4-Week Program to Master Alternate Picking Technique 

90 bpm : day 1 90 bpm : day 2 100 bpm : day 3 100 bpm : day 4 110 bpm : day 5 110 bpm : day 6 110 bpm : day 7 120 bpm : day 8 120 bpm : day 9 130 bpm : day 10 Day 11 to day 18 vacation 120 bpm : day 19 (probably because I didn't practice for a week) 130 bpm day 20 ( got it) Gonna go to week two now

Day 1:170 bpm Day 2:170 bpm Day 3:180 bpm Day4:180 bpm Day5:180bpm Day 6:180 bpm

I am returning to guitar (4/25/2024) after taking the last 15 years off. As I've dove back in (head first), I've been trying to reinvent my picking and get my left and right hand on the same page again. I stumbled on this 4-week program a couple of days ago. I'll detail my Journey. I appreciate the way this is laid out. 5/22/2024 - Day 1 - I managed to get to 130bpm once... 5/23/2024 - Day 2 - I did one clean 140... 5/24/2024 - Day 3 - I did a clean 150... 160/170 just out of reach cleanly... 5/25/2024 - Day 4 - Clean 150 still not getting 160/170 5/26/2023 - Day 5 - Clean 150 still not getting 160/170 5/27/2024 - Day 6 - missed a day (holiday) 5/28/2024 - Day 7 - Clean 160 - 170/180 not yet 5/29/2024 - Day 8 - Clean 160 - 170 not clean, 180 getting closer 5/30/2024 - Day 9 - Clean 160 - 170 not clean, 180 getting closer 5/30/2024 - Day 10 - Clean 170 - 180 not clean, 190 out of reach currently

Note: I got a lil bit masochist and started playing the exercise on an acoustic. Changed to electric on day 4. Day 1: 140 bpm (lil bit sloppy, particularly in the inside picking part) Day 2: OFF; my bad Day 3: 150 bpm; got 160 almost clean. I forced myself 30 bpm further so it would feel easier when starting again. I tried different stuff such as slanting the pick a little bit for both outside and inside picking, focus on my picking hand and closing my eyes to hear if the notes I'm playing sound crystal clean. Here's a tip I found helpful: pick lightlier/softer/more gently, but just up to the point you can clearly hear the note. It's not only about picking as fast as you can but also being in control of that speed. Day "4": got two days off bc I had plans for the weekend. So, I changed to my electric guitar and kept going. Roughly 160 bpm. Accents are working for me. I kept pushing myself and while I can "outside pick" at 180 bpm, inside picking falls apart earlier. Needless to talk about going even further, but it was worth trying. Another tip: when crossing strings at lower speeds, place your pick as close as you can to the string you're changing. This may be a little bit tricky while inside picking, so here I suggest trying to accent the e string attack so it feels more confortable starting upward on the B string. I also "substituted" (more like complemented) the pickslanting for "playing" with a slight "thumb-index" motion. It seems to work!

I have been playing guitar from 2020. I have hardly practiced in the past couple of years. I have been trying to be consistent in my practice routine as I used to be earlier (I used to practice 2 to 3 hours daily in 2020 and 2021 and I majorly played fingerstyle.). I started sincere regular practice from yesterday (19/03/2024) and I have been following a few warm up and alternate picking exercises. This video of Ozz and the other two videos he has recommended made me realise that my picking technique was wrong. Today I came to realise that I have been playing alternate picking 'wrong' all along. I used to play economy picking instead of alternate picking. For the first time today since I have been playing guitar, I came to realise that my picking technique was wrong all along and I was using my wrist and not my hand to switch strings and that's why I was stuck and not able to increase my speed. Finally I have understood the mechanics of alternate picking and feeling a lot more confident. From today onwards, I'll be updating my practice sessions here in the comments. Thanks a lot Ozz for your videos, they help a lot! Keep up the good work.

dont practice mistakes because you will learn them.

Of all the yt channels that taught speed guitar that i browsed, for a beginner like me, your videos are by far the best. In just one video that i practiced with i have got to see faster improvements. On top of that this is all free. Salute to you Sir!

I have been doing a similar exercise for a few months, I started at 40bpm as I am a complete beginner. And this works, may not work as fast as one would expect but it's all about the consistency and patience. I can do this comfortably at 140bpm and push upto 160!

