Picking speed

I could really use some tips for increasing my picking speed. I am an advanced player that is obviously doing something wrong because it is the one area that is holding me back. 15 plus years playing. My right hand is pretty darn good. I can chicken pick, hybrid pick, travis pick, banjo roll and dead thumb but fast flat picking eludes me. Now I'm pretty quick but songs like "f@@@## up Ford" by the Rev are about as quick as I can go before my flat picking falls apart. Any tips? Thanks guys.

If you can't get the speed you want by flat-picking, try using your fingers. It's not the case for everyone, but I personally get much more speed and fluency playing fingerstyle than I do using a pick. Listen to Andres Segovia, Tonino Baliardo and/or Mark Knopfler for some good examples of fingerpicked speed.

basically, speed is something you cant just get. you need to build up to.

try doing some one string runs like : -7-8-9-10-9-8-7- repeat. just cromatic stuff at first. and do alt. picking on it- picking out each note. do it with a metronome, and gradually increase your speed.
after awhile, you'll see improvements.

what i do on every lick i learn if its fast is play i clean slowly and clearly to a metronome at normal speed. Then get familiar with the pattern/shape of the lick. I increase the speed by about 5 clicks when i feel im ready to go faster. Then eventually, you will get to the right speeds.

First of all I would recommend going to a great teacher who can do what you want to do and can also teach what he does.

Here's some general advice though:

When you're practicing right hand technique have your left hand do something very simple so that you don't have to focus on it as much and look at your right hand to make sure it is moving correctly. Some things to watch out for would be the hand staying close to the strings and not using too much excess motion Then begin to use a metronome to build up the speed gradually.

Hope this helps.

Mike.

When I'm getting a track together I invariably come up with a riff or run that I just cannot play, so I write it out in midi then slow down the bpm to a comfortable pace and play along with it on a loop. Once you have it nailed just increase the bpm by smallish increments (eg 5 bpms) untill you hit the desired pace (eg start at 140 bpm then gradually build up to 170 bpm). You'll find that you can get there in a a very short period of time. This method has increased my skills dramatically, it works particularly well for straight forward alternate picking and sweep picking). One other thing I've notice beside an increase in speed is a huge improvement in timing and tightness/accuracy when it comes to multi track recordings.

Build up your speed gradually. It is easier to pick faster closer to the bridge. Your pick does not have to be "flat", a lot of good pickers have a slight angle to their pick, an extreme example being Michael Angelo Batio.

Buy "Speed Mechanics" by Troy Stetina. Its the definitive speed picking guide for novice players who have hit a plataeu. This book pretty much solidified the incremental practicing techniques that players like Petrucci and Paul gilbert use for building speed.

Originally Posted by: timgibsonBuild up your speed gradually. It is easier to pick faster closer to the bridge. Your pick does not have to be "flat", a lot of good pickers have a slight angle to their pick, an extreme example being Michael Angelo Batio.

Personally speaking, I find picking near the bridge slows me down since there's more resistance there. I find around where a middle pickup would be is easier, as there's less resistance.

I circular pick, and pick at an angle. I find that really ramps up my speed, as opposed to straight up/down.