How To Use Proper Speed Picking Technique That Lets You Play Faster Than Ever Before
It’s nearly impossible to play guitar with speed and accuracy when your picking technique is inefficient. Playing with proper speed picking technique only requires making a few key corrections, then you’re able to pick faster than ever before without as many mistakes.
Make these corrections to your speed picking technique to play cleaner and faster:
Pick Faster With Less Effort Using The
Most Efficient Motion Possible
Picking with a lot of excess movement opens the door for inconsistency and even keeps you from playing at really fast speeds.
Learning to make your speed picking technique movement efficient solves these problems to make playing fast feel much easier.
Here are some tips to help you do it:
·
While picking the strings, focus on minimizing
how far away your picking hand moves from the strings after each pickstroke.
One of the best ways to keep your picking
hand from moving too far from the strings is to use “thumb muting technique” as
shown in this article about getting rid of
unwanted guitar string noise.
·
While picking on a single string, pick with your
wrist.
· While transferring from one string to the next, move from your arm.
For maximum picking efficiency, use the method demonstrated in this video:Using the picking technique from the video is a better approach than playing with strict alternate picking (as most guitarists do). This makes your speed picking technique as efficient as possible so playing fast becomes smooth and effortless.
Integrate the tips discussed here into your guitar playing by practicing with them for just a few minutes each day. This way you are able to develop proper speed picking technique over time without having to start all over from square one.
Develop Consistent Speed Picking By
Using Gradual Speeding Up And Slowing Down
It’s common for guitarists to be good at picking at one speed, but struggle with another. This comes from having “holes” in your picking technique that cause you to become inconsistent.
For example, you may be able to play something at a very fast speed, but struggle to play it at a moderate speed.
One great way to fill in these holes in your technique is to speed pick an open string slowly and gradually speed up. This is a good indicator for where your picking technique begins to break down and gives you more experience playing at speeds you don’t normally play at.
Apply this same concept to guitar licks you struggle with to find the speed at which mistakes appear. This also helps you spot weaknesses in your overall guitar technique, so you know what to practice to get better.
Improve Flaws In Your Picking Technique
By Watching Your Picking Hand
One of the most overlooked aspects of improving speed picking technique is actually watching your picking hand as you play the strings. A lot of players are used to watching their fretting hand in order to make sure they play the right frets.
Observing your picking hand as you play helps you correct inefficient movement (as mentioned already) that would otherwise remain uncorrected.
As in the video on this page, practice a simple pattern that stays in one position while watching your picking hand movements closely.
Slice Through Strings Effortlessly With Speed
Using A Heavier Pick
Your speed picking technique improves instantly simply by using a heavier pick. This is because a heavier pick slices through the string, staying in contact with it for less time than a thin/flimsy pick.
Switching to a heavier pick is as easy as buying 5-10 picks of different sizes and textures. Experiment with different heavy picks until you find one that feels right and gives you the tone you like most.
It’s also easy to pick with proper speed picking technique using a heavier pick because it requires less effort to play a clear note.
This video shows you how to get even more volume by doing one simple thing: