How to Build Alternate Picking Speed! THIS WORKS!

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2 жыл бұрын

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Grab last week's practice tracks at a variety of tempos, plus the midi tracks so you can build your OWN workout, PLUS the downloadable TABs here! / 50395556
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Hey kids, its your good buddy Uncle Ben Eller!!! One of the questions i get asked the most is how do we improve our alternate picking speed... i'm here to tell you, its not about the marathons, its about the sprints! Speed bursts are THE way to build picking hand speed while also reducing tension and learning to stay relaxed!
With that in mind, i've made an awesome chromatic workout package for you all to follow along with. 1/2 is 16th notes, 1/2 is triplets. Run this workout every day and i swear your picking hand will reach new heights FAST!!!
Gear:
Suhr Modern Satin
Axe FX 3

Пікірлер: 179

@TheLebourreau 5 ай бұрын

I've been doing this every day for about three months. It has made a WORLD of difference. I've played for 35+ years and have always had issues with my picking speed and clarity. This has helped incredibly! Thank you Uncle Ben!

@djraven6864 3 ай бұрын

Uncle Ben''s Original brown Rice!

@replicantwanderlust 2 жыл бұрын

Just make your "daily routine" a "3-times a day routine". Improves alternate picking technique 1000%. Muscle memory, you know!

@limpskimp6794 Жыл бұрын

boss i gotta work 😭

@user-el6ve2rl9b Жыл бұрын

@@limpskimp6794 on your guitar

@2SICH 2 жыл бұрын

Congrats on 400k subs! So well deserved 🤘

@Struppi_22 2 жыл бұрын

Hello, 2SICH

@replicated 2 жыл бұрын

i squeezed a dookie into my hand and now it flies across the fretboard thx

@townchampion 2 жыл бұрын

@2SICH ❤❤❤

@Mateo_Romero 2 жыл бұрын

Lol, 'The revenge of the Simps'

@MrFreevo 2 жыл бұрын

Ben deserves 1M

@skipneumann1 2 жыл бұрын

Now that I am about to hit the stepdad age of 70, these workouts are making me play like the young stud I was in high school! Your Patreon is so awesome too

@TheShinyShow 2 жыл бұрын

The chuck schuldiner guitar looks pretty cool on that top

@michaelharacopos6550 2 жыл бұрын

There are certain people in this world who are meant to teach and spread knowledge. You are definitely one of those individuals. This channel deserves way more attention that it gets. I learn more from this channel than any other KZfaq guitarist and I don't play any metal at all.

@pommezfritesde8021 2 жыл бұрын

The Punisher Exercise you once showed helped me improving my technique so much. Before that i couldn't do Alternate picking and had Handsync issues.

@TheCaveman05-13 2 жыл бұрын

You’re my favorite KZfaq I’ve followed almost all of your videos and it has helped me soooo drastically! I have made light years of progress in the last 3 years! Because of you! Thanks uncle Ben!

@breachless5320 2 жыл бұрын

For reals: I have learned so much since subbing here. Thanks for another great exercise and for pointing out the rotating wrist picking thing: I don’t know how I never put two and two together but that is absolutely an issue for me to correct now that I am aware of it.

@tel52799 2 жыл бұрын

You made those exercises sound so cool! What a concept. Making boring patterns and exercises sound musical. Which is really the whole point anyway. Great stuff.

@poisonfists 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent point about mindfulness and taking inventory of how we may be tensing up. It's been through your exercises I've begun to notice how I tense up in a couple ways; how long into the exercise and where on the fretboard. Thx ZomBen!

@AndreiGrozea 2 жыл бұрын

it's good to know there are exercises out there that are efficient yet simple, stuff like that held me back from practicing since i picked up this instrument :| congrats on 400k

@BDyoungster1997 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant idea. Thank you for taking the time and making this

@imandan1966 2 жыл бұрын

Great lesson as always Ben! Congrats on 400k!!

@BlackinMind 2 жыл бұрын

Within 15 minutes I got this up to 220. You're right, I'm astonished... gonna make this a regular in my warm up routine!

@isoEH 2 жыл бұрын

That conscious relaxing thing.. actually smooths out the picking immediately. Good exercise for that as well.

