Speed Concept 1 – Training the Stroke Reflex

This is one of the most under talked about exercises when it comes to developing picking speed.

You can do this with every picking exercise or lick you have, all you need to do is recoil your pick stroke back to the string as soon as possible no matter what tempo you’re practicing. This is one of the few ways that we make make slower tempo practice help us build speed. More often than not, slow practice makes slow players. This technique means we can build speed while practicing at comfortable tempos.

Try the exercise shown in the video.. here it is. Repeat the pattern until you are at the 13th fret, then descend.

Use this concept to help with any difficult picking patterns, even ones with complex string changes and arpeggios, just make sure to plant the pick as quickly as possible onto the next string you’re going to play.