Speed Exercise no. 1
Using the chromatic scale as a training tool is one of the best exercises for achieving a clean style. What I like about this scale is that it can be customized. In reality, any exercise, scale, or mode that you practice with can be customized in a plethora of ways.
The best advice I can give to any guitarist who is serious about improving their picking technique is to think of ways to fool your fingers. Find ways to invert a pattern, to be more specific.
We can accomplish three things by inverting and reconstructing patterns.1. It broadens our horizons and makes new possibilities visible on the fret board.
2. Your fretting hand is being renewed and challenged all the time.
3. Changes in picking motions are presented to your picking hand on a regular basis.
e|—————————- b|—————————- g|—————————- d|——————-1-2-3-4– a|———-1-2-3-4———– e|-1-2-3-4——————–
__________________________________________________________________________——————-1-2-3-4–| ———-1-2-3-4———–| -1-2-3-4——————–| —————————-| —————————-| —————————-|
It is extremely simple. The first, second, third, and fourth fingers are shown. Practice going up and then coming back down using alternate picking (down, up).
Speed Exercise no. 2
This is a minor change, but believe me when I say that even the slightest change in familiarity makes all the difference.
In this example, we'll keep moving up a semitone/half step (one fret), but at the top of the chromatic run, we'll actually gain a note. This will be accomplished by moving our pinky (on the fretting hand) up to another note.
For instance, if we are on the high E and go 1,2,3,4, our pinky is now on the fourth fret. We move our pinky up to the 5th fret and begin the descent from there.
This is a minor change, but believe me when I say that even the slightest change in familiarity makes all the difference.
This is critical because it accomplishes two important goals.1. Instead of an even, alternately picked four frets, you've added an uneven, alternately picked five frets. Your right hand coordination is progressing in lockstep with your left hand coordination.
2. This is the first step in learning to glide across the fretboard.
This is a minor change, but believe me when I say that even the slightest change in familiarity makes all the difference.
As you can see, I didn't finish the transcription because if I had notated the entire exercise, it would have taken up pages and pages. Begin at an even tempo and work your way up the neck using this formula.
Speed Exercise no. 3
I've emphasized the importance of keeping finger and picking activities interesting.
The reason for this is undeniably compelling. If you want to develop the best guitar style you possibly can, you must stick with it. You must constantly think about ways to improve your game. If you adopt this mindset, you will not be locked into an under-stocked inventory of riffs. That is significant because nothing is more frustrating than playing the same passages or chords for months or even years at a time.
Remember that it happens to the best of us. This all appears to be a lot of work. The truth is that if you train your mind to work before your hands, you will discover that there is very little work involved. It is SIMPLE to improve one's speed or master any technique. I frequently use bodybuilding as a reference, but they are interchangeable. You're getting better.
In the case of bodybuilding, bodybuilders want more mass, but they know that eating three times a day, as most people do, will not help you gain mass. Instead, they eat intermittently throughout the day, a little here and a little there.
The same is true when it comes to learning to play the guitar. Ten minutes this way, ten minutes that way. There's no need to do too much at once unless you're having a good time.
In the previous example, we set it up so that instead of playing in a box formation, we began connecting notes all across the fretboard.
We're about to make another daring move. Try it out for yourself to see what has happened to the chromatic concept.
Speed Exercise no. 4
No, we'll concentrate on improving both dexterity and hand strength in the fretting hand. A strong fretting hand is defined by what you might call gentle strength.
It simply means that this hand is so powerful that it could crush a full beer can with a sealed tab. Gasp! However, this hand has the ability to control a note in such a way that it can tame even the most obstinate nuances, hence the gentle part.
We're going to look at a quick and simple exercise. This one appeals to me because it makes good use of the middle, ring, and pinkie fingers. It's also convenient because it assigns a string to each finger.
Simply put, it encourages dexterity. As usual, take your time with this and pay close attention to the warmth that develops in your fretting hand. Be proud of this warmth, because once you notice it, you'll realize you've earned it.
It's a pleasant sensation, and when you're finished with this exercise, you'll have a very satisfied feeling in your fretting hand. That sense of fulfillment can be summed up in one word: awesome. Progress.
Speed Exercise no. 5
“pinkie training”This is the inverse version of Guitar Speed Exercise No. 1. It works in much the same way, but it is much more difficult. The reason I'm sharing this one with everyone is that the fretting hand pinkie has always been a difficult finger to strengthen.
The index finger was the anchor point in Speed Exercise 1, and your other fingers had to keep returning to it. Like in the song "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back," and no, "nobody gets to the bar quite like that."
The pinkie finger is smaller than the other fingers, and the webbing between the ring and pinkie fingers makes training difficult. What's with the rhyming? In any case, by using your pinkie as an anchor point, you can train your fingers to respond evenly, increasing timing and speed accuracy. Keep that in mind because you may want (and I strongly advise you to) design your own exercises with the pinkie finger in mind.
So, it's all uphill from here!
When you get to the last note, the 2nd fret, repeat the pattern beginning on the 4th fret. Maintain it indefinitely. This exercise, on the other hand, can be extremely stressful on the fretting hand. Begin slowly, take your time, and take a break if you feel any burning.
