Top 3 Mistakes To Avoid While Learning Speed Picking Guitar Techniques

Want to get speed picking guitar technique that makes people’s heads spin in disbelief whenever they hear you play?

Who doesn’t?!

So, what do you need to do?

Well for one thing:

Doing this requires avoiding the common speed picking mistakes most guitarists make.

That’s what this article is here for!

Here are three common guitar speed picking mistakes, how to avoid them and what to do instead for insane shred speed:

 

Speed Picking Mistake #1: Having Inefficient Motion During The Pick Attack

What slows down guitar playing and causes tons of frustrating mistakes in the process?

Answer: Inefficient movement in your hands.

Gaining faster speed picking guitar technique isn’t about simply moving your hands faster…

It’s about achieving the same result (picking the string) with less movement and in less time.

This is why some guitar players have insane speed picking while others only have so-so picking.

This video demonstrates this point:

While speed picking, watch your picking hand to see how efficient your movement is. Do this by simply picking a single open string or fretted note.

Tip: Use a heavier pick to cut through the strings more efficiently and make speed picking easier.

 

Speed Picking Mistake #2: Inconsistency/Lack Of Endurance

The best guitarists don’t just have the ability to speed pick for a second or two, they can sit on a note and pick it continuously without wavering.

This skill takes specific practice to perfect, and once you do, your speed picking will never be the same!

Question: How long can you speed pick a single note (let’s say the open high E string) before your picking becomes inconsistent or you start missing notes?

Go ahead, try this right now.

…

Ok, so you tried, how did you do?

Did you maintain a fast and consistent pick attack for 1 minute?

45 seconds?

15 seconds?

Ok, don’t worry if you didn’t last this long. You’re going to get there.

Here is how to practice to get insane speed picking that you can hold for a long time:

1.   Speed pick any open string or fretted note with the goal of picking 10 seconds without losing your timing. Practice this while paying close attention to any building tension in your arms/body.

2.   After the first attempt, relax and focus on keeping any tension relaxed for the next try. Then pick for another 10 seconds.

3.   Test yourself here by seeing how many attempts out of 10 you were able to pick perfectly the entire time.

4.   Tomorrow, repeat this exercise again and see fi you improved.

5.   When you are able to do this 10/10 times, add more time to increase your consistency.

Tip: A great way to build up endurance and consistency is to practice in quick bursts of speed with brief rest in between each burst.

Watch this video to better understand how this works:

Apply this concept into your speed picking attack by picking 3-6 notes very quickly, resting a moment and repeating. Do this for 1 minute to train yourself to play with better endurance.

 

Speed Picking Mistake #3: Weak Pick Attack

Nothing kills a pick attack like playing too light. When you pick without much power, the notes are less clear, less articulate (on clean settings especially) and more likely to include inconsistencies that mask mistakes or being out of syn between both hands.

Make it a habit to pick with tons of power like shown in this video:

This simple solution makes playing guitar faster easier by forcing you to keep both hands in sync in order to play the notes correctly.

Over time, you naturally line everything up without even realizing you were “practicing” to do this.

Not to mention how much more powerful your playing sounds and how clear every note becomes!

Want to learn more ways to play guitar with speed cleanliness, expressiveness and power to play killer solos? Check out this free guitar soloing advice.