Picking Speed Increase

I was just curious to know if anyone had some really good exercises to increase picking speed. I'm currently working with a metrenome but I'm not quite sure my exercises are doing enough.
If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to submit them...
I appreciate it! thanks...

you know, theres not too incredibly much you can do other than practice a whole lot.

find a tab to "flight of the bumblebee" its got very easy chromatic stuff in it- a great warmup/exercise.

and keep rocking that metronome. its boring, i know, but just work it.

For alternate picking check out Paul Gilbert's Intense Rock video.

chromatics dont help speed pick much, there much better for legato practice so legato them :rolleyes: srry just had to say that. try sequence'ing down and up scales. To two ocatves. which you will use 5 strings.

-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------7-------7-9-------
---------7-------7-9-----7-9-10--7-9-10---9-10-----------
-7-9-10---9-10-------10-----------------------------------

thats an example of sequenceing up a scale.

My guess is that you are speaking of your pick speed between strings instead of just tremelo (ing) on a single string. I used the following exercises to help improve my speed and accuracy.

1. String Skipping exercises. I used to economy pick these slowly and build up speed until I could them clean. Like Nick said, Paul Gilbert does a lot of this and his video could definately help.

2. Playing 3 or 4 note per string Scales and have them descend from the Low E string to the High E string and ascend back up to the starting position.

However, there is no real quick fix or secret to speed. These things will come over time and much practice will be necessary. Practicing correctly, however, will enhance and speed up the time at which you reach your plan.\

Peace.

-Kyle Hicks ( Kole )
-http://www.myspace.com/kolemusic

Its all about using proper technique with your right hand. There are no licks that you can practice that serve as "the secret" to developing speed. You need to make sure that your technique is correct and study with the best teacher you can find.

Make sure to not use extra motion with your pick hand and don't let your right shoulder tense up when you increase speed.


Hope this helps.

Mike.

The best advice for developing speed is obvious, but perhaps it isn't quite that simple.
Obvious answer is sheer repetition. In developing any discipline you either are willing to do the required repetions or you are not. If you are not willing to pay the price(of time, effort, consistency) then forget it...you aren't going to get very far. Many guitarists wonder why their technique isn't getting better when, in fact, they only practice technique for a few minutes every day. It takes a lot more than that!

On the other hand, you also need to practice with good form. This is where a teacher can definitely come in handy.

I reccommend Micheal Angelo Batio's "Speed Lives" excercises. Avoid straight "1-2-3-4" style chromatic stuff, it's not speed that counts, it's finger agility, and progressions like taht dont help out.

I think there is also a Speed Lives 2( or Speed Kills 2) by Batio that just came out. Looks promising.

okay sorry to add my own problem to this but yea i cant pick nearly as fast as my fingers move at least in chromatics ... in chromatics i can play 16th notes at around 200 bpm but when i pick them its only around 140 would the same still apply to me or is there anything different


once again i apologize for putting my own problem on someone elses thread but i didnt want to start a new one when there was one already here

I would have to agree with the Michael Angelo Batio suggestions, for speed increase his dvd is excellent. I desagree about not practicing chromatic runs though, they are how Yngwie got his speed. The best approach is a combination of chromatics (to co-ordinate the picking hand and the fretting hand) and advanced excercises to get the brain working and speed up finger agility. Michael Angelo's dvd covers a great range of exercises, worth checking out.