How To Increase Picking Speed On Guitar Using Creative Arpeggio Practice

There are more ways to increase your picking speed on guitar besides picking an open string over and over.

Like what?

Here’s a creative practice approach:

Practice speed picking while playing arpeggios.

This idea combines two separate styles of picking together to help you improve both at the same time (making it a more efficient use of practice).

This means your sweep picking and speed picking both get better at the same time.

Sound good?

Thought so! Let’s get started.

Here are some great ideas for how to increase your picking speed on guitar while practicing arpeggios:

Tremolo Pick Every Note Of The Arpeggio

Rather than sweep picking the arpeggio, use tremolo picking on every note.

In addition to improving your speed picking technique:

This locks both of your hands together, making faster playing more easy in general. It also, makes sweep picking using just one pick stroke per note feel easier as well.

For example: This arpeggio may seem daunting at first…

Let’s make it easier. Try this:

     1. Break it down by choosing to play only 2-3 notes at a time.
2. Tremolo pick the notes.
3. Add one more note to the pattern until you play through the entire lick

Perfect Individual Notes Of An Arpeggio Using Tremolo Picking To Accent Them

Tremolo picking induvial notes of an arpeggio is also a great way to increase your focus.

Meaning: it’s much easier to hear mistakes for any given note when you focus your attention on it more than any other.

Locate the notes in a given sweep picking arpeggio that give you the most trouble.

For example, the notes between the lowest and highest note.

This video demonstrates how to practice a single note with focus to correct inconsistencies in your playing:

Use tremolo picking to target one of the notes in an
arpeggio, while playing the other notes of the arpeggio like normal.

So, the process looks like this:

1.  Begin sweep picking

2.  Arrive at the note(s) giving you problems

3.  Tremolo pick the notes

4. Continue pattern by sweeping

Challenge Yourself To Get Big Results By Mixing And Matching Tremolo Picking With Sweeping

By practicing arpeggios in short bursts of speed, it is easier to master them and apply tremolo picking to them to make a massive improvement to your overall technique.

This video shows you how to practice a few notes at a time in short bursts:

Now, it’s time to practice combining short bursts with random tremolo picking to improve your ability to speed pick consistently with an instant startup (in between quick bursts of non-tremolo picking).

Use this process to do it:

1.   Combine the first two points in this article together by breaking an arpeggio down into 3 notes at a time.

2.   Then play the pattern by tremolo picking all the notes. Do this for several repetitions in a row.

3.   Sweep pick the notes using the short bursts method. Do this for several repetitions in a row.

4.   Sweep pick the notes and tremolo pick the highest note in the pattern. Do this for several repetitions in a row.

5.   Now tremolo pick the two highest notes in the pattern. Do this for several repetitions in a row.

6.   Tremolo pick all three notes. Do this for several repetitions in a row.

7.   Next, add another note and continue this process until you play through the entire arpeggio pattern.

You now know some killer practice approaches using tremolo picking to improve your arpeggios.

Want to learn additional creative ways to practice in order improve not just your sweep picking or speed, but overall playing as well (for free)?

Try these 5 guitar playing tricks.