There are a lot of books about how to play fast. That's great -- everyone needs to make a living, and those books probably make a few people a decent living. But how many of the people who plunk down that money learn to play any faster as a result?

I have no idea, but if I were a betting man, which I am not, I'd lay money down saying that overall, not many people learn to play fast from reading books. They say you have to bet on what you know, and I'm willing to make this bet because I've bought a lot of those books and they didn't do squat. And here's why.

How many books are there on running fast? Not many. That's because people see running as physical -- something that requires a coach rather than a "theory" that can be learned from a book. And physical aspects of guitar are no different.

When a coach teachers a runner, the emphasis is the same as when a teacher instructs a student on the physical skills necessary to play a guitar.

The best way to master the physical skills is through a thorough daily workout of scales, arpeggios and exercises. That’s where our first book, ROCKIN’ JIMMY’S DAILY GUITAR WORKOUT comes in. While we slave away on the next manuscript, you can get a jumpstart by incorporating the regimen in this slim volume into your practice. MAKE it your daily practice session and watch things happen.

Of course, right in the preface of ROCKIN' JIMMY'S DAILY GUITAR WORKOUT, we state that you should work with a teacher. Find an accomplished musician -- someone whose playing you really respect. They will be able to point out the areas where your physical capabilities can improve.

In coaching runners, or learning the guitar, a teacher and student must concentrate on one concept -- and the importance of this can not be over-estimated: grace. When movements on the instrument can be accomplished with smoothly, effortlessly and efficiently, all other advancement is possible. Grace removes the physical barriers of stiffness and inflexibility. It allows us to concentrate on learning the fretboard rather as we do not need to concentrate on getting our hands to do what we want. But it also is necessary for us to play fast.

Think of a competitive swimmer completing a length of the Australian crawl. Now imagine you or I swimming alongside in the next lane. We would probably be working very hard trying to keep up, and fail miserably. The differences in our techniques would be plainly visible to a coach standing at the side of the pool, but we would have no idea where our energies were being wasted, where a repositioned arm could save us effort, or even how far in front of ourselves we are reaching with each stroke. A serious swimmer would never try to train alone. He would seek out an experienced coach who would provide the feedback necessary to help him or her grow.

A few basics:

-- Make sure the fingers of your left hand stay curled down towards the fretboard at all times. Avoid "fly-away-fingers."

-- Practice basic scales slowly, concentrating on very correct technique and creating a clear, satisfying sound.

-- Always practice with a metronome or backing track so you develop natural rhythmic sense.

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This is the fourth of a series of advance research notes on the next rockin’ jimmy instructional tool the tao of guitar improvisation. sending these advance notes will put pressure on us to finish the production and get the thing to the printer. Thanks for your support in this.

Also read these GNW articles:

SUCCESSFUL SOLOS
Guitarist's book has 'secret recipe'
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/000605/4.shtml

GUITAR-FU
The Martial Arts/Guitar Connection
By Charles Rathmann
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/000717/16.shtml

IMPROVISATION IS SIMPLE
By Charles Rathmann
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/001106/11.shtml

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MORE READING RIGHT NOW:

ROCKIN’ JIMMY’S DAILY GUITAR WORKOUT
James "Rockin’ Jimmy" Crimmins and Charles Rathmann

ZEN GUITAR
Philip Toshio Sudo

Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu

Effortless Mastery
Kenny Werner