EDIT: Update of an old thread to post the new link to the same challenge - How Good is your Technique?
As a long time guitar teacher, I'm trying to get going an online version of something I've used with my own students for a while now.
I'd like to invite guitarists of all levels to join my Hall of Fame challenge.
A very simple challenge that can be done by anyone, which gives you an instant grading as to your technique level and encourages focus and fast improvement in everyone who partakes.
New link at: https://www.oldswannerguitartuition.com/post/how-good-is-your-technique
See also https://www.taplature.com
Taplature - The red pill for guitarists! Wake Up Your Practice Today!
Old Swanner (Paul Swanson).
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Comments
Sadly, not owning a video camera and having no desire to get involved with uploading to YouTube, I can't take part in your hall of fame. Despite the fact I got over 250bpm on my first go at the challenge...
Paul.
That's 16.6 notes per second !
Lol .. facing that fear is the first step on the road to improvement.
A bit like an alcoholic admitting he has a problem.
For what it's worth I've chucked this one at guys that have played in bands for 20 years+ and they've come in at 50-60bpm on their first look. And they'd have probably scored the same 20 years before! Of course as soon as they get a bit of focus on this sort of stuff it starts to improve, and fast.
Facing up to the truth is rarely a bad thing. I speak from experience having spent long periods in ruts over the years.
https://www.taplature.com/
I guess you get measured the same, but have to accept that with your disability you'll probably never be a guitar god on this scale of measurement. It's just a rough guide anyway but a pertinent and fascinating one.
I'd love to know how Django Reinhardt would have scored on this challenge, with his 2 crippled fingers. He'd probably find a modified way of playing it and whip us all.
However you'll still benefit from improving at this exercise, ie. whatever your current max, when you are 10% better you will have more understanding and ability, which will help other things.
You'll also benefit from adopting a similar approach to anything you are comfortable playing, and so what you learn from this example you can apply to literally anything you want to improve at.
https://www.taplature.com/
Some of the greatest guitar solo's are based on emotion and feeling. Nobody has ever beaten the theory of 'Less is more' yet.
It's too subjective but speed alone is not a true measure of musical talent, just muscle memory and physical abillity.
Give me one note played well rather thatn a hundred without feeling.
Anyone who can play like BB King please disregard this challenge. For the rest of us mortals, the insight you can get from this sort of examination is beneficial at the very least.
https://www.taplature.com/
I await my Crackerjack pencil with some excitement.
Except that if I was going to lie, I'd have come up with a much more impressive number
Woohoo, I'm competent!
I used my bass guitar...
Cue other random bass player jokes...
For the record, I would rather play 2 notes, approximately 4 seconds apart and make it mean something...
Over 10+ years of teaching it is clear to me that the single main reason that aspiring players cease to improve (assuming they are spending time with their instrument *hoping* to improve) is that they fail to distinguish between practice and playing.
The basic premise of the system is that to improve your maximum speed in the example outlined above, you will have to improve your technique. A fair if vague definition of technique is the combination of muscular strength and control, mental understanding and in particular finger independence. As these are developed (which can be shown by an increase in speed in the example used), ease of playing at slower speed also improves.
The brain has less requirement to deal with the physical side of things and therefore more freedom to deal with what we call the musical side.
Now here's something you may not have fathomed, and I have never seen discussed anywhere. The muscles which are developed to increase speed in the challenge example are the *same* muscles which hold the fingers strong in bends and consequently vibratos. Therefore by increasing speed in our example, you also gain further insight into the holy grail of electric guitar playing .. tone!
To sum up, even if you prefer the sound of 1 note to 100, you'll be able to make the single note sound better and better as you improve your speed in the challenge example. Improving at this sort of stuff is hardcore improvement .. *everything* you play gets easier and therefore *better*.
https://www.taplature.com/
also I got just over 100bpm in alternate picking and just above 120bpm with downpicking in my first hour of trying this.
It also sounds reasonably pleasant and can be played over any song being the 1st 4 notes of the minor scale or the 6th - 2nd of the major scale. Therefore it's a common pattern to see in famous solos in one guise or other.
https://www.taplature.com/
Thank you
Absolutely- I didn't mean to have a dig at all! It is perfectly valid to build up speed. I just know too many people who equate it directly with being a good player!
No problem, looking forward to your Hall of Fame entry
More on the above reasoning at
http://www.psgt.co.uk/technique_defined.html
https://www.taplature.com/
The PSGT site linked copiously above is no more. See my signature for current links.
https://www.taplature.com/