Specifically, fretting and picking speed.
Also, OP, quit comparing yourself. There will always be someone "better" than you. I can't sweep pick. Does not mean I suck. It means I can't sweep pick.
Can't play like those people you know? You're not them. Just be a better you than you were yesterday.
More importantly, what does your practice routine look like? Is it the same thing every time? Are you challenging yourself?
If I had to guess, you arent using a metronome. Implement that into your practice routine (correctly) and you will notice improvements, probably quickly.
I would recommend lessons. Might take some time to find the right teacher but they can help. There is great stuff on Youtube, however, they won't point out what you are doing wrong so the lack of feedback makes it tough to start out with.
Could be a few reasons:
1) Your technique might be incorrect. The best solution to that is to take a few lessons with a live teacher to have them set you straight.
2) Your left and right hand coordination could be lacking. Solution to that is drilling scales and exercises to a metronome really slowly and only building up speed as you can do each bpm cleanly.
3) You might not be pushing yourself past your comfort limits. Progress is only made when you stretch yourself, so the solution to that is, alongside practicing slowly, it's also important to sometimes just try to go hell for leather and see how fast you can get.
4) Your 1 hour daily practice might not be focused enough. There's a big difference between focused, goal oriented practice and just noodling. Solution - don't noodle during practice sessions.
5) You might be super tense. Speed only comes with relaxation. Solution - look up some classical guitar drills designed specifically for relaxation of the tension in the hands. your fingers and pick should glide over the strings, barely pressing with the fretting hand.
Hope something there helps.
Sounds like you’ve already found the problems, just isolate them and fix them independently.
Picking speed and accuracy exercises without worrying about fretting hand.
Legato exercises without worrying about picking hand.
And finally hand coordination exercises to tie both together
Make it fun man. What kind of music do you like? Might sound stupid but go learn all your favorite solos off your favorite record or something, start with the easier ones. Then you won't be bored while you're actually getting your skill down. Cheers man
Lessons..... Which sucks i know but the worst part of practicing an instrument is that you can practice the wrong way/wrong technique so often that it is easier to plateau than get to the next step.... An objective observer can redirect you... The lessons don't have to be ongoing but get one or two in to get you going in the right direction
Just keep practicing and focus on exercises that target your weaknesses. Everyone progresses differently
Using a metronome and/or backing tracks is a massive help.
You probably aren't practicing the right things. You need to do drills to establish muscle memory, dexterity and stamina. Scales are valuable building blocks. You probably need to expand the types of songs you are learning to get better. Recording over a click track is very valuable also. You can critique the heck out of your own playing and hear progress quickly.
Did you get your guitar a proper set-up? A good set-up by professional guitar techs can greatly improves the playability of your guitar and brings you instant progress.
Speed happens. You cannot force it. And where did you get that idea that people are fast pickers after three years? If from net, don't believe. I have met one boy who was exceptional fast after four years, and still, his fast picking was not very clean.
But, well, here: it is based on not doing anything that is not necessary. Each time any part of your hand, arm or the whole body becomes tensioned, you fail. You just will. Pain anywhere, biting your teeth together, having funny face, all these are signs of not playing relaxed.
Adjust your guitar or let a professional do it. Keep it adjusted and in standard tune. Use new picks in good condition, having the tip in shape. I have never been able to play much anything with thin picks. Keep your hands clean and dry, and make sure your pick is clean too. If your hands sweat a lot, wipe them often.
Play standing up, with the guitar hanging balanced. Use a wide, good quality strap. I know many young players like their guitar hanging low down. This will make you turn your left wrist, which destroys the finest control, which causes more tension than needed. So, after really mastering the technics, you can let it hang where ever you want to, but when training, you keep it as instructed.
Play scales. Use metronome and lots of time. You will not be able to play fast before your hands, pick and instrument are warm. A cold pick between cold fingers requires extra grip. Now you should know the consequences of this.
In the best case you can think, the is pulled down by the gravitation. Because you need control, that is how it not happen precisely. But you get the idea: don't hit your strings. Just a scratch is enough to make them vibrate. When you return the pick into the upper position, you really have to lift those few grams of plastic. And your hand.
There is also a technic where you turn your wrist as if you were turning a key in a lock. I don't use it, and am able to play fast. But I highly recommend trying that style, too!
Use metronome. Every time you play, you start warming up with a tempo that is so low that you surely will not get tensioned or make mistakes. And I know, that tempo is frustratingly low. But that's where you start. You accelerate the tempo little by little, and if you get tensioned or do mistakes, you return to slower playing.
If you have an hour, playing scales and arpeggios should be something like 20 minutes. Then 20 minutes of familiar tunes ans 20 minutes of learning something new.
Expect very slow progression. Learning happens while resting. So, don't think that you can learn twice faster by rehearsing two times more. Half an hour a day is better than three hours once a week. Anyway, sleeping is good for learning. The learning curve is not even. Sometimes nothing happens in months. And then, one day, you just notice that you have taken a huge leap!
