Speed Picking

Speed Picking: so the first thing to concentrate on (especially if you are a beginner) is to consider the amount of motion in your right hand as you play. Start with a very slow metronome setting, maybe 96bpm and play on one string with a simple down stroke and up stroke motion. Just play one note and concentrate on the picks movement across the string. Then move to two notes and three and four etc... Make sure that the notes are ringing cleanly and that the timing is right. Then gradually begin to move up the metronome speed. Let me say here that the way you hold the pick is important as well. It should feel comfortable to you and your hand should not be twisted in any awkward fashion. There is not one exact proper way to hold the pick but I hold mine between my thumb and index finger and point the pick at a little bit of an angle towards the floor. This allows me to comfortably use my other three fingers for hybrid picking at the same time. Some guys tilt the pick either up or down which is fine as long as it feels natural. The great Shawn Lane used to point the pick up almost directly north and it worked great for him. I recommend using a heavier guage pick as well. I use the Dunlop XLseries Jazz III guitar picks. I like the connection that I get with the string when i use them. Remember the thinner the pick the more flex will be in it and that will create unwanted excess noice when playing at higher speeds and at higher volumes. Ok, once you are confident playing triplets or quarter notes/ at a good speed then try playing a scale moving linearly across the string. Say G major on the high E string: so you start at G on the 3rd fret, play G-A-B, A-B-C, B-C-D etc... up to the 15th fret and then go back down. Try different combinations of notes on the one string. Do the same thing on other strings with different scales as well and this will help you to learn the scales without getting stuck in box shapes. It also helps you to visualize different fingerings when you improvise. Stay tuned for more to come...

Speed Picking Technics for Guitar

Welcome to Speed Picking Technics for Guitar. Dune here...just wanted to discuss some things i've learned about speed picking for guitar players. I've been playing guitar for 35 years now and although there is no substitute for practice, i realised that economy of motion with the right hand is also a crucial part of playing fast. For a long time i just let my right hand swing quite a bit and it allowed for alot of needless movement. That's ok for playing rythmn and funky chops but it will slow you down when trying to speed pick... stay tuned for more to come!