Day 1: 110 BPM cleanly, 120 BPM reached but not clean. (30-45 mins) Day 2: a bit better than yesterday. My pinky was hurting a bit so the practice session was short (20-30mins) Day 3: 120 BPM cleanly, 130 BPM sometimes clean sometimes not. Can't do 140 BPM cleanly at all. Day 3months: Practiced many other exercises in the mean time aside this. Learned lots of other stuffs too. Got my pinky finger warmed up, and improved my right hand control by this time. I can do 140 bpm cleanly and easily now. Kinda struggling with 150 bpm.

This is really great. I am just starting to play again after a lengthy (non-guitar related) injury and this is a great exercise to add to my recovery. I got to 120 BPM cleanly and pushed to 140 and then went back from 60 to 110 to wind down. Thank you very much for this.

Alright 150 is now feeling much better and I can get 160 but it feels awkward. Definitely making progress.

Thank you for the free lessons. You’re a blessing to all of us on our guitar playing journey.

Dude this is GOLD. So great to see a fantastic player like yourself sharing your wisdom.

Day 7 190 . i take a little pause then back again this week. Just to avoid tendinitis.

Thank you very much for your method for learning speed guitar

Appreciate it once again Ozz. Found this old Carlos Cavazo run and it's been eating me up for a week. The eights hit the spot. 🤘

so simple and impirtent. Thank you for lesson!!!

This is by far the best explanation on RU-vid

OMG!! I really NEED this! thank you so much. I'm currently stuck. Thank you!!

As an beginner/intermediate I did 110 without Problems on the first day. Lets see were we heading ✌🏼

Insane..very inspiring! Thank you.

Subbed. This is exactly what I need to work on. Thanks for uploading

Hi there. Been playing since 1987, right handed. Since 2005 left handed. I prefer left as its easier to get new ideas and because playing right handed is too easy physically its harder to form muscle memory. Second, ive recently started using delrin 0.71 mm medium picks. Yes its harder to play fast but this helps the fretting hand keep up and remember plus the notes sound better. Two days ago i used the jazz 3 pick again. Didnt like the tone and how it feels. I remember using heavy picks for several decades and that coupled with not holding the pick correct was frustrating(you can hear me playing on the youtube channel right handed using a thick pick and holding the pick with index and thumbtips). It amazes me that no one ever corrected me on my picking guess they thought i was stupid, didnt care, or wanted me to suffer. Theo Ziras video fixed my picking and Bernth perfected the technique its been one month now for holding the pick correctly. I use speed drills like these to come up with new odd sequences then i add those to what i can remember. I go back and forth between new ideas and drills, as speed comes with time. Last thing, i suspect Yngwie used medium picks early on because its like weight lifting for the hands listen to his early recordings. Likely he used heavy picks after he drove into a tree in '87, but not before then theres a pick delay. Being able to pick easier is not always the objective because once you can guitar isnt as much fun, thats why i started playing left handed(in my videos on youtube you can hear how hard i hit the strings right handed i cannot modulate the force which sucks as its like a hammer which wears out all picks easily), its harder(playing left) and likely suits my wiring better(my dad is a leftie and likely i shouldve been) although playing right is easier mentally(my left hand wears out fret wires quick on guitars) it is like staring at a brick wall for getting new ideas. I prefer new ideas and creativity and difficulty playing fast.

Day 1 : 100 bpm Day 2 : 120 bpm Day 3 : still at 120 bpm Day 4 : 120 bpm Day 5 : 130 bpm some observation - finally some progress - I can go to 120 pretty consistently now - my coordination between both hands is getting better - my pinky is getting stronger - I am getting better at minimizing my picking movement - my picking hand is still a bit tense sometimes day 6 : 130 bpm day 7 : did not practice day 8 :

I think this series will help me get out of a rut. Cannot wait for the rest of the videos! Thank you! 🤘🤘🤘

Hallo Ozz, das ist wirklich eine tolle Übung, auch wenn ich nicht annähernd so schnellen Fortschritt habe wie andere hier ;) Man kann verschiedene Sachen verbessern. Zählen, Handhaltung der rechten Hand, damit die Finger nicht zu weit von den Saiten entfernt sind, das Pendeln der rechten Hand während gleichzeitig der Rest des Armes ruhig bleibt. Ich feiere dieses Video und Danke Dir!

