Question:
are there any exercises that i can do to help my fingers to move faster? i am learning to play Classical Gas by Mason Williams
Answer:
Originally Posted by Jump5fan are there any exercises that i can do to help my fingers to move faster? i am learning to play Classical Gas by Mason Williams I do arpeggios (which help me at least.) If you don't know what those are, it follows the scale but you do a third after each note. So in the key of C (because it's easiest to put down) you'd go:
C E D F E G F A G B A C B d c
or on any given string:
0-4-2-5-4-7-5-9-7-11-9-12-11-14-12
then go back down starting on the high note of the scale (the c or 12 in my examples)
Answer:
I practised that song just straight up for a while, letting my fingers follow those movements so many times it was mindnumbing. Playing stuff like Creed intro helped just because Tremonti had some stuff that involved multiple strings at onece, though not at the difficulty level of Classical Gas.
Answer:
Learning how to play Classical Gas is an excellent endeavor. You'll be a much better guitarist for having attempted that piece.
Playing Classical Gas like the recording doesn't involve speed. Rather it involves accurately playing arpeggios and syncopation. Make sure you master the syncopation in the main theme, otherwise it won't sound like Classical Gas.
There are a lot of exercises in the classical guitar books on playing arpeggios. You need to be fluid in using your thumb and three fingers, so I wouldn't limit practice to rock anthems like "Dust in the Wind" where you can get by using your thumb and two fingers, or even one finger.
As for syncopation, you might want to try learning acoustic blues or bossa nova styles. There's a beginning folk guitar song called "Freight Train" that's great for learning how to play off the beat and still keep your thumb going steady.
Good luck.