Playing really quickly with effortless, flawless technique is the holy grail for a lot of players. It requires regular practise and the discipline to take things slowly. Used excessively it can be quite boring, but a bit of flash in the right place is fantastic.

The desire to burn up the fretboard can be a dangerous trap. Often players will focus so much on speed that they forget about things like note choice, timing and general musicality. Yes, there are some guitarists who have made a name for themselves by shredding the guitar to within an inch of its life... but they have the musical vocabulary to keep churning out ideas at high speed without stopping to think. Whether this is a good thing or not, you decide!

If you're struggling with speed then here are some tips that I've found helpful:

1) Don't anchor your right hand or arm to any part of the guitar. This might be tempting but it's a dangerous road to start down. There are players who do this (for example Michael Angelo Batio) however they're usually exceptions to the rule... and the rule is that linking your body to the guitar will ultimately restrict your movement.

2) Close your pick hand fingers into a loose fist.

3) Play the blues in A. Sing everything you play as you play it. If this is too hard, sing things and then try to play them without making a mistake. This is called CONTROL and if you always do it then eventually speed will be assimilated into your playing in a musical way. If not, be prepared for your ideas to sometimes sound forced and unmusical. I'm not saying this is easy to do, only that it's important!

4) Use a metronome and a diary at all times to keep track of your progress. If you've been practising slowly and methodically for months and you still can't play fast, see a teacher. Your technique may be holding you back.

Getting stuck in a rut is something that happens to us all from time to time. Getting out of it is vital if we are to continue without becoming disheartened. The problem is that, by their nature, ruts keep you were you are.

Ruts are dangerous because they can lead you to give up or push you away from the guitar. We have to know how to get past them without being discouraged. It's encouraging to know that this is a pretty common problem among guitarists who've been playing for a while... and also that sometimes your brain needs time to assimilate all the hard work you've been doing. Take some time out if you need to and come back refreshed.

Transcribing solos from non guitarists is one great way to inject new sounds into your playing. Re-tuning your guitar to something unusual works for some people. You could also try experimenting with unusual scales. Exclusively listening to a new and unfamiliar genre of music for a week or two can also help.

Finally, having a good teacher is always helpful. There is often more to escaping a rut than learning a few new songs or a new technique... sometimes a student has come as far as they are able with the knowledge that they have. At this point, if the student is ready, it may be time to begin the hard but rewarding journey towards the ultimate goal of the dedicated guitarist: to only play what you want to play, hearing every note in your head before you play it.

If ever there were a secret to achievement on the guitar, I'd put my money on it being daily practise. The best guitarists have achieved so much that the mind boggles when we watch them play, knowing how much ground they've covered. How did they get so good? In most cases they were born with great, musical ears and started very young. The rest is hard, sustained practise.

Many of us have full time jobs and little time to spend with the guitar. Unfortunately this can mean that instead of progressing as guitarists we stagnate and spend all the time that we do have re-learning the same material.

Various techniques can be employed to expand your practise session outside of its allocated time in the day. Visualization is something used in many competitive sports and can be devastatingly effective when applied to the guitar. Can you picture that scale shape/arpeggio/chord in your mind?

There is so much to learn on the guitar and with music in general that it's sometimes hard to even start a practise session. Where does one even begin, with so much to learn? This is why a seemingly insignificant daily regimen is so useful. The tortoise and the hare is the name of our game: slow steps towards our long term goals.

So you joined the band, you learned the songs and you landed the big gig. Tne you're waiting to go on stage in front of a few thousand people and, ever so helpfully, your brain starts throwing you curveballs. "How does the chorus for "Song X" go? Oh no! I can't remember! What if I screw up"?

First and most important is to rehearse adequately. It might sound obvious but being prepared is the best way. If you're not sure of your material then you invite anxiety to your door! There are two halves to memorising material:

1) The muscle memory of playing the song (the feeling how your body remembers the sensation of changing from one chord to the next and so on). Repetition is simply the key here. A good tip is to practise in unfamiliar places... your mind associates the song with objects and things around you by subconcious association, so practise it in the kitchen and lounge as well!

2) Mental memorisation of the form (being able to recite the chords and/or play through the song in your mind). An analysis of what the song is doing and dividing the song into component parts are helpful.

The more gigs you play successfully, the more confidence you will have in yourself and the less stressed you'll feel before a gig. Having said that, a bit of nervous energy is all part of a good live performance.