I am new here and cannot believe these are all free thank you🙆🎶🙏💯🙋🎸

Ok my start was yesterday great video by the way it‘s also much fun to practice it think you do it you get it . Thanks go on with stuff👍

Muitíssimo obrigado! Parabéns pelo trabalho 😎😎😎😎 vou começar já!

Man I mainly play rhythms, and just recently tried learning some leads and this is definitely gonna pay off. I’m siting at 120 BPM. Only tried for three days, I can keep up with 130 but it’s not clean enough yet. Hardest part for me is my picking hand I just can’t get the two in sync

Thank you my man very helpful as a beginning that can't afford guitar lessons ❤

This is exactly what I need. Can't wait to get started!😊

I just finished watching the video - excellent, just excellent!

goood exercise, i have been strugiling with speed lately and i am a lot better now

Thank you Oz great lesson and something structured to stick to over the next few weeks

I am an experienced guitar player and found this video. I wish it would have been around a long time ago because I wouldn't have had to learn the hard way. For beginner guitarists, this video will help you to learn faster alternate picking without having to learn how to do it on your own (save you a lot of time and you don't have to go back and relearn to fix mistakes you are making). I highly recommend this video - and thank Ozz for putting it up. Great video lesson!

This series is so awesome so plz make more series related to different different guitar playing techniques i will do every day practice Thank u so much

Gold channel and picking lessons! Thank you 🙏

Thanks for your sharing my friend...

Dropping another comment to keep engagement up: got it more cleanly up to about 160, fudged it at around 190. This really does kmprove your picking! Thank you again.

thank you sooo much !

Thank you OZ! cqnt wait to get started on this

🫡 awesome video. Part of my practice routine now. Thx

Thanks!

Thanks a bunch Ozz! I have been stuck on Petrucci's technique for years. Gotta try it now

Great tutorial! Day one 130; Day 2 200. Just waiting for day 3!

This is great. Thanks.

This is the way to speed up our picking technique .Thank you sir superb

So helpful thank you 🤙 only thing I couldn't figure out why I was messing up timing was the up stroke on the first note was on down stroke starting but then it changed to up stroke after the repeat 8-10-12 😅

This one’s great Oz ! Will be interesting to see the progression after 4 weeks.

Awesome! Can’t wait to give this a go 💪

wow thanks !

Nice one..

Thank you so much for this. Im definitely going to practise this. You have another subscriber.

9 may - 100bpm 10 may - 120 bpm 11 may - 130 bpm 12 may - 140 bpm 23 may - 150 bpm

Day 5: Clean up to 110bpm, progress on 120bpm, can do it all of the time but quite messy. Progressing slower than I'd like but it's okay I trust the process and am practicing other things in parallel Day 6: Not the best day, barely any progress from day 5, feels slightly worse as well. Maybe it's just a bad day, ill keep practicing and might do an hour of it instead of 30mins Day 7: Still stuck on the 120 bpm :( I am sure its the picking hand that is not able to keep up so i am focusing on this hand while practicing, still not giving up and practicing an hour instead of 30

I've seen that you push up 10 by 10 in the metronom, I'ts hard for some to do that, but it's good to see/hear that is possible.

Bro this works! Not even a week and I can’t believe 140bpm was my initial limit it feels so slow now.

Ridiculously awesome. Ridiculously fun. Bruh, thanks!🎉

been= doin this every day for a week. its helping A LOT. gonna be a while before im video 2 ready though. Thanks!

Ang laking tulong sa amin ang mga tutorials mo bro. 👍👏👏👏🔥

Beklenen video serisi geldi. Sağolasın.

Awesome lesson like usual ❤🎉

perfect program for picking technique❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

Ok . Six days a half hour per day I reach nearly 280 bpm but it will need some more time til it feels relaxed today I think I will practice it for one hour . Great great🎉

頑張ります

Great lesson. Thank you

Really it helps a lot. Thanks.

I can’t wait to get home from work and try this

I love this. Some more exercises?

This is the best. I've only been playing for 6 minutes, never picked up a guitar before and already at 160bpm very comfortably. It also added 2" to my penis. Best lesson on youtube!

