PLAYING FAST PART II by Roy Patterson

In our last lesson, Playing Fast Part 1 (Issue # 45, Nov.2005) we looked at ways of feeling the time at fastertempos in a manner that facilitates relaxation. We

noted that trying to organize the time in 4/4 at very fasttempos generates tension in the body, and that organizingin 2/2 allows us to feel a longer “piece” of the time andrelax. We also looked at ways of practicing small frag-ments of a phrase very quickly, and then piecing thesetogether to construct an entire phrase played very fast. Inthis lesson I would like to discuss another component inthe development of the ability to play fast. I am referringto efficiency of movement and good body (finger)mechanics. This aspect of playing fast can only be devel-oped by practicing slowly. In fact, the slower the better.We will deal with the fretting hand in this lesson, whichfor right-handed people is the left hand, and the righthand for those of you who play left-handed.

Everyone with efficient technique on any instru-ment has developed one important concept, and that iscalled “preparation.” This is the ability to play a notewhile preparing to play the next one. For every noteplayed, there are two events going on at the same time:[1] the fingering of the note being played and [2] thepreparation for the subsequent note. These two eventsmust be combined into one motion, and the way to dothis is to simply slow down and program the fingers tomake the movements naturally. The good news is that itis not as difficult as it sounds, and once you have devel-oped it, it becomes a habit. From then on it is simply aprocess of refining the movements.

With our task at hand (no pun intended) lets startwith a simple major scale and look carefully at the move-ments involved in preparation. Fig.1 is a simple twooctave G major scale played in the second position. Withthe thumb positioned behind the middle finger, or betweenthe index and middle finger, position the fingers so thatthey cover a four-fret span, with one fret assigned to eachfinger. Notes on the second fret will be played with thefirst finger, notes on the third fret will be played with thesecond finger, notes on the fourth fret with the third fingerand notes on the fifth fret with the fourth finger.

Now, as you play the first note of the scale (G on

the sixth string) move your fourth finger so that the tip ishovering just above the next note of the scale. (A on thefifth fret) Repeat this movement several times, soundingthe G while preparing the fourth finger to play the nextnote AT THE SAME TIME. When you can do this as onemovement, play the A with the fourth finger and positionthe first finger above the B on the fifth string. This mustbe done as one movement. Repeat this several times andgo back to the beginning of the scale, playing the firstthree notes in this manner. Although we are playing thenotes very slowly or out of tempo, the two movementsmust be combined as one. It is as if the preparing finger“snaps” into position to play the next note just as the firstnote is articulated, with no time between the articulationof the note and the preparation of the next note.

Build up the entire scale in this manner, one noteat a time, preparing the fingers to play each consecutivenote. You should take as much time as necessary betweeneach note, but make sure that the preparation is instanta-neous, in perfect sync with the note being played. Afteryou have some command of this technique, try applyingit to a melody or a bop phrase. Note that when executinga pull off, the lower note should already be fretted beforethe higher note is pulled off.

You might find that there is a tendency for thefingers to “run away” from the fingerboard, especiallythe pinkie. This exercise will help to cultivate good formin the hand. The only way that the preparation can beproperly executed is by keeping the fingers close to thestrings. The practice of hammer on and pull off exercis-es found in many classical guitar technique books arevery effective for strengthening the fingers and cultivat-ing good form in the hand.

As is often the case, the most fundamental tech-niques yield the greatest results and it would be a mistaketo treat this lightly because of the simplicity involved. Bycombining the material in this lesson with the concepts inthe last lesson, you will develop an ability to play at fasttempos in a relaxed manner. Of course there is still theother hand to consider, and we will look at that in futurelessons. As always, enjoy and take pride in your craft.

Roy Patterson is a Toronto based guitarist on the Faculties of Music atthe University of Toronto and York University. Visit <roypatterson.com>

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