Picking hand technique

[Patterns in Blood]

Hi guys.

I know there was a post not too long ago about picking but
its reminded me that mines not too good  :oops: Anyone got any
good exercises/methods/ideas for improving right hand speed
+ dexterity?

Thanks

[Muzzzz]

i find that this one works great: 8-5-7-8-7-5 (repeat)

because it forces you to pick slowly in order to get it synchronised, and goes against the natural tendancy to play everything way too fast.

for changing strings, i suggest that you mute the strings with your left hand and practise picking groups of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 notes up and down the strings, and alternate between starting on an upstroke and a downstroke.

good luck!

[JDC]

used to do this a lot

Code: [Select]

E||-------------------------||
B||-------------------------||
G||----------9-10-9---------||
D||--9-10-12--------12-10-9-||
A||-------------------------||
E||-------------------------||

then I did variations of it with different fingers and places, then I started doing this

Code: [Select]

E||---------------------------10-12-13-12-10---------------------------||
B||------------------10-12-13-----------------13-12-10-----------------||
G||----------9-10-12-----------------------------------12-10-9---------||
D||--9-10-12---------------------------------------------------12-10-9-||
A||--------------------------------------------------------------------||
E||--------------------------------------------------------------------||

as for the actual technique, people make it look effortless because they don't use much effort, hence pick light!!! while using as little tip of the pick as possible, and use a metronome

use your palm to mute the the strings below which your picking aka the thicker ones, and your left hand to mute the ones above, aka the thin ones

[JDC]

as for dexterity, try these, finger them as chords but pick each string separate making sure they each ring out, when you get good at it, move it down the neck and try different places, and try spacing them out with different frets

Code: [Select]

E||--------------13--------------13--|
B||----------12--------------11------|
G||------11--------------12----------|
D||--10--------------10--------------|
A||----------------------------------|
E||----------------------------------|

--------------10--------------10--||
----------11--------------12------||
------12--------------11----------||
--13--------------13--------------||
----------------------------------||
----------------------------------||

[Jonny]

as for dexterity, try these, finger them as chords but pick each string separate making sure they each ring out, when you get good at it, move it down the neck and try different places, and try spacing them out with different frets

Code: [Select]

E||--------------13--------------13--|
B||----------12--------------11------|
G||------11--------------12----------|
D||--10--------------10--------------|
A||----------------------------------|
E||----------------------------------|

--------------10--------------10--||
----------11--------------12------||
------12--------------11----------||
--13--------------13--------------||
----------------------------------||
----------------------------------||

Looks like a Satch technique.
He went from the first fret to the fourth, on each string, then twisted his hand so he starts at the fourth to the first. But goes higher on the strings.

It's a good technique. Just do that ALLLLLLLL the way up the board.

[il˙ti]

That particular exercise mentioned by JDC is also in Petrucci's Rock Discipline. He expands it in pretty much every way possible. Definitely worth checking out.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6490975382658539247&ei=Nn0oSLv-NYWkjALK37zbCQ&hl=en

^ whole thing. Many types of picking exercises here.

[JDC]

That particular exercise mentioned by JDC is also in Petrucci's Rock Discipline. He expands it in pretty much every way possible. Definitely worth checking out.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6490975382658539247&ei=Nn0oSLv-NYWkjALK37zbCQ&hl=en

^ whole thing. Many types of picking exercises here.

ye I got a tab of the rock discipline exercises so I just exported it to txt from guitar pro, and copied onto here, I found it helped me with stretching a lot

[Patterns in Blood]

Thanks for the excercises guys, have found flaws in my playing already.
Just on the subject of guitar technique DvD's are there any that you would highly
recommend? i've got rock discipline and thought it was brilliant.

[remak]

Not a DvD but a CD, I found Troy Stetina's book highly useful

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speed-Mechanics-Lead-Guitar-Stetina/dp/0793509629

it raised my game from laughable to merely darn poor. It could really help someone with talent.

[JDC]

michael angelo batio's speed kills was useful for me, well the start of it, there is a ton of good joe satriani stuff on youtube

[temps]

I don't do exercises at all. I watch videos of the guys I want to play like - Paul Gilbert being number one - and then emulate their picking style as closely as possible. The speed comes with time.

[AngusYoung01]

I can't recommend Paul Gilbert's Intense Rock enough!

I needed to really get out of this habbit regarding my picking hand (I lost sync in alternate picking when I crossed strings) and this DVD sorted it in 2 days  :lol:  I can now also pick much much faster and cleaner. It's great!