Pastor Brad's FREE Metal Guitar Lessons Two Finger/Picking Exercises Metal Guitar Lessons     Guitar Jams     PB's Metal Music      Reviews       Christianity       PB's Bio    Contact   BOTTOM LINE: If you want to develop any kind of agility on the fret board, i.e. if you want to be able to play well... make chord changes quickly and cleanly... play some lead, etc.  YOU HAVE TO MASTER SOME BASIC FINGER EXERCISE SKILLS.  That's what this lesson is all about.  These two picking exercises will help you get BETTER at picking/fretting anything you play.  Are there more exercises than these two?  Oh yeah!!!!  But this will get you started BIG TIME!  Exercise one is the very first exercise I ever learned... as simple as it looks on the screen... if you're a beginner... don't be surprised if it feels terribly uncomfortable/difficult when you first try to play it!  SPEED means NOTHING at first... concentrate ONLY on picking each note and getting it to ring cleanly.  ALSO:  For Exercise One to work... you have to LEAVE YOUR FINGERS ON THE FRETS YOU PLAY!  I.e. when you play the "F" (fret one on the Low "E" string) LEAVE YOUR INDEX FINGER THERE when you go to play note two (F# on fret 2--with you middle finger)... and so on--right on down the line... when you move up to the "A" string--start the process over.  Also, try to keep your fingers CLOSE TO THE FRET BOARD... i.e. don't let them go sticking out 2-3 inches from the neck when they aren't holding down a string... excessive finger movement causes slow/sloppy playing!!!!!!   I use exercise two constantly!  It's just an excellent warm up exercise and it really helps to develop your picking technique... On this exercise the ONE ABSOLUTE UNBREAKABLE RULE IS... alway alternate pick!  I.e. down-up-down-up... etc...  ALWAYS!!!!  aLwAyS!!!!!!   As always, start off s----l-----o----w----l----y!!!!!!   And play it over and over and over until you can play it at lightning speed, standing on you head, in pitch dark!!!!!! EXERCISE ONE:  Straight Foward E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------1--2--3--4---------------------     To start with pick EVERY B---------------------------------------------------------------1--2--3--4-----------------------------------     note DOWN.  Then, slowly, G------------------------------------------------1--2--3--4-------------------------------------------------     begin to work at alternating D---------------------------------1--2--3--4----------------------------------------------------------------     you picking strokes, down A------------------1--2--3--4-------------------------------------------------------------------------------     and up--begin with a down E--1--2--3--4-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     stroke on each string.      i  m  r  p                                                                                                         Once you master this exercise  going UP... work on going down! EXERCISE TWO:  A Little Twist E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- G----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D-----------------------------------------------------------------------5----------5--6-----5--6--8--5--6--8------       Continued below... A-------------------------5---------5--6-------5--6--8--5--6--8------6--8----------8--------------------------- E--5--6--8--5--6--8------6--8----------8-------------------------------------------------------------------------     i  m  p  i  m  p  i  m  p   i m   p  i   m p  i  m  p   i  m  p  i  m  p  i  m  p i  m  p E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6--------6--8----6--7--9-------- B--------------------------------------------6--------6--7----6--7--9--6--7--9----7--9--------9------------------- G--5--------5--6----5--6--8--5--6--8-----6--8--------8------------------------------------------------------------ D-----6--8--------8------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------      i m p  i  m p  i m  p  i  m p  i  i   r   i  m  r  i  m  p  i  m p  i m p   i m  p  i m  p Happy exercising!!! Pastor Brad 8