Mar
23
Frustration
I estimate that I spent around 30 hours this week on a single lick. It's from Dream Theater's "Overture 1928", one of my upcoming audition pieces, and it's currently the biggest holdup to playing the whole song at full speed. I realized today that I don't think I'm any faster than I was a week ago. I break down at 90bpm and I need to be at 112bpm.
Once in a while this is a pain in the ass. Things could be worse.
Watch out for the Easter Bunny; he resumes his normal job tomorrow.
Mike (24 Mar 2008 at 10:43am)
Well, as Petrucci says, speed doesn't come in steps, more like waves. You'll go a month with no improvement, then on day 30, you're playing 20bpm faster with no trouble. I'm in the same boat myself, trying to get Vai's 'Oooo' down. That's a beast of a solo.
If I could make a suggestion that seems to work wonders for me, try playing the lick at a speed where you couldn't possibly make a mistake if you tried (for me, it's quarter notes at 160; 16ths at 40 is just too depressing, haha), and don't push above that. Just focus on being totally relaxed in every muscle you're using (hell, even the ones you're not using). It's not a magic formula for speed, and it is fairly uninteresting, but when you do finally speed up, you might be surprised how much easier it is.
The book I got this idea from is called Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner. It's a great read, and it's not just about getting fast, but tackling things like stagefright and creativity. I'd definitely recommend it if you're curious. Then again, you might already know all this stuff!
Good luck, and great blog.
K (24 Mar 2008 at 10:00pm)
Hang in there...speed comes. When I was in 10th grade all I wanted to play was Yngwie Malmsteen....It took a lot of time and patience...but that's how I got my chops. Lots of time and patience. Musicality came later...lol
Sounds like you are doing the right things. Incremental metronome settings are a must. Also, it's good to try playing the lick in different note values. Switching between straight 8ths and swing feel is always good. It will give you better command over the phrase. I also recommend, what I call bursts. Play a lick maybe 3x with 8ths at a decent speed, and then "burst" 16ths. You can change randomly between 8ths and 16ths mid-lick. You can burst the whole lick or just certain sections of it. Burst speed is such that you probably couldn't make it all the way through....really pushing the envelope. What happens is your muscles start to gradually get the hint that they need to twitch faster. The bursts get them used to this. It's very helpful. It's also good to play without a metronome slow ramping up to fast....or slow to fast burst style but still no metro. As Mike said above stay relaxed!!! (shoulders, neck, arms, hands)
I assume if you've practiced it 30 hrs, you have broken it down into smaller problem phases as well? If you haven't it's essential. Chances are there are a few key points in the lick that are preventing you from nailing it. Try the above suggestions with each problem mini-lick as well.
Cheers
K
Joe (25 Mar 2008 at 7:57am)
Just re-listened to Vai's "Oooo." Good luck with that. It seems Vai doesn't deal in non-beast solos.
I gotta write about the different techniques I've been using to build speed. These are great ideas above, and I'm already employing them, at least in part. My kick lately is to start at that really comfortable tempo, increase a notch, go back down, increase 2 notches, go back down, etc. until I make it past my limit. This requires a majority of time spent at slow tempos while allowing a gradual buildup and eventual pushing of my limits.
Thanks for your thoughts.
J (27 Mar 2008 at 7:24am)
Whenever I get frustrated, I've found that ice cream seems to help... No, seriously; I practice the technical passage in cells (groups of 3-4 notes) and move slowly through the trouble spots. And Mike's comment about relaxation is key; tension is the devil and you must deal with it using awareness, breathing, and willpower.
Peace,
J