I was fighting with speed picking for years and years. Flnally I thought that I don't need. I just am not fast. This idea made me relax, and it was a miracle. My picking improved literally one day, few weeks later. I cannot promise this happens to everybody, but now I understand what I was doing wrong: tension, forcing myself, having too much going on in my mind while playing.
TL, DR: Relax!
I ‘play’ guitar for 30 years and still suck.
But i do enjoy it. I feel your frustration though. ‘Just practice more or longer’or whatever is bullcrap, some people are more talented than others. Simple.
Its not a judgement, just true.
Some people have brains wired a bit different so, for instance, hand synchronisation is natural for them.
Or a keaner ear for melody, or a more genetically based feeling for rhytm.
But please keep playing if you have fun with it and can live with the frustration.
Succes👍🏼😀
I've spent 20 years playing guitar and still have many problems too! We probably don't have the same problems, but that's what playing music is all about. It's about getting better!
Here's a few tips though:
Play slow! Get a metronome and play to it often. When practicing something new play it as slow as you need to in order to be able to play it perfectly. Then slowly increase the speed on the metronome until you can play it at the target tempo. Don't get too hung up on speed though, the metronome is a great practice/meditation but it's not the be all end all
Play inside your ability. You don't want to be pushing it all the time! Playing something you think you have down and really paying attention to it usually uncovers some area you can improve on. Pick attack, smooth legato, phrasing, etc.
Listen to records and learn by ear! There's a million tabs and videos online and they're all varying in their quality. I've seen bad ones and I've seen good ones, but even the good ones don't help your playing like learning by ear. It helps with so much more than just getting the notes right. As your ear develops you'll be able to choose different positions and techniques to get the right tone and texture.
Some people are naturally blessed with a great ear and this is second nature. I am not one of those people. If you are not don't worry, you can learn. You just need to practice. A slowdowner like the application "transcribe" is great so you can listen at different tempos without changing the pitch. You could also find ways of downloading mp3s from YouTube to load into the slowdowner if you don't already own a song you are interested in playing.
Play more genres than what your main interest is! I've learned a lot from playing country as a rock guitarist and learned a lot playing pop tunes I've dismissed all my life. It's fun to shred guitar centric music but a lot of enjoyment can come from playing a simple part you can really focus and pour some musicality into.
3 years.. but how much of those 3 years has been spent playing guitar
Specifically, fretting and picking speed. Also, OP, quit comparing yourself. There will always be someone "better" than you. I can't sweep pick. Does not mean I suck. It means I can't sweep pick. Can't play like those people you know? You're not them. Just be a better you than you were yesterday.
More importantly, what does your practice routine look like? Is it the same thing every time? Are you challenging yourself? If I had to guess, you arent using a metronome. Implement that into your practice routine (correctly) and you will notice improvements, probably quickly.
I would recommend lessons. Might take some time to find the right teacher but they can help. There is great stuff on Youtube, however, they won't point out what you are doing wrong so the lack of feedback makes it tough to start out with.
Lack of drills on scales chords and technique. Use a metronome and get determined. You’ll only ever get out of it what you put in.
Could be a few reasons: 1) Your technique might be incorrect. The best solution to that is to take a few lessons with a live teacher to have them set you straight. 2) Your left and right hand coordination could be lacking. Solution to that is drilling scales and exercises to a metronome really slowly and only building up speed as you can do each bpm cleanly. 3) You might not be pushing yourself past your comfort limits. Progress is only made when you stretch yourself, so the solution to that is, alongside practicing slowly, it's also important to sometimes just try to go hell for leather and see how fast you can get. 4) Your 1 hour daily practice might not be focused enough. There's a big difference between focused, goal oriented practice and just noodling. Solution - don't noodle during practice sessions. 5) You might be super tense. Speed only comes with relaxation. Solution - look up some classical guitar drills designed specifically for relaxation of the tension in the hands. your fingers and pick should glide over the strings, barely pressing with the fretting hand. Hope something there helps.
Instead - focus on having fun playing
Play to a metronome. Learn songs that are completely out of your comfort zone. Practice veeery slowly. Watch YouTube videos for new ideas.
Sounds like you’ve already found the problems, just isolate them and fix them independently. Picking speed and accuracy exercises without worrying about fretting hand. Legato exercises without worrying about picking hand. And finally hand coordination exercises to tie both together
Make it fun man. What kind of music do you like? Might sound stupid but go learn all your favorite solos off your favorite record or something, start with the easier ones. Then you won't be bored while you're actually getting your skill down. Cheers man
Lessons..... Which sucks i know but the worst part of practicing an instrument is that you can practice the wrong way/wrong technique so often that it is easier to plateau than get to the next step.... An objective observer can redirect you... The lessons don't have to be ongoing but get one or two in to get you going in the right direction
they people that are good in 3 years play 3 plus hours a day with dedicated and focused practice. just have fun .
or lock in
Just keep practicing and focus on exercises that target your weaknesses. Everyone progresses differently Using a metronome and/or backing tracks is a massive help.
PRACTICE more. Try new routines and have goals when you practice
So you want to play faster with your picking/strumming hand but you can’t accurately change chord grips in time?