@user62413 10 ай бұрын

Wow thank you so much for the new daily routine!!! I just subscribed after watching this video 🤟🏼

@eddiejr540 2 жыл бұрын

Uncle Ben... I don’t think you realize just how good of a teacher you are...your guitar abilities aside, you have a natural God given talent to teach...it’s quite impressive...thanks so much and rock on my brother!!!

@Jonton5986 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks again Ben! Your a great help my friend 👍

@Geotubest 2 жыл бұрын

Congrats on 400K subs. Well deserved!

@shreddergirl8607 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ben I'm new to your channel...Great exercise... exposes some of my bad habits... it's much harder going slow and with a clean tone, which reveals pick attack and how off those little bursts can be with the metronome's timing. At high speed with a backing track, it's a blast... Thanks, Ben, you rule!

@billygvaughnsr4327 2 жыл бұрын

Ben My buddy told me about you I think your a great teacher from what I* can see. I'm gonna try a few of your lessons and I'm going to join you and support you.

@royals1833 Жыл бұрын

I'm pretty new to playing but man, this drill is absolutely fantastic. Its pretty awesome when you find something that makes such a profound difference in such short time. Thanks for the help.

@stratstart 10 ай бұрын

Nicely done ! Great video! Thank you!

@angellesambre1 2 жыл бұрын

Noticing your skull collection in the background... good to see you haven't lost your mind(s)... Great stuff, thanks Ben!

@timothyleard 2 жыл бұрын

Great lesson, I've been doing 2 picks one note 3 picks the next note and alternate between the two, works wonders 🤘👍

@stewartking7376 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man, I really needed this!

@jammergreg 2 жыл бұрын

Great lesson! Thanks and thanks Mark T.

@th3bard 2 жыл бұрын

Shred til you're UNDEAD tee ordered 🤘🏻🤘🏻. Thanks uncle Ben...my step dad never buys me any cool shirts so, now I can have one!

@stevecaststringtheory8691 2 жыл бұрын

Thought I accidentally clicked on Night of the Living Stepdads there at the beginning. Another awesome video thank you for the consistently great content! For some reason that first speed burst exercise reminds me of Devil’s Slide by Satch, cool stuff

@drsmith4582 2 жыл бұрын

Lots of good advice here. There are so many intricacies involved in learning to shred for both hands. I played good guitar for many years before deciding to take the shredding plunge. I’m hard headed and never bought any course, but chose to figure it out with diligent practice, experimentation and free helps, such as Uncle Ben’s occasional speed improvement videos. Along the way, I’ve reversed many stifling habits and this year I’m finally approaching the shred zone or being able to alternate pick at 180 bpm. If folks only learn one thing from this video it’s, no economy picking for this exercise! In fact I firmly believe that economy picking should only be used in certain specific situations that are well documented by the brain.

@michelsen2297 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent lesson! Greetings from Brazil!

@mikeking453 2 жыл бұрын

Great lesson! Thanks

@replicated 2 жыл бұрын

This is the only time a chromatic exercise seemed interesting to me. Thanks. Definitely incorporating this.

@paulgeary531 2 жыл бұрын

Ben, thank you for all of your insightful videos, your perspective on guitar has been appreciated and fun! One of my favorite guitarist John Sykes released Dawning of a brand new day. Wondering if you wouldn't mind doing a Halloween episode exploring this song and lesson. Thanks for all you do! Keep rocking!!

@GregsGarage 2 жыл бұрын

Time to grab the guit-fiddle and get to picking'! Thanks as always Ben!

@jimmypennell8831 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ben. Gonna try it

@Mad_Axe_Man125 Жыл бұрын

one thing you said in another lesson that helped me out tremendously was doing these excercises both starting with a downstroke and upstroke. It was the video where youre playing mr scary at the beginning and talking about how difficult it was.

