Guitarspeed?

[redmax61]

Here is a program that is supposed to measure your playing speed and help you increase in speed. There's a free download of a demo version of it. It really looks interesting.

Anyone have any experience with it? Does it work?

http://www.guitarspeed.com/

[redmax61]

Anybody . . . Bueller?

[Jo]

Well did you download it and try it out? :)


Oh who am I kidding, I'm never going to be able to play fast. :(

[redmax61]

I did DL and try it out. It seems pretty cool, but there's really a lot of it that's been disabled from the full version. It seems to focus a lot on benchmarking your playing speed, which I suppose is a good thing.

[Greg Jones]

Robin, I downloaded the demo too, but like you couldn't really glean anything out of it as all the good stuff is missing.

I don't recall how much they want for the 'real' deal. <shrug> If paying for something like that makes you work at it and improve then it's worth it. Ima likely pass on it though.

[Norcal_GIT_r]

How does it benchmark you? Is it pick attack or accuracy or both?
The best way I know of gaining speed is to take a scale pattern and practice it slow with a metronome or drum machine and when you have it nailed at the current tempo increase to a little higher tempo until you have it perfect. And so on and so on.

[redmax61]

Yeah, that's what it does. You play along with a metronome and evaluate how easily you play a particular piece. They want $49 through the 25th, $79 after that.

[Norcal_GIT_r]

Sounds like you could do the same by recording yourself and then evaluating it or have a friend do it.
But if you dont mind spending the dough on it, I'd say it sounds like a cool little app to help you learn.

[Vinni Smith]

I have found that playing fast is a funny thing. Like Jo stated, I never thought I would be able to play fast. Then, all of a sudden, after years and years of playing, I could do it.

Playing fast is reliant on one thing, letting go and allowing it to happen and removing your mind and getting out of the way. One thing that happens is that you find yourself fretting the notes 1/10 of the pressure you usually use. The notes don't sound out the same when played real fast. They are almost muted but not really. They still have some tone but not the same amount of tone generated like when you are going to play a soulfull line. They are almost like ghost-notes. They have attack, structure and pitch but not full on tone.

Once this becomes clear, it is much easier to play fast and even REAL fast because you realize that not as much is being asked of you when doing so.

Am I making any sense at all? It is kind of a hard thing to put into words.

vinni