How To Improve Your Guitar Speed & Technique Fast Using Circuit Training

by Tom Hess

One of the most effective ways to make fast progress in your guitar playing is using circuit training to work on many skills at once. Circuit training means practicing several different items, one-after-the-other with no breaks in between.

Combining circuit training with another practice approach called “speed bursts” is an incredibly powerful way to improve your top guitar speed.

Here is how speed bursts work:

Take any guitar lick and break it down into smaller segments. Then play one of these segments at your top speed several times while inserting a short silence in between each repetition. This gives you a moment to identify and fix any mistakes you’re making without slowing down your actual playing. Doing this trains your brain to think at faster speeds, making fast playing feel easier.

Watch this video to see how to practice guitar using speed bursts, so you can play faster and cleaner:

How To Combine Circuit Training And Speed Bursts Together To Increase Your Top Playing Speed

Use the following practice circuit to improve your speed in many areas of your guitar technique at once:

Step 1. Think of a guitar lick that uses several techniques (for example: sweep picking, tapping, scale runs and string skipping).

Step 2. Break the licks into 3 smaller segments to be practiced with speed bursts (at 90% of your absolute top speed).

Step 3. Use speed bursts to practice each segment of the lick in the following way:

• Practice the sweep picking segment (using speed bursts) for 2 minutes.
   
• Practice the tapping lick segment (using speed bursts) for 2 minutes.
   
• Practice the scale run segment (using speed bursts) for 2 minutes.
   
• Practice the string skipping segment (using speed bursts) for 2 minutes.

Step 4. Rest for a minute or two.

Step 5. Repeat the previous two steps 2 more times. Then try playing the entire lick all the way through. It should feel easier to play and sound faster and cleaner.

Practicing like this not only helps you improve your technique and speed in many areas of your playing, but helps you do it without practicing for many hours each day!

Of course, there are many more ways to increase your speed fast. Read this guitar speed article to learn how to play guitar as fast as you’ve always wanted.

About Tom Hess: Tom Hess is a guitar teacher, music career mentor and guitar teacher trainer. He teaches rock guitar lessons online to students from all over the world and conducts instructional live guitar training events attended by musicians from over 50 countries.

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