When it comes to other exercises, a little burn is good. This one is no exception, but don't be too aggressive with it.
Speed Exercise no. 7
We'll take a break from the mundane, or "average" sounding, speed developing, picking pattern and try something I think you'll enjoy.
I'll give you a really good one. When I need to unwind, I play this over and over.
The first thing you should know about this next exercise is that it is composed melodically. It's an original, as are many of the exercises that will follow. Picking can be monotonous, but exercises do not have to be.
You'll notice right away that this guitar exercise is fantastic for the picking hand.1. The first pattern is a typical four-stroke pattern.
2. The second pattern is a standard four-stroke pattern with a minor variation in the fretting hand.
3. The third pattern is a standard four-stroke pattern, but it shifts so that it descends rather than ascends, causing your picking hand to accommodate the fretting hand.
4. The fourth pattern reverts to the traditional four-stroke approach.
5. The fifth pattern is standard, but it requires your fretting hand to make an accurate, whole tone leap (2 fret step-down), while your ring finger makes an interesting adjustment.
6. The sixth pattern is a standard four-stroke pattern, but it makes an even greater leap to F. (3rd fret).
7. The seventh pattern is a standard four-stroke pattern, but it includes D, which is an open string, which causes a noticeable difference in how the picking hand responds.
The eighth and final pattern is completely different. It comes down across three strings and requires your picking hand to skip the middle string in order to make a fluid round. As a result, we're incorporating string skipping as well, which is a great strategy.
Play it slowly and don't cheat. Check that when a pattern changes, the change is in timing. Use a metronome again – we have them for a reason. The most important aspect of this exercise is that it is similar to a song passage. This means that it will sound pleasant to your ears even when played slowly. You won't mind if you play it slowly because it will sound good. This will motivate you, especially if you are a beginner guitarist, to gradually increase your speed.
Speed Exercise no. 8
These melodic guitar exercises are truly amazing in that they can provide anyone with a great deal of insight into the construction process. They are more than just a practice for selecting mundane and repetitive passages. They are similar to endurance exercises.
Speed Exercise no. 9
This is an exercise that I have used and reworked since I was a child. I've always referred to it as the step-up, and the inverted version as the step-down.
It's a very neo-classical guitar exercise in structure, but it has a fantastic sound. As with any guitar exercise, this one is completely customizable and rearranged.
This should also give you some great ideas for breaking out of the "box" that most guitarists get stuck in, as well as "shred" a little light on what can be done with a simple, linear series of notes, hardy – har – har.
This is why it is critical to study classical music masters. Even if the classics aren't your thing, long-forgotten classical composers were masters of creative arrangement.
Remember, especially if you're new to the guitar scene, to think of yourself as a sponge, soaking up all types of music.
I used to be in a heavy metal band, and while those guys were fantastic musicians, they were also quite limited. I'd rip off death riffs, and they'd ask me about them. I tried to explain it by comparing my passages to other types of music, but it just didn't work. When I put it in heavy metal terms, it didn't even make sense. Educate yourself and take pride in being a music connoisseur.
Speed Exercise no. 10
In this lesson, we'll look at a very useful technique. This strategy is known as string skipping. What exactly is string skipping? It's pretty self-explanatory. It literally refers to the process of skipping a string or, in some cases, multiple strings. The more strings you have, the more difficult it is, but don't let that discourage you; with a little practice, this technique can be as simple as pie.
Assume that in a typical scenario, you wanted to reach some notes in a guitar passage. Let us also assume that these notes were all on the same string, which is a common scenario given that all notes on the guitar can be found on any string. When playing a fast passage, it is also inefficient to try to move the hand up to a fret that is 8 frets away. These notes that are conveniently out of reach can usually be found on another string, but in some cases they are so high or low that they can only be reached by skipping a string in between.
In other words, you'd have to skip a string to get to these notes if you wanted to keep a close "tab" on them for economical picking.
When it comes to picking, the fastest and most fluid guitarists understand that it is always a matter of economical picking. To refine that thought, they realize that playing at incredibly fast speeds is enough of a challenge (a challenge worth pursuing), but no composer would ever say, "that series of notes would be amazing together, but I can't chain them together, so I'll forget about it." Solutions DO EXIST.
Limitations exist only in the mind. Remember, someone came up with this idea, as simple as it is, which means that where you find limitations, you can almost certainly find solutions. In other words, man will not accept a negative response.
The key is to begin slowly. Improve your coordination and gradually increase your speed.
Take solace in the fact that when I incorporate string skipping into my own playing, I usually have to work with it as well, because it usually involves a new collection of notes for a specific piece that I'm working on.
Take, for example, sweep picking. A guitarist may be exceptional at the general approach to sweep picking, but when that guitarist hears something that needs to be recorded in his or her head, they will usually encounter something new and challenging. They will work with it because they are unable to let it go. To do so would imply that they would never know how lovely a passage could have been.
Take solace in the fact that even the best guitarists are constantly challenged with something that appears unattainable but is always realistically achievable.
If you want to know more about speed exercise, here at Little Chris Music we conduct Online music classes for Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Mandolin and Banjo.
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