Tips for Practicing Complex Fingerpicking Patterns?

Hi everyone, I've been working on improving my fingerpicking skills, especially for songs with complex patterns and alternating bass lines. I usually practice slowly, but I feel like I'm not making much progress when I speed up. Does anyone have unique tips or exercises that helped them master tricky fingerpicking sections more effectively?

Agario

It's important to play that kind of material slowly at first, as you mention.  It's necessary to get all the details right while you are working through repetitious practice because you are gradually automating it in order to eventually make it second nature when you increase the speed.  

But at a certain point it helps to just go for it and play it faster even though this virtually guarantees a sloppy result at first.  It can be helpful to try playing it faster or up to speed even before you are totally ready because otherwise it's difficult if not impossible to understand what motions are truly necessary when you play that fast as opposed to deliberately playing it slowly.  The tactile feel can be quite different and so it can be a helpful step in the process.

That's not exactly a unique tip, but it is a strategy that can be effective in these kind of situations.  And I'm certain it is more effective than playing the online video game you linked.

Hope that helps.

Play only the bass with your thumb, keeping the rhythm steady. Then, add a finger (index or middle) to play a simple offbeat. This creates a "polyrhythm" that your brain must gradually integrate.

Tutuapp

One trick that helped me: practice the hardest bars very slowly, then gradually speed up, don’t skip the ugly sloppy attempts. Also record yourself: sometimes errors vanish when you listen back. Anyone tried alternating finger-independence drills (thumb + fingers separately)?

poor bunny

I’m struggling with the same thing! Do you focus on accuracy or rhythm first when you start to speed up? I always lose timing once I go past a certain tempo.