@morbidfollower 2 жыл бұрын

Good video dude

@jeremymarlow1802 2 жыл бұрын

400k subs congratulations

@cpeplinski 2 жыл бұрын

Nice drill. Always love the simplicity but challenging drills you share....no pick teasing here

@tommyibanez3958 2 жыл бұрын

That exercise is so catchy that it’s the background music in my head now. I’m cleaning the litter box before and noticed my head is going da-da-da-da-DA, da-da-da-da-DA

@ArtbyPaulPetro 2 жыл бұрын

you sure nailed one of my biggest most challenging problems: TENSION! I'm left handed but play right handed and my right hand tension is a HUGE problem that plagues me constantly. the thing you said about shoulder tension is a big problem as well my whole ight side tenses up whenever i try to play fast or difficult things ugggggh

@keithwilson8235 2 жыл бұрын

Very scary intro 🎃 Loved it! I’m learning Highway Star (170 bpm) and I’m at 125 bpm (75%) w/4 npb starting on the 5th fret (5-6-8-8 etc). I can do 150 bpm w/3 note progressions (90%) of the solo. I’m looking forward to using this lesson for that solo and others. THANKS UNCLE ZOM-BEN

@GDawg2K2 2 жыл бұрын

Good stuff as always UB.. Exposing one of the many reasons I suck at gtr!

@user-jl2wd1it8h 2 ай бұрын

My name is Sum Yung Wang. This exercise helped me lose 200lbs of fat, regrow hair, get a sweet job and fly. Thanks Uncle Bob 👍

@sinisterhiss Жыл бұрын

I was literally thinking that this exercise reminds me of TMNT music from the NES and then I caught that little outro tune. I see what you did there!

@1tzelG_ 2 жыл бұрын

muy cool y excelente profesor de guitarra. muy buen músico. muy explicativo y gráfico. puedo entender bastante bien. material de estudio bien entretenido la verdad. tiene a disposición ejercicios y soluciones para cada tipo de problemas en el instrumento. recomendado. yo ya no toco guitarra, la vendí hace bastante, pero es interesante ver este material, para continuar expandiendo la mente y entender otras cosas, que a lo mejor me complicaban al utilizar el instrumento. se agradece maestro. saludos!! desde Chile.

@HowlingUlf 2 жыл бұрын

"Ben Eller 400K subscribers" heeeeeeeeey! congrats!

@QuintalandaQuarter 2 жыл бұрын

It’s here!!!

@Acelespaul 2 жыл бұрын

I'm just a hack and play as a hobby, but this actually did help a lot. Thank you

@ramseyomery 2 жыл бұрын

that was awesome

@JonBjork 2 жыл бұрын

Great exercise Ben! I don't know the tempos you're using in the backing tracks that's available but doing the first one starting on an upstroke is a good variation as well for your ambipixtrous abilities as Petrucci would put it:D Congrats on 400 k subs, well deserved!

@BenEller 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jon!!! You rule!

@sullyhet 2 жыл бұрын

Dude, i love thrash but i so far havent been able to manage it, this may be a game changer for me

@kirkclement1583 2 жыл бұрын

Great shtuff, Ben, thanks for sharing your knowledge!! I will be incorporating this exercise into my practice regiment! 🤘🤘🤘

@orionsodyssey6928 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Uncle Ben

@Kriegter 10 ай бұрын

I was actually able to build hand synchronization speed through the holy wars intro riff. The hard part wasn't so much how fast I can alternate pick, but how well I can stay in rhythm when I had to switch strings (since that wasn't a thing in the holy wars riff) and that took many more months. Stuff about economy picking and pick escape helped a lot

@billygoat126 2 жыл бұрын

that shirt is so sick. i never buy youtube merch but i bought that shirt in the first 50 seconds of the vid

@BenEller 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!

@stevecaststringtheory8691 2 жыл бұрын

Sick cover of the TMNT NES overworld music at the end!

@crisslastname9417 2 жыл бұрын

You look like you should be on a Ozzy album cover! Awesome!

@GaZonk100 2 жыл бұрын

yess! -- this seems more like how the brain etc works!

@Ninjakutsueki 9 ай бұрын

1:15, yea yea I already do that. 1:49, mind blown. Haha, great vid!

