Speed Bumps Slow down to Speed Up
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 10:22 am
Forum Folks,
There is a good possibility that this information is covered elsewhere on the site, most likely in the TARGET program, if so please excuse the redundancy, however just in case, I found the tip respectable enough to share.
Hope some find it of some benefit.
Frybaby
To Obtain Speed...Slow Down!
True speed begins with control and the only way to get control is to SLOW DOWN.
Building speed takes a bit of time to train the fingers and your 'motor skill muscle memory.'
So here's a simple process for building your speed:
1. Buy a metronome and get used to playing with it. A metronome is going to be your way of measuring speed.
An Olympic sprinter works with a stopwatch to gauge progress. Musicians work with a metronome.
2. Start slow on a favorite exercise. Take a favorite scale exercise - for instance, pentatonic scales. Set your
metronome at a nice, comfortable tempo, like 60 bpm (beats per minute) and play through the scale in sixteenth notes (4notes for every beat of the metronome.)
3. When you can play it perfectly, then adjust the metronome speed upward just slightly (62 bpm.) When you can play it at that speed (perfectly) a couple of times, then increase the speed to the next level, (this time to 64 bpm.)
4. Repeat this "step up" process until you reach your top tempo. You need to work your way up gradually to your top speed. **When you start losing control, you've reached your top tempo. Write the top speed down.
5. You'll do this same process for each of your exercises...starting slow, and increasing incrementally...noting your top tempo for each one.
6. Your "top tempo" will change! If you practice this "go slow to get fast" process every day for about 20-30 mins. you can't help but increase your speed.
You won't notice much change for the first 3 days, but by the end of the first week, you will notice your top tempo going up a bit.
There is a good possibility that this information is covered elsewhere on the site, most likely in the TARGET program, if so please excuse the redundancy, however just in case, I found the tip respectable enough to share.
Hope some find it of some benefit.
Frybaby
To Obtain Speed...Slow Down!
True speed begins with control and the only way to get control is to SLOW DOWN.
Building speed takes a bit of time to train the fingers and your 'motor skill muscle memory.'
So here's a simple process for building your speed:
1. Buy a metronome and get used to playing with it. A metronome is going to be your way of measuring speed.
An Olympic sprinter works with a stopwatch to gauge progress. Musicians work with a metronome.
2. Start slow on a favorite exercise. Take a favorite scale exercise - for instance, pentatonic scales. Set your
metronome at a nice, comfortable tempo, like 60 bpm (beats per minute) and play through the scale in sixteenth notes (4notes for every beat of the metronome.)
3. When you can play it perfectly, then adjust the metronome speed upward just slightly (62 bpm.) When you can play it at that speed (perfectly) a couple of times, then increase the speed to the next level, (this time to 64 bpm.)
4. Repeat this "step up" process until you reach your top tempo. You need to work your way up gradually to your top speed. **When you start losing control, you've reached your top tempo. Write the top speed down.
5. You'll do this same process for each of your exercises...starting slow, and increasing incrementally...noting your top tempo for each one.
6. Your "top tempo" will change! If you practice this "go slow to get fast" process every day for about 20-30 mins. you can't help but increase your speed.
You won't notice much change for the first 3 days, but by the end of the first week, you will notice your top tempo going up a bit.