How to "Speed Up" Wrist/forearm rotation

Playing Technique
#21

Yep. Also, that run he does around 3:28 (which is so cool) is swipe city. I wish I didn’t have to say this lol but there’s nothing wrong with that. Swiping is genius. I only throw this disclaimer out because I think some people think it’s cheating or “less good” or something.

But I guess this goes back to a theory I suggested - what if this motion, which is quite good, can only get up to 130 - 140 bpm? When it needs to go beyond that, it achieves it by…turning into something else! It’s possible!

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#22

When I say it like this if your speed is some what fast already, you will have to lengthen this 10 minutes over a period of your entire practice time. Like keep pushing the speed, but also stop after every minute to work on something else for about 5 to 10 minutes while your hands chill, just like a live lead player would during a show. Then proceed to work on speed again for another minute. But don’t do this for more than 8 to 10 minutes, then forget it, and only stay within your natural limitations as you practice other areas of music when not pushing the speed. Maybe even do this every other day, or only 3 times a week.

Here is something also that I think we don’t really think to much about, but you got to try to rev up (gear up is what Joe Stump called it during that video with Troy where somebody asked why he shakes his hand). There is this combination phrase that Stochelo does in this song I am trying to learn currently Tiger Rag. He does this 2 bar kind of tremolo thing before going into this enclosure style repeated fragment phrasing. It has that same revving up (gearing up) before he brings in his left hand.

#23

I am totally cool with swiping; lol I didn’t realize how much of it that I do! If it’s part of what I have to do to play my notes, so be it. That 3:28 bit is awesome/ridiculous hahah Totally killer!

But I guess this goes back to a theory I suggested - what if this motion, which is quite good, can only get up to 130 - 140 bpm? When it needs to go beyond that, it achieves it by…turning into something else! It’s possible!

That may be; and you know I am totally cool with it as well; I just don’t know what the “limit” is, and I am trying to learn some optimizations to hopefully make this work for me; I am not looking for too much; like 10-20 more bpm! lol

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#24



I’m not actually practicing the “speed thing” I am just trying to get a particular motion to groove at a slightly faster tempo; It’s just what I am working on and what I am interested in. I’ve included a few clips of some of my previous works. Sometimes things sound better than others hahaha No envy, I like creating music, and I think that having this particular ability will help me create some different stuff. I’m into my own thing.

Anyways, anyone have any ideas on how do speed up the forearm/wrist twist? Thanks in advance…

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#25

I am glad you didnt take that i was really saying this towards you. we’ve talked enough that i am just pissed off you are strugglin and wish you could attain that which you need to progress further with your techniques that you need for composition purposes. sometimes you just gotta fight through it, in whatever way you can mentally and physically handle. but there probably are some on here that are jealous, envious, discontent, that really need to look within and reflect, try to find content with who they are inside. trying to find your voice can be hard for those who struggle with the music side of things when there ears arent developed that well.

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#26

Naw, we’re good Brade; I’m just learning a thing on guitar - I’ll get it! And if not, that’s okay too because I am learning other things along the way that are really useful.

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#28

Yeah…no. So much no.

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#29

According to who?

#30

thats mostly wrist picking with some finger to it lmao ask troy grady, summon him

his using mostly wrist action, is an illusion

#31

“Summon him”

Classy.

#32

Troy has a video on the site about it:

https://troygrady.com/primer/motion-mechanics/chapter-4-identifying-finger-joint-motion/

EDIT:
And he directly references Takayoshi Ohmura in it, the player from my last post. I personally think finger motion is really cool, wish I could do it better! Sad that it seems to get a somewhat bad rep despite great players using it e.g. Ohmura, Filho, Malmsteen :slight_smile:

#34

I could try and help myself…but I’m not going to…

image

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#35

How do you explain an 8 year old girl having faster left hand than 99% of strong adult men?

Its not strength, is the brain who is Playing

Some people just have more powerful brains that excel fine motor skilsl

#36

Who here is saying strength is the key? I’ve never heard that.

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#37

Developing left hand speed is way more difficult and takes way longer than picking speed. Anyone who has been playing for a while should know this by now.

When you play an alternate picking pattern, for example, if you are playing 3 notes per string, that’s actually 18 notes, but you’re only doing 6 string changes aka slanting. If you play 4 notes, is even more total notes, but still only 6 changes

Alternate picking in one string is very easy and is not the string changes holding you back, is the left hand not being able to keep up.

Thats what takes many and many years of practice and there is no trick or course that will change this.

Some people have an easier time gaining left hand speed, you can call it talent, genetics, etc but is a reality and it exists.

Similarly, some people despite countless pracgice may never achieved shred speeds on left hand either

The idea that anyone can achieve 200+bpm with just enough metronome and dedication is very naive, we all have limitations imposed by our physiology

You can become as fast as you can become tho, you won’t know until you try.

Its that simple. Exceptionalism at something is not meant for everyone if it was just practice and hard world, anyone could be tyson, phelps, messi, usain bolt, etc

#38

Clearly you’ve not actually gone through the primer, or have much insight into CTC at all…

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#39

There are tons of resources on here that refute just about every last thing you’ve said.

If you want to avail yourself of them, great. If not, willful ignorance will be the actual problem.

The amount of evidence is staggering. Not to mention countless people (like me) on here who have blown by these tropes.

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#40

hahahaha What did I start here? Leeeeeroy Jenkins!

Anyways, any thoughts on developing wrist/forearm speed? I am thinking it’s just a matter of spending time with it and trying to find comfortable optimizations.

I dug up this old video of my “elbow” playing; There’s some things I could have done a lot differently, but alas I didn’t understand how elbow worked, and also didn’t see that playing motion as an advantage, even though I’d pretty much always used some variation of elbow my whole life I think. I can still do this motion, actually - but I am interested in other options at this point if that makes sense

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#41

And just so I can keep up, according to what you keep telling us, you apparently “suck” now…but back then you were even “worse”? Lol! That’s some killer playing. Nice aggressive attack.

Now that you’ve done more of the wristy stuff, have you tried bringing the elbow out of retirement, just for fun? Curious if you’d have a sense of enhanced articulation, or even some mixed escape capabilities now.

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#42

A major thing that helps me is anchoring, cus then you can utilize leverage. I often anchor on the top of the bridge with my palm for a really solid forarm wrist support. Put I do usx, I think it should be just as useful using dsx, but I can’t say for fact, Doing elbow I anchor with the pinky, so part of my hand is acually connected with the guitar with friction. The elbow hand gliding you do, to me at least seems like it can be a bit too loose?

I like to think of it like writing, it’s far easier to write fast n controlled with part of your hand on the paper, vs lets say a blackboard, or Asian calligraphy where your hand is floating or gliding over the writing surface.

Maybe write something on paper and look at what your palm is doing, I assume you you like most will anchor on the paper with your palm?