Empecé con los ejercicios y están geniales

Awesome as always. 🤘

Mais um inscrito aqui do Brasillll Top demais vou começar devagar pra intender esse ritmo

This is truly amazing

trying to fit this into my daily routine, can do 220 now. Thanks for this

am in and subscribed!!

Thank you sir

day 1 : 160 bpm day 2 : 160 bpm

Day 3 : Clean up to 110 bpm with progress on 120bpm, doing it sometimes but very messy and realized the issue is in the picking hand speed and some synchronization issue when switching strings

I NEED THIS!!!

great as always 🤘

Hi Ozz ! I am on my third day of the first week. I have alteady noticed many imprivements in my playing. I can already play it up to 230 BPM Your vídeos have helped me to become a better guitarist!

Day one starting at 130 cleanly. Pushing 140

This exercise looks great. I just don't have a guitar nearby. Can't wait to play it on the guitar. Thanks

Wowwww. Thanks for this!!!

You deserve to have million subscribers!!!

i can get up to 200 bpm as is, going to work at getting the rest of the way! good stuff, thanks and following for more!

day 1:40-50 comfortably (first playing with a pick and using a metronome)

Will keep updating as I practice (Note: All speeds are noted when I feel I am relaxed, in control, and playing isn't sloppy) Day 1: 160 Day 2: 170-180 (kinda alternated each run) Day 3: 190 Day 4: skipped practiced Day 5: again 190 but hitting 200 clean in some runs I was proper sick for the last 20 days, wasn't able to get up easily let alone play a guitar Been practicing till I got back to 190 (took 2-3 days), back at it, finally recovered

Day 1: 120bpm cleanly 130 was sloppy. Day 2: 120bmp but 130 is getting better. Day 3: 130bpm clean 140 is a struggle. Day 4: 130bpm, 140 still hard, I feel like my fingers cant keep up with my picking.

First off, thank you!! This feels like a very good exercise! Day one: 170 bpm in control. I feel like it's not the time yet to push much faster. Let's see how it goes tomorrow!

Super 🤘 Great exercise

Please create a program on how to master legato! This would help me so much

Day 1 (Dec 26, 2023): 90 Day 2: 110 Day 3: 120 Day 4: 130 Day 5: 130 Day 6: 130 Day 7: 130 Note: for this first week i was writing my best times when i think it might of been better to write where i'm at consistently. Gonna move to week 2 and do that from now on!

Me watching this video: "ah wow, he's made it to 200 bpm, surely he's done now..."

Very helpful lesson. I need tapping lessons from beginner to pro

A great example of what we mean when we say "practice slowly and accurately first, then play fast" 10 bpm increases are the best way to avoid hitting that speed wall... increases any smaller don't allow for your brain to see the adjustments you need to make in your technique as you increase speed.

Day 1 - 90bpm Day 2 - 110bpm Day 3 - 110bpm Day 4 - 120bpm Day 5 - 130bpm Day 6 - 130bpm (tried 140-160 but still not clear enough) Day 7 - 140bpm (tried 150-170bpm but it's not that clean yet) Day 8 - 140bpm (it kinda feels natural but still i want to make it more clean. tried pushing to 150-180bpm but my wrists feels kinda tensed. i'm almost at the verge of making a breakthrough on how i can relax my wrist. just a little more and it'll be fixed) I'll update my day to day progress until it all feels natural. Thanks for these exercise, I kinda get the hang on how to alternate picking.

Hey another tip that may help is using diff width picks. My comments a day ago said i was using 0.71 mm delrin pics which i do. I today tried the nylon 1.6 mm George Dennis nylon picks which ive hand since '16. I dont like the tone but got up to 135 bpm on septuplet scales easily after having used the 0.71 mm picks for the last week. Pick width matters for hand team work(synchronization) as well as tone quality as does pick material. Delrin sticks more than nylon and may wear more. Using a thicker pick for longer sequences of notes and a warmer sound which is quite common for lead guitar now. Thinner pick for a brighter sound and more of a pick workout on accuracy. The most important thing for guitar is the pick width and material as it affects the sound, feel and what you are trying to play. I like the thinner picks as that presents a barrier to picking fast with a resulting emphasis on ideas in the fretting hand. Once new ideas are made, the thicker mm pick can be used to create more notes around the original idea formulated with the thinner pick. There is not a definitive answer of what to do as the sounds and how the pick and playing feels depend on the pick material and thickness.