If you're new to rock lead guitar then you might be wondering what scales you need to learn. You probably notice that there are a seemingly infinite number of guitar scales out there. And it can often be hard knowing what the best ones are to learn. Who wants to waste valuable time learning scales that aren't essential to rock guitar?
Before I tell you the two essential scales, I need to quickly mention another scale…the major scale. Although this scale isn't the most essential for soloing in a rock style, I need to explain it so that you will understand the theory we'll cover later on in this lesson.
Click Here To Continue Reading: Rock Guitar Lesson - Discover Two Essential Rock Guitar Scales…
Let's face it. There is something very cool about the sound of guitar licks played with alternate picking. I particularly love the sound of shredders like Paul Gilbert and Michael Angelo Batio racing through some monster alternate picking licks at lightening fast speed. It's very inspiring. And listening to them definitely helps me to stay focused with my alternate picking practice! 
But have you noticed something?
The fact that there's not a great deal of information on HOW to learn alternate picking licks. And when you think about it, that's the most important part, especially if you're new to alternate picking. If you don't know how to learn the licks effectively, then it's going to take a LOT longer to master them.
It would take a whole book to describe all the possible approaches to practicing and mastering licks. (Far more space than this article will allow!). With that said, we're going to look at an easy-to-implement strategy that I use when I initially learn an alternate picking lick. I've found it very helpful, and I hope you do to!
So, what is this strategy? Simply this…
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Over the years I've helped a lot of my students improve their alternate picking. And one of the most common frustrations that I help them with is related to picking speed. Some students complain that they have hit a brick wall with their speed. They feel that they've hit the limit of their alternate picking ability.
And the truth is, they HAVE reached the limit of their picking ability. But I need to stress now that it always a temporary limit that can be overcome with diligent practice and repetition. In every case, they have managed to improve their alternate picking speed over time.
There are a lot of different practice strategies that I teach to my students, but let's take a look at just a couple now. I feel that if you seriously implement them, you'll notice a large improvement in your alternate picking ability. So let's get started with the first tip…
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If you're new to alternate picking and have been searching online, you probably realize there is a heck of a lot of information out there (both free and paid). And that's a good thing to some extent. You'll always be able to find things related to alternate picking technique to practice and learn.
But this vast amount of information presents a few problems such as…
- How do you tell good advice from bad advice?
- How do know if the information is relevant to your own specific goals?
- How do you know if you're ready for a specific exercise, or whether it is too advanced for your current level?
- How do you formulate an effective practice plan based on the information you have collected in your online searching?
You get the idea. Perhaps the biggest challenge of learning alternate picking online is to filter the information effectively. And that can be a challenge, especially if you are new to alternate picking!
With that said, here are a few tips that will help you in your quest to learn alternate picking online…
Click Here To Continue Reading: Learn Alternate Picking Online - 3 Helpful Tips…
If you're new to alternate picking you may be feeling a little bit overwhelmed. There are countless picking exercises out there. But you also probably know that if your alternate picking practice is not effective, then you'll get minimal benefit from those exercises.
So what does it mean to practice alternate picking effectively?
Well, the answer isn't simple and clear-cut. There are MANY factors that can either improve or degrade the quality and effectiveness of your picking practice. With that said, here is a principle that has really helped my progress over the years…
Click Here To Continue Reading: Alternate Picking Practice - Improving Your Consistency…
Let's face it. Most of us are busy. Really busy. And this lack of available practice time may cause you to worry about how long getting good at alternate picking will take. Maybe you feel that you don't even have enough free time to gain a mastery of alternate picking. Or maybe you even feel that you don't "have what it takes" to master it! If that's the case, then I can say confidently that you're not alone…
When I was fairly new to alternate picking I watched an instructional video by Paul Gilbert. I must admit, I was blown away by it. I couldn't believe how fast he could pick! I also felt a little inadequate because he looked pretty young on the video. And I couldn't believe how good he was compared to me. (It was a bit depressing I gotta admit).
So after I watched the video a few times I got to work. I practiced my alternate picking technique like a man-possessed! And a few months of this sort of practice definitely helped me to improve my picking a lot. But I was still frustrated. I was still not even close to Paul Gilbert's level of skill. And I asked myself this…
Click Here To Continue Reading: How Long Will It Take You To Master Alternate Picking Technique?…
You just need to visit a few guitar forums and you'll quickly see that there is an obscene number of guitarists wanting to increase their alternate picking speed. And hey…who am I to judge? After all, developing fast picking chops definitely allows you to play licks and solos that were previously impossible. Not to mention that rapid machine-gun picking also sounds really cool. :-) (You only need to listen to Paul Gilbert to get proof of this!).
So how do you increase your alternate picking speed? Well, unfortunately there's no magic bullet. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears! To become an alternate picking monster takes most players years of consistent practice.
With that said, here are a couple of tips that will help…
Click Here To Continue Reading: Two Powerful Tips To Increase Your Alternate Picking Speed….
OK…I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit this. I'm definitely not proud of it. And I'm not sure if I should share this with you. But, here it goes anyway…
When I first started to learn to alternate I was after looking for a quick fix. I was looking for some special, powerful and almost magical alternate picking exercise that would fix all my problems. I wanted to discover an exercise that would transform me into an alternate picking beast! I wanted to uncover some kind of secret exercise that would help me pick as fast as a machine gun.
So what happened?
Click Here To Continue Reading: Is There Really A Magical Alternate Picking Exercise?…
If you've been searching online for alternate picking exercises, then you probably have noticed something-there is a heck of a lot of them! In fact, there are so many it can be totally overwhelming! And this feeling of overwhelm can cause you to ask yourself questions such are…
- What specific alternate picking exercises should I practice to get the greatest results?
- How do I find out what the best ones are for me?
- What alternate picking exercises are useful for me, and which ones are a total waste of my time?
I feel that these questions are very valid. All of us have a limited time for alternate picking practice. And I'm pretty sure you don't want to waste your practice time on exercises that don't work!
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If you're new to alternate picking then you might be asking yourself what's the best pick to use to alternate pick fast. Well, it's definitely not an easy question to answer. It's a bit like asking what car is best for driving fast. (There are plenty that would get the job done!).
With that said, let's take a look at the type of pick that I use. I've been using this type for a long time. And it's the one that I recommend to my students all the time. (Especially if one of their goals is to pick at blazingly fast speeds).
So what pick am I talking about?
Click Here To Continue Reading: What Are The Best Guitar Picks For Fast Alternate Picking?…