@TheStrykerProject 2 жыл бұрын

Now that's a great picking-hand workout. I really needed this one! Oh, and your skull collection is amazing! 💀

@SuperSeanXXX 2 жыл бұрын

I just aquired an 85 Kramer pacer deluxe all original

@stevenaustin4591 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Ben, nice vid, can you prove it works? like a before vs after type vid, maybe something like that might be more convincing.... I cant help but be skeptic of these things (been playing 20 yrs now). What about syncing your hands where each guitar pick is an alternating finger/fret, like downstroke = finger/fret 1, upstroke = finger/fret 2, and do a sort of trill-type thing but pick every note. Kinda like a Vai-esc kinda thing, probably a long way around doing a similar exercise to this one you're doing here but it could be helpful too. :)

@markslima1557 2 жыл бұрын

Great lesson Ben! But that skulls background is epic!!

@miyagimiyagis8365 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ben thanks for your exercises they are excellent, I'm already seeing results!, a query you get out of your axe fx to your studio monitors? and if you can what monitors are you using? best regards!

@babylemonade2868 2 жыл бұрын

That spider is horrible uncle Ben it’s flaring up my arachnophobia and it is on a bloody video😂 cool video as usual

@titmusspaultpaul5 2 жыл бұрын

Hey uncle Ben, great lesson as usual. Have a question though. When playing do you have your wrist "floating"? What i mean by this is do you rest the palm of your picking hand on the strings or just above as you play or do you rest your arm (mid way between wrist and elbow) on the guitar body. Just trying to find the right technique before I start putting a shitload of hours in. Wouldn't want to do that then find out its wrong, and have to start again. Making a video on this would be good for everyone. Maybe you could do a how to prepare yourself for playing fast - getting the right habits and techniques..... cheers mate.

@thunkjunk 9 ай бұрын

Try that riff in Hook in Mouth that Dave plays during Poland's solo.

@Sam-jv5kb 2 жыл бұрын

for the algorithm! also, great stuff!

@DeanLamb 2 жыл бұрын

the ANXIETY exercise 😰

@BenEller 2 жыл бұрын

Lean….. DAMN!!!!

@oxidhdazoth5214 2 жыл бұрын

I came up with a similar exercise a few months ago because I had trouble doing the alternate picking motion AND moving my forearm to lower my hand. You can also do it with very long legato runs: Divide the exercise into smaller fragments and give yourself one metronome pulse where you only move your hand in the most comfortable position. The results are kinda scary to be honest because you realize the time you wasted in your guitar journey being stuck with the pulse.

@johnegan4762 2 ай бұрын

Thank you. I found this by searching for alternate picking exceptions and how to decide whether to start a lick on an upstroke as opposed to on a downstroke. I sometimes come across perplexing picking issues. I was wondering if there is some resource that gives examples of licks that present the various exceptions and challenges of alternate picking. Arpeggios etc.

@patrickleonhardt5038 2 жыл бұрын

Great lesson! Also - are you still working out because it dang looks like it 💪🏻

@M-Guitars 2 жыл бұрын

I can't shred. My girlfriend is a violin teacher and told me about the speed burst method. I said that's BS! But now that Ben Eller suggested it I'll give it a try.

@TheBfutgreg 2 жыл бұрын

That Tshirt is awesome, reminds me of the aesthetic of Dance with the Dead, an awesome Synthwave band/group with guitar stuff and metal influences \M/ \M/

@niponipo3939 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for all your work, Ben! But sometimes I think that fast picking isn't my thing - I spend lots of money on teachers, courses etc - they all have something similar and something different. In the end I try to boost my speed and my hand hurt so much at wrist (and sometimes a little at forearm and elbow) so I put away instrument for week to month. Can you give advice for my situation? Btw I have examples of me playing on my channel. Thanks a lot anyways!

@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers 2 жыл бұрын

Great exercise! Notice his pick slant, boys and girls.

@mglickman13 2 жыл бұрын

💘it!

@markmayfield5382 2 жыл бұрын

Scary Fast!

@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers 2 жыл бұрын

Your stepdad can’t make this exercise sound good but Uncle Ben can…fucking love your rice, bud!

@AnthonyRosenbaum 2 жыл бұрын

Do you have tips or videos to speed up the fret hand?

