All guitarists hit their maximum picking speed at some point, but few know how to increase it efficiently, so I have prepared a simple 5 step guide for beginner/intermediate players. I would be happy to answer all questions!
- Warm up at a comfortable BPM. While you warm up, make sure your picking hand wrist is as relaxed as possible.
- Measure your maximum alternate picking speed with a metronome. There are many metrics you could use, but I like to measure it by playing 16th notes for a minute straight.
- Note down the BPM you were able to achieve and repeat step 2 after resting for a while. If there were any differences in your second and third attempts, note them down as well.
- After you have found your maximum alternate picking speed, start practicing bursting. Instead of playing 16th notes for a minute straight, by bursting you shorten the time you play. For example, you have found your maximum picking speed is currently 144 BPM. Raise the metronome speed to 150 BPM and try playing 16th notes for 2 clicks, then 4 clicks and so on.
- Repeat step 4 until you reach your desired BPM. Remember not to increase the metronome speed before you can play for at least 20-30 seconds straight.
Submitted May 09, 2022 at 06:38PM by MrHyp3r https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/um225m/a_simple_way_to_increase_alternate_picking_speed/?utm_source=ifttt