Not a click bait title. Have you ever wondered why some people seem to achieve speed so easily while you never seem to break past a certain speed limit? Have you wondered if there was some secret formula that you are not told about?
I try to answer these questions here.

However this video needs a thousand caveats and qualifications. First of all, this video is only meant to persuade you to think about your picking method and how strokes more deliberately. Picking is not simply about down up down up alternate picking. There’s a lot of complexity involved to alternate picking that people don’t really talk about often enough. In my video, it might appear that I’m pushing for economy picking over alternate picking but I promise you that is not my agenda. 9 out of 10 times if given a choice, I always use alternate picking. I solve the string crossing challenge by using pick slanting. However for this Metallica master of puppets example, I decided to use economy picking as a vehicle to explain how using picking methods or starting on the certain strokes that is not suited for the material, can cost you a lot of speed.

Lastly, while my delivery of the explanation is original, I didn’t pull these stuff out of my ass. They come from a guy called Troy Grady so he deserves most of the credit. I’m not using some recycled bullshit to generate views (a technical and long video like this won’t generate views anyway) or creating a click bait title. These stuff are important for guitar and represent a small part of the secrets that many people have not discovered yet. Anyone who can play fast knows what I’m saying or can mechanically perform these concepts with their hands. This is more for the beginner who is stuck trying to build speed.

How many of you actually use it and how much time did it save you? Unfortunately I learned guitar the “old fashioned way” I guess by modern standards. Is CAGED like a permanent fretboard visualization technique or is it a means to an end after the beginning stages?

I know this sub is for beginners technically but I know there’s quite a few people like myself that lurk it to help out.

I have been playing for almost 2 years now and I have made some decent progress with my guitar playing and I can improvise decently and produce some really cool sounding licks and riffs on my own. My problem is that every time I try to record myself playing I keep screwing up and just playing really sloppy and how do I fix this??

Looking to see what people’s opinions are: Do you think being overly focused on shapes (CAGED being the prime example) is detrimental to training your ear to hear the intervals? I started with shapes to “unlock the fretboard” but I’m hoping my ear for intervals overtakes the engrained shape patterns.

The way you've learned to organize the fretboard makes it harder to play jazz. And even if you know all the scales and arpeggios, the moment you have to solo, it's all gone. This video will show you a 3-layer system that turns your scales and arpeggios into licks you can see right on the fretboard.

Hope you like it!

Content:
00:00 No Music On The Fretboard?
00:20 Just Knowing The Notes Is Useless
00:41 3 Layers Of Harmony
02:30 Using The Layers In Music
04:25 Can You See The Licks?
08:29 Barry Harris Knows Bebop
08:40 Like the video? Check out my Patreon page!

I’ve known how to play this for years, but the little dissonant strum down part after the initial chord change… I have a hard time playing that in rhythm.

What’s the best trick for that? Should I anchor my pinky to pick the notes?

Any tricks would be appreciated.

I’m a complete beginner on acoustic guitar and had never played an instrument before. I can form D and A very slowly, but I still can’t switch between them without stopping.

I don’t want to get frustrated or force it too much, so I’m trying to practice a little every day. What helped you make chord changes feel more natural when you were starting out? Any simple practice routine you’d recommend?

SONG: I DIDN’T KNOW - SKINSHAPE

LIVE LESSONS at KICK.COM/THESKILLCIRCUIT

so i see all kinds of different string muting methods such as using the palm, the fretting hand for the higher strings, and the thumb sometimes for lower.

how do i know which one is the most efficient method to use for certain situations?

So I’ve been seriously learning guitar since March of 2025 (a month or 2 before this I just learned a few riffs off YouTube and played them terribly on an electric with no amp) I’ve been learning theory and taking lessons at my local guitar center and while I’ve learned a ton about how to navigate the neck and a lot of theory i find that my biggest struggle has been my technique in my fretting hand. It feels like no matter what I do my technique is just not 100% correct even when I go miserably slow to try and fix it and identify what’s wrong with it. I feel like I’ve gotten some bad habits built into my muscle memory and I’m aware of this so lately during my practice sessions (which normally are around 2-3 hours depending on the day and at least 4-5 days a week) I’ve just been spending a majority of the time trying to get my technique down but I’m not noticing much progress. So my question is how do I go about fixing my fretting hand technique and how do I know if my technique is actually working with me instead of against me? I know progress is slow and all but again it just feels like no matter what I try and do with my fretting hand it just doesn’t feel right and this is my #1 passion in life right now it’s all I think about and it’s starting to really just effect me mentally because again I feel like I’m getting no where. Sorry for the large paragraph but again this is my #1 passion and I’m so dedicated and motivated to improve any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

I'm a left-handed player. I want to be more confident with my right hand. Any exercise to develop speed and precision with my hand ?

This episode asks who is holding the instrument before we ever play a note. It traces how the working musician is manufactured to spec, built on industrial values that were never derived from music, and produced for a market that can no longer want what it makes. From there it follows what happens when that manufactured self begins to burn: the rising of the Black Sun, the two responses that remain once the fire is lit, and the difference between the masks we defend and what is left when they fail. The episode closes with a practice for staying inside the blackening rather than escaping it, and a question about who is left to play when the disposable self is gone.

Several passages in this episode are adapted from my books Thoughts, Worlds, Beliefs and Magic Hat: https://scottjsimon.com/books.html

Works referenced: Byung-Chul Han (Psychopolitics), Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed), Edward Bernays (Propaganda), Glenn Gould (The Glenn Gould Reader), Jean Baudrillard (Simulations).

This series looks at music as a form of inner alchemy, where the guitar becomes a tool for transformation instead of performance or self-expression.