@nicoscarfo4486 10 ай бұрын

One of the best exercises to build alternate picking speed is this shape moved all over the neck, I believe this is one of Paul Gilberts exercises, you can hear this in some of his fast shred licks Dstring:10-12-13 Gstring:10 Dstring:13-12-10-12-13 Gstring:10 Dstring:13-12-10-12-13 Gstring:10 Dstring:13-12-10-12-13 Gstring:10 Dstring:13-12-10-12-13 you get the idea, start slow and build up speed as your fingers warm up, use all different finger patterns too and 2 to 3, 4 if you can reach fret stretches and so on Dstring:10-11-13 Gstring:10 Dstring:13-11-12................. Basically a 1-3-4-1-4-3-1 and 1-2-4-1-4-2-1 finger pattern This is an advanced exercise to help more with your alternate picking, the last note on the Dstring should be a down stroke, then up stroke on the G Dstring:10-12-13 Gstring:10 Dstring:13 Gstring:10 Dstring:13-12,10..................... Dstring:10-11-13 Gstring:10 Dstring:13 Gstring:10 Dstring:13-11-10.....................

@ClassicPass_ 2 жыл бұрын

Ghaddang flashbacks to Sonic running out of air underwater...

@TheAlexCruz 2 жыл бұрын

"...like any good dealer, I'm going to give you the first hit for free". Nice 😁

@eddiejr540 2 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha....that was freakin funny!!!!

@stevenaustin4591 2 жыл бұрын

also, Ben, would you have any tips in tackling the picking in Slipknot's Heretic Anthem? That song is giving me a LOT of tension in my arm and its a brutal struggle to get thru the whole thing downpicking. Cheers in advance :)

@Norseman2 2 жыл бұрын

Holy moley …my right arm is toast now after going through one full cycle. 😝

@thedanksavatron7782 2 жыл бұрын

Nissssssssssssssssssce 🍻 & Knowing is half the battle! GI Joooooooooooooooe!🇺🇲

@jacobsamano9761 2 жыл бұрын

Damn Ben those Revv amps are so sick looking! What is them, snakeskin and zebra print? Too cool!

@jimraymond7997 2 жыл бұрын

You're so cool brother

@guitarcircuit Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your material So we would master this exercise before doing your other alternate picking approaches?

@BenEller Жыл бұрын

I’m all in favor of mixing it up on a daily basis. Just like with physical exercise, it’s never a good idea to focus solely on one thing! And don’t ever neglect playing SONGS every day!

@alexarchibald5321 2 жыл бұрын

Even this tone sounds spooky 👻 😱

@qstudiomusicandproductions2695 Жыл бұрын

Alright I'm officially Step Dad level 😄. Reviewed lots of purveyors of shrededge first and you "resonated" (Step Dad Joke) the most. One of my favorite guitar teachers as a kid was my uncle Alvin...Dad taught me Country, Blues and R&B, my dad's lead player taught me Flamenco, and possibly most boring person on the face of the Earth taught me Classical (for 4 lessons only!) But uncle Al switched me on to Zeppelin, Floyd, The Dead, 3 Dog Night, America and others. On yeah and there was this d-bag / a-hat in Houston in the 80s I paid a dollar a minute, for Jazz lessons, who just gave me charts. Yeah went to 2 lessons...You kind of remind me of Uncle Al because he made learning fun!

@jamiegustkey2573 2 жыл бұрын

Glen Danzig .... After one of his very first KZfaq appearances with the bouncer... 👏🏻

@teachmeguitar4149 2 жыл бұрын

I'm chewing cereal on beat while watching 👀 you

@r4v3nner 2 жыл бұрын

Give us tips bruh! Also damn you Zom-Ben

@theshitheads3178 2 жыл бұрын

Can you bring back that bottle clink sound on the cutaway graphic? Tia

@phitoman6964 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ben! at 11min you say that its bad to anchor wrist on the bottom string etc. so that is interesting moment for me cause there is Russian guitarist Anton Oparin(I know you know about him) and he has his guitar school. and there he says exactly opposite, that one have to anchor his wrist and he explains deeply why(anatomy and other things). one just have to move his wrist in such way so the pick wouldnt lose the angle.

@phitoman6964 2 жыл бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y86Df7B1rZ-ZaWg.html here he shows it at 11min(What a coinсidence))but without deep explanation