Speed and acoustic guitars

[3woodengulls]

So I got a question, I have been playing guitar for about 8-9 years now. I was really serious about playing when I started. I started late in life around 40. I was self taught and learned by just playing songs I like. Fast forward I started playing music with friends and then in a established band. This band is awesome for me however most of what play doesn’t require me to have fast speed on a guitar. I play mainly acoustic but I have been wanted to learn to be faster should I do this practice on an electric and then move to acoustic? It seems that the action on an acoustic can really slow you down. Any way just looking for some advice I think I may just practice it on acoustic but it really sounds bad compared to how I practice it on electric.

[warfrat73]

Practice like you're going to perform. In other words, do it on the acoustic.

[CollingsPicker]

My first quick answer is no. You don’t need to practice player ever touch an electric guitar to be fast on an acoustic. All the great speedsters like Roy Clark and Chad Atkins started on acoustic guitars. Some of the fastest players in the world are Flamenco and classical guitar players. There is nothing inherent with acoustic guitar action or neck that will slow you down. Unless, however, the guitar is not set up properly and it is difficult to play. First way to be a faster acoustic guitar player is – play faster. Play the same songs you were playing and know and pick up the tempo. I would look at my technique and the guitar I am playing to see if the guitar needs to be set up or your technique is such that it slows you down.

[RLetson]

On *what material* do you want to play fast? I mean, is your goal to tear through up-tempo bluegrass tunes? Do you aspire to taking blues solos at high speed? Or are there fast dance-tempo numbers (like some swing tunes) that might demand quick changes?

But whatever, I'd say work on technique on the instrument that you perform on. No sense getting up to shredding speed on a Strat when you're gigging on a D-18.

[Skeezix]

Yep, practice on the acoustic. Make sure the action is reasonably low, but you’ll still need to develop the finger strength and right+left hand touch for your instrument. Start by practicing scales or licks as slowly as necessary to play each note clearly, then speed it up. Take breaks and make more coffee.

[jazzereh]

You may need to search and listen to a very large number of acoustic guitar players who can play really fast. There's lots. In various genres. Do some research and then ask yourself again if you need to practice on an electric.

[nostatic]

"train like you fight, fight like you train"

[drtedtan]

In my experience, if you learn to do it on acoustic, it will easily transfer to electric, whereas if you learn to do it on electric first, you’ll probably still have some work to do when you transition it over to acoustic.

[s2y]

I find that a lot of speed is from action. A responsive top also helps a lot. Economy of motion and good posture. Lots of people assume speed is about force and that's usually a way to injure yourself faster.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by s2y

I find that a lot of speed is from action. A responsive top also helps a lot. Economy of motion and good posture. Lots of people assume speed is about force and that's usually a way to injure yourself faster.

IMO this is key, its something I learned durring a couple year stint where I concentrated on play bass guitar. Playing bass at a high level (not that I play at a terribly high level) is pretty much all about economy of motion, and it transfers to acoustic guitar pretty nicely.

My own tricks are to use hammer on/offs, ghost notes, abreviated chords, and open strings all to create the illusion of speed whist hiding the fact that my right hand technique is horribly sloppy. One staple trick is to hit a note, hammer on the next, then hit a an open string on the upstroke giving yourself a really easy tripplet, you can add a ghost note to get a paradidle, or learn some basic hybrid picking to make it even more efficient.

Other times I will hit an open note, then hammer on the next note, and then hit another note in the chord form with the upstroke... etc.

I recently recorded this song which has some fairly quick bluegrass type licks in it, if you listen you can hear those cheat tripplets all through it. Even in the solo where I get moving pretty fast (for me anyways) my right hand is still not doing a whole lot of work.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by s2y

I find that a lot of speed is from action. A responsive top also helps a lot. Economy of motion and good posture...

- to which IME I'll add a slim neck, more along the lines of those '90s Taylor pre-NT "playability of a fine electric" necks that represented the culmination of Bob T.'s initial vision, than the prewar-fat 1-3/4" profiles that have become de rigeur in current acoustic circles. BTW don't let anyone tell you that you can't fingerpick on a guitar of this type - if the bridge spacing is adequate (although I can fingerpick my Rick 360, with its 1.93" spacing, with just a bit of warm-up) and you're playing with the fingertips (as an orchestral-string or trained archtop player would do) rather than the flat-fingered technique used by many self-taught players, you should have few if any issues...

[Llewlyn]

Originally Posted by 3woodengulls

I play mainly acoustic but I have been wanted to learn to be faster should I do this practice on an electric and then move to acoustic? It seems that the action on an acoustic can really slow you down. Any way just looking for some advice I think I may just practice it on acoustic but it really sounds bad compared to how I practice it on electric.

I went from playing speed metal on electric (in high school / college) to play fingerstyle jazz from acoustic (now).

My opinion is that learn how to go fast on these guitars require different techniques, so you'd better practice on the one you plan to play. For example, on acoustic you'll have a lot of finger noise so your left hand will use slides in different. On electric, your fingers will need to constantly mute the strings you are not playing (assuming if you have distortion) which will also require learning a certain technique as you play fast. Your right hand will need similar adjustment as well.

Good luck!

Ll.

[rllink]

My guitar teacher tells me to "stay close to my work." It is all about shortening movements and staying close to the fretboard and the strings. I'm struggling, but it is getting there.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by 3woodengulls

This band is awesome for me however most of what play doesn’t require me to have fast speed on a guitar.

OK, so what does require you to be fast?

Originally Posted by 3woodengulls

I play mainly acoustic but I have been wanted to learn to be faster should I do this practice on an electric and then move to acoustic?

No, practice on acoustic.

Originally Posted by 3woodengulls

It seems that the action on an acoustic can really slow you down.

Only on a badly set-up guitar; or maybe one with too-heavy strings. There is no reason why an acoustic can't be as fast as an electric.

Unless, of course, you need acoustic volume (your acoustic has no pickup, or you have no amp), which is usually why acoustics are strung with heavier strings or have (slightly) higher action.

Originally Posted by 3woodengulls

Any way just looking for some advice I think I may just practice it on acoustic but it really sounds bad compared to how I practice it on electric.

But if you need to play fast on acoustic (in your band), then there is little point practising on electric. Or are you thinking of joining another band on electric?