Q & A
Lead Guitar - Questions And Answers
Question
Can you give me some tips on how to play very fast solos. - John
Answer
The secret to playing fast is alternate picking (up and down strokes.) Some players also use what is called sweep picking. They brush the pick down several strings as they finger the notes and then sweep back up again. This can give you some incredibly fast lines, but it requires considerable practice to master. Others use tapping, the technique made famous by Eddie Van Halen. In this technique, you don't pick the notes, instead you hammer-on notes with the 1st finger of your picking hand. Combining hammer-ons and pull-offs is another way to play faster as you will be picking fewer notes. Keep at it, and remember, speed isn't the ultimate goal — music is.
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