i havent been playing for about 2 months now because of my exams, and during this period i have lost all the picking strength and stamina in my right hand. i am unable to tremolo pick and alternate pick as fast as i used to be able to and my arm cramps up and loses strength quick. i have next to no stamina in my right arm

i want to build up my right arm again and i want to be able to play songs by bands who heavily use alternate picking and tremolo picking. for example cryptopsy and slayer. i also want to build up my downpicking technique; building speed and stamina (i was never good at that, so i guess nows the time to improve)

so can anyone give me proper (i dont wanna do the wrong shit and have to start again or injure myself) advice and instructions on how to build up speed and stamina with the following techniques:

1. alternate picking
2. tremolo picking
3. down picking

arm and pick possitioning, the type of motion and excercises is what im after, any other tips, tricks and advice is also welcome. everything will be appreciated!

i hope you can help me out

thank alot
cheers
User01
p.s. i searched all over the forum but couldnt find exactly what i needed

Start slow, get you muscles warm and then try some scales. For downpicking try songs like master of puppets or creeping death. Start slow and when you have it down play along with the song. For tremelo picking angel of death. Again, start slow. Then play along with the song. For alternate picking try some scales. And don't use your forearm while picking. You will be able to go alot faster when your just using your wrist. Some people just use their thumb and index finger to pick. And the most important thing

Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice...

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When I stop playing for a while, it always takes me a few days to get back into the routine.

Start off slow, start with what you know, and make up your own exercises that seem meaningful. You'll be back to it in no time.

I just got back from a job out of town, and my forearms are so sore (from pouring buckets of mortar all day) that I can't even pick my guitar up and play it.

Just takes a bit of time to build that back up. Grab your metronome (you have one right? ) and start slowly. Maybe do it while you're watching TV, since it'll be fairly boring. Come up with something simple.. like stay on the 6th string. Set the metronome slowly, and do 16th notes. Start on the open string and go up a fret each measure. Go up the neck then back down. You can do that with alternate picking or just downstrokes.

I'd recommend not just sticking with 16th notes. Set the metronome very low, at 50bpm or so. Start with quarter notes, then 8ths, then 8th triplets, then 16ths, etc.. keep dividing up the beat more and more, making you go faster and faster, without actually changing up the beat. That'll help you get back into the rhythms again too.

One thing I do to warm up for about 20-30 mins might help you out. I go through each of the 7 modes, harmonic minor, and pentatonic minor (sometimes all 5 pentatonics too) all starting on the same root note and use 3 notes per string forms except pentatonic, although there's a cool 3 note per string shred-style pentatonic that is also good. Keep them all connected.. when you come back down to the root note on the 6th string, that's the first note of the next scale.. so you'll play nonstop for quite a while. Start slowly (relative term.. but leave I'd say about 40bpm slower than your max speed). Bump it up 5bpm after each time you've run through all of those scales until you get to your limit. Remember to stop and stretch and all of that good stuff

You can do that while watching pretty much a whole TV show, since it can get pretty boring. It's good for stamina, though.. and starting off that slowly has really helped me a lot. It should help ease your muscles into playing faster, which sounds like something that would definitely benefit you.

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fuck man do the same god damn thing u did before to build it up. dont be a pussy and just go for it.

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ok, cool, tell me how good that mentality is once you get CTS and tendonitis

Take a lap, walk it off, suck it up, then practice some more. I promote pain. Pain, I say... NOT injury. Getting better will be painful but only an idiot will practice past the point they ignore the type of pain that signals injury. You will have to bring yourself to that threshold many times if you ever want to improve but just take a break once there. No harm will be done and you will heal stronger then before. Control your form ( everyone makes their own ) at all times and push for more speed slowly. Most of all, remember to try and relax your arm and hand. Use only the amount of force and tention needed moment to moment. You will have a strong, fast, accurate picking hand before you know it.

