like to alternate pick sweeping stuffs like PG does. godly.

 

[Dwichiesa]

argh i got stuck playing at 120bpm at 16th notes for quite awhile lol.

anyone wanna help and share some insights?

i tried to slow down and play clean again. so play and play until 120bpm still get stuck. haha.

it seems my left hand has no problem (i'm a leftie playing right hand) but my alternate picking just seems to be unable to catch up. and most time i would just lose the beat. and get frustrated :twisted:

the last thing i tried to do (to help me not lose the beat) is to play

updownupdown updown updownupdown updown...
instead of updownupdown updownupdown updownupdown updownupdown...

it did help me to catch the beat a little more but oh well still can't do it consecutively for >4 beats

any examples of e songs?

 

[pinkspider777]

always analyze your both hand movement/picking method etc, change your habit that suits you before you can go lighting fast

 

[superjet335]

Stuck!

I have the same problem too! I have problems counting even for 16th notes! Looks like I anint the only one facing this problem afterall!

Cheers!
Check out my blog at http://dabunny-electricguitarfreaks.blogspot.com/ for discussions and reviews!

 

[wannor]

Just slooow down abit
Or just go faster
Cause I had the same problem too
Then I realised
Ive been doing the same things over and over
No Variety
Losing skill and "cleanliness" in play
is a result of your fingers getting bored
Up the tempo a little
Learn new 16th notes exercises
And you will realize that you still have all your skills
Its just that they had been sealed up for awhile

 

[Shaari.jaffri]

most of my students have the same problem, the pinky supporting the right hand thingy doesnt apply to all, after all choose one way which you are comfortable with and then settle it in and progress from them, personally i use wrist method. just bear in mind when u going above ur comfort zone of speed, DON TENSE up. always relax,let loose and focus, play with metronome and feel the beat inside u, be it u tap ur feet or whatever. just feel it esp during ur count in when u start.


As u mention u stuck at 120 bpm, perhaps u try be comfortable at 115 range first. or u can try this method, since u aim at 120, just whack at 130 for maybe a certain period of time then when u go to 120 back, its not that fast after all since u been thru 130. \m/