Speed and Coordination Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (0049) Opening Music Dave plays some great introductory music in the key of Em. Get your guitar tuned and ready for another great lesson! Chapter 2: (00:27) Lesson Introduction This lesson primarily deals with picking hand technique. If you are a left-handed player, simply apply the information presented in this lesson to your left hand. Dave will discuss fundamental technical issues such as the proper way to hold a pick. He will also demonstrate several basic exercises that are designed to improve your picking speed and coordination. Chapter 3: (09:00) Basic Picking Exercises A. Choosing a Pick

Playing aggressive rock and roll requires that you use a relatively thick pick. A light pick creates a thin tone when playing aggressive material with the right hand. Also, many rock players have a higher tendency to drop or lose control of a thin pick. Thin, flexible picks such as the Dunlop Nylon series, are ideal for light strumming. Due to their material, these picks are ideal for playing crossover genre material on a nylon string guitar.

Dave Mackenzie uses a purple Dunlop Tortex pick in this lesson. The thickness of this particular pick is 1.14 mm. These picks are quite popular amongst rock players. James Hetfield from Metallica prefers the green Dunlop Tortex pick (.88mm). Jamplay instructor Matt Brown prefers to use white Fender Medium picks. These picks are about the thinnest picks you can get away with when playing rock guitar. Experiment with a variety of different picks until you find the right one for you.

B. Holding the Pick

There are several different ways to hold a pick. The traditional way involves clasping the pick between the thumb and index finger. Some players grip the pick between the side of the index finger and the pad of the thumb. Many guitarists choose to hold the pick between the pads of the thumb and index finger. Dave holds the pick in this way.

Many rock players choose to hold the pick with the pad of the thumb and the pads of both the index and middle fingers. James Hetfield and Krist Novoselic are two of the most famous advocates of this technique. They think that the pick feels more secure in their hands when holding it in this manner. Watch some live performances of both musicians to observe their picking technique.

Eddie Van Halen holds the pick between his thumb and middle finger. This leaves the first finger free to perform tapping licks.

If you are just starting out, we recommend that you hold the pick in the first way described. The vast majority of guitarists prefer this method.

Regardless of which fingers you hold the pick with, you must choke up on the pick so that only a small portion sticks out from the thumb and index finger. Dave demonstrates how to do this at the beginning of this scene. Choking up on the pick makes techniques such as tremolo picking and pinch harmonics much easier to perform. Holding the pick in this way also usually results in a slightly louder tone. Players that use jazz style picks do not need to follow this rule. These picks are shaped smaller to begin with.

Overall Body Posture

Every muscle group in your body affects the way you play the guitar. Apply the following posture rules at all times.

1. The feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Do not cross your legs or ankles! It is acceptable for right-handed players to move the left foot forward in their stance. (Lefties may bring the right foot forward.) This creates a slightly larger base. This may or may not improve your overall balance when playing in a standing position.
2. Always wear a strap regardless of whether you are sitting down or standing up. Notice how high Dave's neck is raised. Adjust your own strap to this height. This particular rule does not apply to classical guitarists. However, classical players must always use a footstool or suction cup device. These items essentially do the work that a strap does on a steel or bronze string guitar.
3. Sit up straight! Do not lean back in your chair. Your butt is the only part of your body that should make contact with the chair or stool.
4. Relax the shoulders. Many players slightly shrug their shoulders. This causes unnecessary tension that quickly spreads to the forearms, wrists, and fingers.

Right Hand Fingers

The right hand fingers that are not used to hold the pick should be lightly tucked into the palm. Many players prefer to fan out their right hand fingers. This is acceptable. However, you run the risk of accidentally bumping a string with one of these fingers. Regardless, you should NEVER plant a right hand finger anywhere on the body of the guitar. Many professional players of the highest quality play with the pinky finger anchored to the bridge pickup. However, their technique would be even better if they eliminated this bad habit from their playing. Anchor your right hand to the guitar by lightly resting it on the bridge.

Basic Picking Exercise 1

Note: Open "Exercise 1" under the "Supplemental Content" tab for tablature/directions to this exercise.

Dave demonstrates a basic exercise to get you started on developing solid picking technique. It is always best to perform basic picking exercises with open strings. This completely eliminates the left hand from the equation, and allows you to focus only on your picking hand.

Set your metronome or drum machine to a slow tempo. Play eight sequential donwstrokes on the open high E string. Then, perform eight sequential upstrokes on the same string. Make sure that the tone and volume of your upstrokes is identical to your upstrokes. The same technique is used to play upstrokes and downstrokes. Simply change the direction of your pick.

Due to the muscle structure in the wrists and hands, it is much easier to play rapid sequential upstrokes than downstrokes. Spend extra time practicing downstrokes to compensate for this weakness. Begin to practice scale patterns starting with an upstroke then apply alternate picking. This will put upstrokes on all the strong beats, and shift the downstrokes to the weaker beats.

Exercise 2

Note: Open "Exercise 2" under the "Supplemental Content" tab for tablature/directions to this exercise.

Now, use strict alternate picking on the open high E string. Set your metronome to a steady quarter note tempo. Then, practice playing eighth notes, sixteenths, and triplets at this tempo. Every other time you practice the exercise, begin the alternate picking pattern with an upstroke. Practice this exercise on each open string.

Exercise 3

Note: Open "Exercise 3" under the "Supplemental Content" tab for tablature/directions to this exercise.

This exercise is designed to increase synchronization and coordination of both hands. A note should be fretted with the left hand a few milliseconds before the right hand picks the string. Play this exercise VERY slowly to begin with. Use strict alternate picking. Make sure each note rings into the next. Then, gradually increase the tempo of your metronome.

Note: Master all of the exercises presented in this scene before you proceed to practice Exercise 4. Chapter 4: (02:28) Exercise on Two Strings Note: Open "Exercise 4" under the "Supplemental Content" tab for tablature/directions to this exercise.

This cool riff/lick makes an excellent picking exercise. It is very important to master string crossings in the context of alternate picking. Chapter 5: (01:32) Final Thoughts Stay disciplined when practicing these exercises. Play each of them everyday as part of your warm-up routine. Developing speed and endurance is often compared to physical training for a sport. If you are not consistent with your practice, you will not improve. Try not to take more than one day off a week from technical practice.

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