You probably aren't practicing the right things. You need to do drills to establish muscle memory, dexterity and stamina. Scales are valuable building blocks. You probably need to expand the types of songs you are learning to get better. Recording over a click track is very valuable also. You can critique the heck out of your own playing and hear progress quickly.
It takes alot of time and work to get speed and accuracy. An hour a day is not enough if you want to shred.
Did you get your guitar a proper set-up? A good set-up by professional guitar techs can greatly improves the playability of your guitar and brings you instant progress.
the harsh truth is that there will always be someone better
Speed happens. You cannot force it. And where did you get that idea that people are fast pickers after three years? If from net, don't believe. I have met one boy who was exceptional fast after four years, and still, his fast picking was not very clean. But, well, here: it is based on not doing anything that is not necessary. Each time any part of your hand, arm or the whole body becomes tensioned, you fail. You just will. Pain anywhere, biting your teeth together, having funny face, all these are signs of not playing relaxed. Adjust your guitar or let a professional do it. Keep it adjusted and in standard tune. Use new picks in good condition, having the tip in shape. I have never been able to play much anything with thin picks. Keep your hands clean and dry, and make sure your pick is clean too. If your hands sweat a lot, wipe them often. Play standing up, with the guitar hanging balanced. Use a wide, good quality strap. I know many young players like their guitar hanging low down. This will make you turn your left wrist, which destroys the finest control, which causes more tension than needed. So, after really mastering the technics, you can let it hang where ever you want to, but when training, you keep it as instructed. Play scales. Use metronome and lots of time. You will not be able to play fast before your hands, pick and instrument are warm. A cold pick between cold fingers requires extra grip. Now you should know the consequences of this. In the best case you can think, the is pulled down by the gravitation. Because you need control, that is how it not happen precisely. But you get the idea: don't hit your strings. Just a scratch is enough to make them vibrate. When you return the pick into the upper position, you really have to lift those few grams of plastic. And your hand. There is also a technic where you turn your wrist as if you were turning a key in a lock. I don't use it, and am able to play fast. But I highly recommend trying that style, too! Use metronome. Every time you play, you start warming up with a tempo that is so low that you surely will not get tensioned or make mistakes. And I know, that tempo is frustratingly low. But that's where you start. You accelerate the tempo little by little, and if you get tensioned or do mistakes, you return to slower playing. If you have an hour, playing scales and arpeggios should be something like 20 minutes. Then 20 minutes of familiar tunes ans 20 minutes of learning something new. Expect very slow progression. Learning happens while resting. So, don't think that you can learn twice faster by rehearsing two times more. Half an hour a day is better than three hours once a week. Anyway, sleeping is good for learning. The learning curve is not even. Sometimes nothing happens in months. And then, one day, you just notice that you have taken a huge leap! I was fighting with speed picking for years and years. Flnally I thought that I don't need. I just am not fast. This idea made me relax, and it was a miracle. My picking improved literally one day, few weeks later. I cannot promise this happens to everybody, but now I understand what I was doing wrong: tension, forcing myself, having too much going on in my mind while playing. TL, DR: Relax!
I ‘play’ guitar for 30 years and still suck. But i do enjoy it. I feel your frustration though. ‘Just practice more or longer’or whatever is bullcrap, some people are more talented than others. Simple. Its not a judgement, just true. Some people have brains wired a bit different so, for instance, hand synchronisation is natural for them. Or a keaner ear for melody, or a more genetically based feeling for rhytm. But please keep playing if you have fun with it and can live with the frustration. Succes👍🏼😀
its a life skill, as keith richards said "You never leave school"
I've spent 20 years playing guitar and still have many problems too! We probably don't have the same problems, but that's what playing music is all about. It's about getting better! Here's a few tips though: Play slow! Get a metronome and play to it often. When practicing something new play it as slow as you need to in order to be able to play it perfectly. Then slowly increase the speed on the metronome until you can play it at the target tempo. Don't get too hung up on speed though, the metronome is a great practice/meditation but it's not the be all end all Play inside your ability. You don't want to be pushing it all the time! Playing something you think you have down and really paying attention to it usually uncovers some area you can improve on. Pick attack, smooth legato, phrasing, etc. Listen to records and learn by ear! There's a million tabs and videos online and they're all varying in their quality. I've seen bad ones and I've seen good ones, but even the good ones don't help your playing like learning by ear. It helps with so much more than just getting the notes right. As your ear develops you'll be able to choose different positions and techniques to get the right tone and texture. Some people are naturally blessed with a great ear and this is second nature. I am not one of those people. If you are not don't worry, you can learn. You just need to practice. A slowdowner like the application "transcribe" is great so you can listen at different tempos without changing the pitch. You could also find ways of downloading mp3s from YouTube to load into the slowdowner if you don't already own a song you are interested in playing. Play more genres than what your main interest is! I've learned a lot from playing country as a rock guitarist and learned a lot playing pop tunes I've dismissed all my life. It's fun to shred guitar centric music but a lot of enjoyment can come from playing a simple part you can really focus and pour some musicality into.
It's time to reassess your practice routine. Maybe it's not working out as well for you.
It's hard
It's probably the cigarettes...
Now just leave ! lol
At least somebody caught the reference.