I've been playing on and off the past couple years and wanted to get back into it. I only really played tabs and got to my skill level from that, but this time I'm just looking to get good as fast as possible. I realise it's a slow process, but I was looking for some guidance on where to start.

Thanks.

Work on technique. Not playing songs.
Play songs, dont get me wrong, but play ones that have a level of technicality you are working on.

For example, play Angel of Death to learn to alternate pick on the fly. Play Postmortem to learn how to downpick continuously. So on and so forth. Once you can play most riffs with ease, they rest comes to pushing yourself onto harder material, and even making up your own challenging riffs.

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Check out one of the practise regime threads here and then practise, practise, practise: it's the only way of getting good quick (if there was a simple shortcut, everyone would take it!).

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lol so many people on here want to "get good quickly" and put as little time into it as possible

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^that's how it is with everything.

as has been said: PRACTICE! the only "quick" way to get good is to practice a lot. hours and hours a day.

Angel of Death for alt picking? Are you talking about the first riff or later on at the breakdown? I can play that song all downpicking just fine...granted not the 16ths but the 8ths...

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Yeah, the beginning riff. With the 16ths.
And its good for alternate picking after the bridge aswell.
But getting that beginning down helps a lot with learning how to alternate pick fast and accurately.

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I guess...all the powerchords I just downpick cuz I figured if kerry and jeff can do it I can too...the bridge stuff is only around 180bpm...that stuff can all be downpicked with relative easy...probably why i suck haha...

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Well of course its pretty easy.
But it builds skill.
So when you do move on to the harder stuff you can do the downpicking and alternate picking.

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One would surmise that the only possible route to the proficiency which you desire is PRACTICE. The more you practice, the better you will be. I suck at this, but I am qualified to say it because it is logical. Practice, I am afraid, is the only "shortcut".

Practice, keep at it, every day, practice even boring stuff, learn new techniques instead of just practicing the same stuff everyday, buy or download John Petrucci's Rock Discipline dvd, try other styles than you are comfortable listening or playing, play and jam with other people, learn theory, scales, keep practicing, practice on different guitars, practice in the dark, practice over backing tracks, when not practicing read musician forums like metaltabs, keep practicing etc.

There is no quick and easy way, there is only different ways.
How fast, and if, you get good, depends on how much time, effort, and motivation you put into it.

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IMO the topic name is really paradoxical. You need practice and takes some time.

There is no quick, only quicker..

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