Back in the day, when I studied martial arts heavily, there was a concept we used for speed. Basically, training with weapons super charged your hand techniques. For example, if you practiced with sticks, the speed that a swinging stick travels is a lot faster than the speed a punch or kick travels. After a few practice sessions with sticks, an empty handed strike seems considerably slower. This is the same concept you see when you drive on the freeway for an hour and then exit onto a side street. You might be doing 50 miles an hour on the side street, but it seems like you are moving at a snails pace compared to the freeway.
I have recently applied this same principle to banjo playing by using the Jamtrainer app. By setting the tempo of a song I want to practice at the maximum speed I can play without falling apart, and playing at that speed for a while, then slowing the tempo slightly the song seems much slower and easier to play. I know this isn’t rocket science and a lot of people do the same thing, but I have had more success and it’s more fun to me than the traditional metronome method.
Obviously, you have to learn a song correctly first at a slower speed before you can rev it up to the maximum speed before it falls apart. Anyway, just my thoughts I thought I would share.
Thoughts on Speed
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This is good, yes! I talk a bit about this in my speed test portion of the practice course. It’s like working out with weights and maxing out every now and then.
It’s funny, after I get done with a long airplane flight and get in my truck, I find myself wanting to pull back on my steering wheel!
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I’ve never flown a plane, but I have gone airborne in my truck a few times!
I’ll have to check out the speed test lesson.
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What a great idea!
Personally, I’ve learned to love playing ballads.
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I love ballads too.
I think Elon has a truck for you 
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