Here are five great ways for you to build up your bass playing speed and agility. Follow these exercises and you’ll soon see the results.

1. Practice Harder

Test out either adding time or intensity to your daily practice time. By intensity, I mean overall focus and how hard you are trying to learn something. The extra time could be 5-10 minutes, or more, depending on your schedule.

2. Play a Favorite Song Faster

Once you have a song mastered, try to pick up the tempo. Play with a metronome and move the dial up, increasing the speed you need to keep up with the beat.

3. Play the Exercises on BB Faster

I have a whole section of Beginning Bass dedicated to different exercises, for left or right hand. Play through a couple to gain some speed and dexterity on bass.

4. Try a Different Genre

There are many different genres that use fast-style riffs to create awesome songs. I recommend you listen to some progressive rock/metal, shred, or punk. Those genres will really help you right hand technique, and also increase your left hand skill.

5. Work on Both Hands

Make sure you are always pushing yourself, and not favoring one hand over the other. If you just focus on your right hand, your left hand will not be able to keep up, and vice versa! Keep your hands guessing…

Got any more suggestions to add to the list? Comment below.