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All good tips from a really good thread. I finally pulled my head out of my ass and forced myself to practice the wrist and fingers only technique since my picking is so bad. I gotta say, I'm finally a believer that it can actually be done...I'm only on my 2nd day of practicing it and its about the 4th hour spent with it; I've already seen a HUGE improvement...picked up speed in downpicking and tremolo picking. My wrist is sore the next day, but obviously this is normal since I'm working the wrist muscles in a way that they have never worked before. Finally getting out of my shitty elbow picking after 12+ years. Keep the tips coming!!!

p.s. What has really been helping me with my picking is using a mirror cause I can really focus on watching my form and making sure that the forearm does not move.

+1,dont be a pussy.There is no way around pain and practice.

I don't care
No one else does.


Im willing to bet a sum of money that you can't play any song from these two listed bands, Mfaggot.



Ok here's some advice; LEARN BY YOUR FUCKING SELF. Everyone's different and it's not as if you're actually going to follow any tips given in this thread.


No, actually, I fucking can't.



Well you SURE AS FUCK didn't search hard enough, dickhead.

Ace! Another high wired and spite filled Austrlian!

Haha!!I love this thread.

Someone has a zebra dick in his ass.

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Shut the fuck up you fucking cunt. No I fucking don't have a fucking zebra fucking dick in my fucking ass so you don't need to fucking lie and fucking say I have one. Fucking dickheads like fucking you, always fucking being dickheads, I swear... I could fucking kick you in the fuckinghead you fucking illiterate piece of fucking shit.

In fucking fact, your fucking head looks like a fucking orange. And fucking yes, I have seen the fucking video of fucking you playing Crazy fucking Train, and I fucking think you fucking suck. That's fucking right, you fucking suck. I think you fucking missed like one fucking note you fucking suck. Learn to fucking play fucking guitar you fucking jackass.

Yeah,get the zebra dick out of your ass.You fucking jackass problematic.

Ohhhh mr. emo. mr 'I dont have a name because the world hates me too much' /.... ohh... Taking your raw emo anger out on other people and through your music... oh...



FUCKING EMO.

32 fucks in one post... wow

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damn straight.

well duh! obviously! wtf, this guy is fucking stupid! can you not fucking read you fucking gay cunt?!



notice i said, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO PLAY


i never said i already do play them songs, gay prick

your bet would be as pointless as betting that there are black people in africa!
of course i cant play them songs! i never claimed i could!

if your such a bad ass on guitar, why dont you fucking post videos or recordings of you playing...? why dont you do it if your ego is so jacked up? are you such a fucking ugly fuck that you cannot be filmed...?

god, you fucking inbred dick, get a fucking life, stop whoring boards, get a girl, get a boy, whatever, just get laid you fucking gay fuck.

seriosuly, how old are you!? come one, please, just tell me, you sound like a fucking 11 year old fag...just piss off

i seriously believe that you are some loner faggot who gets kicked the shit out off at school because he wears taped glasses and looks like a nerd whilst thinkin that hes some l337 d00d!
this is your only outlet of rage...rite...

ever seen rusty cooley play? i'm not a fan of what he plays, but his technique is undeniably effective. when he kicks in the speed, it's ALL in his elbow. it works. wrist, finger, or elbow movement can all work. i do recommend mainly wrist and maybe a little elbow, though. i'd say i use about 75% wrist and 25% elbow when i'm playing.

And Problematic: you seem to be the angry emo one around here.. either that or you're female and it's a red week for you.

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its ok buddy i still love you

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ive had cts for bout 6 years, it feels great.

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Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?

well the sarcasm detector exploded....so i say yes

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...umm...ok...nice
so what are you trying to achieve with that piece of sarcasm? i dont get what your trying to say

that sounds about right yea, my mum took my guitar of me for like 5 weeks and when i got it back i couldnt play fast at all. It took about 4 days of constant practise going from slow music and slowly building it back up.

actually i really do have cts. it doesnt bother me that much when i play.

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I bet it feels great.

Sounds like somebody's had a little too much to drink... or a little too much zebra sex.

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