I have been playing for about 5-6 years at this point. I am abhoring my lack of speed. i practice many many hours a day, as i make a living teaching guitar, but still, i have not gotten any faster. i go slow, slower, and then as fast as i can while remaining clean. cleanliness in playing, to me, is very very important, much like "a nameless individual" and their fanatiscism about intonation. anyway... is there any effing trick to gaining speed? I'm just about fed the eff up with practicing everything slowly. i have songs i want to write! FAST songs! with shredding! but i can't do it! there has to be a trick....

If you make a living teaching guitar, you should already know that there are no tricks to anything. My advice is stop practicing and get into a band. Playing in front of people puts the kind of pressure on you that `forces` you to be able to do the things that you can`t do on your own. Good luck.