here’s something to think about if you would like to get faster at playing your instrument...

i’ve found that one of the best ways to get increased speed is to take your time getting there. it does take some patience, but the results speak for themselves.

i’ve met many people that learn a part and then try to immediately jump straight to playing it at 100mph, and the result is usually very sloppy and inconsistent playing. my recommendation for getting faster (while keeping quality technique) is to buy a metronome (or download a metronome app) and choose a comfortable speed to play the part or exercise at. the next day you practice, turn up the bpm’s a few clicks. keep repeating this process, and day by day, your speed will increase. and the good part of this is that it will increase in a more organic way then trying to force yourself to play fast. for exercises like this, i would keep a journal to help you set goals and chart your progress.

of course, this process will take a longer investment of time, but you’ll be a lot more solid for it. i look at it like walking up a really long hill, vs. trying to climb a mountain. walking up the hill may be a longer journey, but it’s a lot less strenuous, and you'll reach the same heights if you just take one step at a time.

written by: christopher bright

Tags: bass, drums, guitar, keys, speed

have you ever sped though a song at a show at (or even a whole set) at 100mph? here’s a quick thought...

when you are the one in your band who has to start a song, don’t just jump right in and start playing. instead, take a few seconds and concentrate on what you’re going to be playing. imagine a part of the song that you’re the most familiar with (maybe the chorus) and sing it through in your head until the tempo sounds right. once you feel prepared, just jump in and go for it.

when you’re on stage, you might feel a lot of pressure (the clock is ticking!!), but taking the time to prepare yourself for each song will help you play more consistently and give you and your band more confidence in your performance.

written by: christopher bright

Tags: confidence, tempo

if you are someone who records music using a daw (pro tools, logic, cubase, etc.), how well do you know your keyboard shortcuts? and how often do you use them? keyboard shortcuts are an amazing, and often overlooked way to increase your efficiency in the studio.

i remember years back when i was first starting to record, i primarily used my mouse to find my way around and perform operations. i knew a small handful of basic shortcuts, and i thought i was doing a pretty good job, or at least as good as anyone else. and then i got a chance to visit an established studio and quickly realized how wrong i was...

the engineer at this studio seemed like he was moving at about 500 miles an hour. he was making all kinds of changes and getting things done left and right before i could even figure out what was going on. despite my best efforts, i couldn’t keep up with him. it left a huge impression on me and changed the way i approached recording.

the best way to learn the keyboard shortcuts for your programs is to go a little at a time. maybe even just try learning 1 a day. in a month you’ll know 30. in 3 months, you’ll know almost 100. learning these at a slow pace will also give you time to integrate using them in your recording sessions.

you can find keyboard shortcuts for your daw by searching for them in google. (ex. “pro tools keyboard shortcuts”). also, please remember that your daw’s shortcuts may be different, depending on if you are using a mac or a pc.

written by: christopher bright

Tags: daw, speed

as i'm sure you are all aware, there is a musical alphabet that we all know and love, and it goes as follows...

a,b,c,d,e,f,g

now this is simple enough. it's only 7 letters long, and i'll bet you can you say "abcdefg!!" in a fraction a second, with little to no effort. but how fast can you say that sequence backwards?? take a second to close your eyes and try it out. when you're finished, ask yourself this question: "how hard did i have to think about that?" if you're having to put any effort into it at all, then you're putting in more than you need to. could you do this as fast as you could saying it forward??

let's take this a step further. what's 3 steps down from g? what's 4 steps down from f?

the problem this can create is that you end up having to put more thought and effort into playing your instrument than you need to. this can apply to chord progressions,leads, or whatever exercises you happen to be working on. in addition, this can factor heavily into your ability to transpose songs into different keys (which often needs to be done on the fly). knowing the musical alphabet both forward and backward can significantly improve the time and effort you need to put into these activities. so go practice your g,f,e,d,c,b,a's and soon, you'll find you'll have one less thing to worry about...

written by: christopher bright

Tags: transposing, guitar, bass, keys, christopher bright