alternate picking

[seven_strings]

Hello all...... I have been having trouble increasing accuarcy past the point I'm already at. I've gotten pretty good with the right hand but it could be better, I'd like to pick as clean as paul Gilbert in the near future so I need all the ideas you guys can throw at me to get me over this last platue . Post tabs verbal ideas anything will help I'll try it all.

[B A Stone]

Two words, metronome and intense concentration on accuracy. OK, a little more than 2 words.

I'd like to pick as clean as paul Gilbert in the near future

I hope your not talking about weeks here, or even months. At the point where you can't seem to get any faster or more accurate, you need to slow down and find out "why".

It may be as simple as your pinky being way up in the air or you're clenching two fingers together or your picking hand is as tight as a baseball. It could be any number of reasons. And, most likely, it's a combination of several things.

Correcting these problems cannot be done while trying to play fast. It must be done playing slowly. It's only then when you can truly focus on the problem(s), and find the solution.

I am no virtuoso(yet ), nor do I know your level of playing. But ALL of the great players pretty much say the same thing. Go slow, isolate the difficulties, strive for accuracy, do not have any un-necessary tension in your body.

If it were easy, there would be a billion Paul Gilberts.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[B A Stone]

OK. just listened to your bored and baked riffs.

Quit getting baked!!!!!

You must have, in the past, applied some of what I said to be able to play like that.

IMO, No matter how much fun it is, it is impossible to master anything when you're high.

You got potential dude, keep it up.

[seven_strings]

I think working with a metronome is the best way to go but that takes patience LOL but if i want it bad enough thats what i must do.. thanks for the insperation

[Bizarro]

You might want to check out the various picking articles by Eric and James. They have some really good ideas.

Your single string technique sounds really good, so you may want to focus on more advanced exercises like skipping strings, alternate picking arpeggios (instead of sweeping), and so on.

3 finger joe has some great examples of "one note per string" which you can find in this thread:
http://www.ibreathemusic.com/forums/...=&threadid=518

That guy is really a really quick picker, and he has posted several mp3's here which you may want to check out! I think he posted a version of PG's technical difficulties which was awesome!

http://www.ibreathemusic.com/forums/...=&threadid=517

[seven_strings]

hey bizaro I'm in olympia washington as you can see..... and I'd love to get together and jam with a reformed shredder let me know if you are interested. Also the most halerious thing is... I'm going to post a version of PG's technical difficulties lol how weird ....anyhow thanks guys I love this site and all the dudes on it seem really cool