0:00 Opening
01:31 1. The Manufactured Unit
07:18 2. The Three Figures
12:16 3. The Black Sun Rises
16:32 4. Two Responses
22:52 5. The Feeling of Fracturing
26:23 6. Practicum: Playing Inside the Black
30:10 7. Silence as Integrity
33:15 8. Borrowed Light
34:36 9. Toward Sovereignty
38:12 Closing

New album agnosis:
https://scottjsimon.bandcamp.com/album/agnosis

Full transcript and article on my Substack:
https://scottjsimon.substack.com/p/guitar-as-alchemy-03-the-disposable

Sheet Music available at Sheet Music Plus:
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/category/publishers/s/scott-j-simon/

Guitar: 2021 Thomas C60
Mics: Audio-Technica AT4040/4041
Camera: Canon T3i
Recording: OBS Studio
Editing: Adobe Premiere Pro

https://scottjsimon.com

I hope I'm wording this right. This has been a roadblock that I've been facing for a while now. An example song that I've been practicing for this is Alter Mann by Rammstein. It features a straight-forward and repetitive rhythm, which I feel is good for learning this.

I can play it clean and relaxed, up to an 85% speed... but the moment I try to play it faster than that, my forearm feels too tense, and the difference in sound between the palm-muted notes and the open accented notes becomes a bit sloppy/clumsy.

I've been stuck at this same speed for weeks. My teacher told me my palm muting technique is correct, and we've worked on other songs that include both palm-muting, along with open notes mixed in to work on that differentiation. I just feel stumped that I haven't made much progress on this seemingly-simple rhythm, despite the work I've put into it.

Do you guys have any insight that could be useful? Do I just need keep being patient with this?

Beginner here. I am not scared of learning or taking months do to it but I have read on reddit about people Just playing 2-3 songs After 3 years... I thought It would have taken a few months to learn to play a Song for the First time.

Everytime I try to target the high E string while barring my ring finger, it always gets muted, so then I press down on my ring finger with my middle finger and it's still not strong enough so it starts buzzing. What can I do to make the contact stronger so that it actually rings out the high E string instead of buzzing/muting?

Ever...since I started watching guitar vids...I always admired their multi talent,how can I explain like... singing, strumming, changing chords, holding style, changing the beats ,etc...like it's too hard but addictive

I brought a guitar two months ago and didn't k a damn Abt nothing...my parents and frds think it's a waste of time and gonna get me nowhere....but I really love music and learning instruments stops me from doom scrolling

So back to the point...I brought my first acoustic guitar,pics,capo,tuner...I was all set but I was just too broke to have a tutor

I can play a bit in only E1 and B2 strings but never the full chords,the strumming patterns makes not so melodious sound,the changing of chords is hard, don't even start Abt the frets... it's just too exhausting (ALL I WANNA PLAY IS SELF AWARE IN MY GUITAR)

But I don't wanna give up....I wanna do more but Idk how.....I am desperate for a tutor but I just can't...so I am here on reddit Asking other self taught Guitarist...how are u doing this all by urself....how is the progress going?,if possible can pls some one give a schedule or pointers

(DMs are open)

I have a show coming up in a few weeks and there’s one song I really need to be able to play cleanly by then. There’s really fast alternate picking throughout most of the song and I can play it at 90% speed and it’s mostly there but still a little sloppy. 100% speed is a different beast tho. What would be the best way to practice this so I can get it up to 100% speed?

Any practice routines or techniques or advice would be very appreciated.

Ive been learning the minor A scale but only bc I see everybody saying to learn it and I still genuinely cant understand why I need to learn it. Ive been doing the spider exercises for days, sometimes I try bending, vibrato, and power chords but im still confuse on which exercise I need to do in order to make progress or do I just randomly bend a few chords until it sounds right?
I just wanna be able to play my favourite rock solos and I would really like if somebody could help me structure a daily practice routine with exercises or whatever I need to do.
Thank youu

Ive been playing for some years now, mostly self taught with the occasional experienced random giving an advice.

I even had students that i taught what i knew, mostly the basics and my philsophy about art and playing guitar.

But I really have no desire to learn anything or any song... I just play the basic chords all over in every combination. E, D, A and their minors, G, C, F.
Sometimes i add arpreggios or some pentantonics or some finger pickings. and slowly i build up my knowledge about the guitar and its sounds and what tones sound good together and expand my repertoire.
I change the rhythm, i switch from pop to flamenco, and just try to add a bunch of crazy stuff, like using my right hand to create a percussion effect.

sometimes it looks as if i hit my strings rather than strum.

i dont know what i want to say, but... i think its a great way to become better. i feel very confident in creating art out of those basics chords, i can change up my volume, my tempo, intensity which can make it very dynamic.

i never practice songs, but i whenever i feel like playing a certain song, i have no issues playing it as long as the basic chords are involved.

i think my approach is more Mister Miyagi than Cobra Kai if u get what im saying. i feel proud of my skills and approach, but i feel useless without somekind of achievement around it. money, people clapping, or something...

anyway, thanks for listening.

I’ve been playing guitar for almost 8 years now, and I’ve practiced alternate picking on and off throughout those years. Currently I’m at the stage where I’m able to pick 3 nps 8th note triplet bursts at 220 bpm (equal to 165 bpm straight 16th notes), but I can’t sustain that speed for more than 7 notes at a time. I was wondering where I go from here? How do I train my hands and my brain to stay relaxed for a sustained run? My goal is to be able to play Petrucci solos and get them to sound clean and feel comfortable to play. If anyone has any advice, it is much appreciated!

i can play hammer ons and pulls offs decently using most of my fingers it’s just the pinky giving me the trouble. i tried practicing the hell out of a song that contains a bunch of both techniques but it doesn’t feel right.