How to Play Fast?

It goes, almost without saying, that we are not physical clones of one another. Within a basic common human anatomy small differences exist from individual to individual – the relative lengths of the fingers, the relative lengths of each phalanx within a finger, the lengths and attachment points of ligaments, elasticity, musculature, the degree of coordination between the fingers and between the two hands. Small differences also exist in the capabilities of the nervous system in general. In a scientific/anatomical sense I know less than nothing about these kinds of things, but as a musician I know that the hand positions and finger movements present in virtuosic playing differ from player to player. This is not only true of guitarists. It’s also true of virtuoso pianists and violinists.

Very fast playing, almost by definition, approaches a player’s physical limits and it’s at this point that anatomical and neural idiosyncrasies rise to the surface. It should therefore come as no surprise that the finger movements and hand positions of very fast players look a little different from one another (I wonder if they feel different from one another?). Each of these players has found an idiosyncratic way to achieve similarly excellent results, but at the point of virtuosity (or at the limits of anyone’s physical ability) technique is no longer prescriptive.

I do not believe that a unique “best method” exists for developing virtuosic playing. What do exist are methods for developing a foundation technique that will ultimately allow an individual to approach the maximum of their potential. By the same token, “methods” exist that can prevent a player from reaching their potential. While practice techniques exist that can help us reach our speed potential, there’s a degree of uncertainty built into the process. What is certain is that we will never reach our personal level of virtuosity if limitations have been built into our foundation technique.

Virtuoso players have discovered the “knack” or the “feel” of the thing. It’s a bit like learning to whistle or ride a bike (or to play a barre chord!) — ultimately we develop a feel for it simply through trying.

So, what is the best way to play fast?

SY