Don't "Work Up" To Picking Speed - Start With It!

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Do you struggle with getting your basic picking motion to work smoothly, or even at all, at faster speeds? Have you ever worried that you might not have "speed genetics"? Well, there's good news. You might just not be doing it right! troygrady.com/primer

[@dsvet]

This is Jeet Kune Do for guitar. Repetitions and constantly evaluating your motion implementing economy of motion and chipping away the non-essentials. Bruce did not believe in natural ability per se. He believed in hard work and training both mind and body to achieve it's potential. Ultimately achieving self expression through martial art. He no longer hits, it hits all by itself. Meaning the movements have been ingrained into the sub-conscience so much that he didn't have to think, it just happened. The same is true for guitarists. We must also practice and self evaluate always making those corrections until it just plays all by itself. Troy is a finger pointing us in the right direction giving us the tools to become limitless in our own self expression. Much thanks to Troy!

[@jfo3000]

Great analogy. I often think of Bruce while I'm evaluating and refining my motions to be minimal with power.

[@gordonmcewen2661]

"All we're trying to do is provide clearer instructions so that the trial and error part is reduced and you can start much closer to where you want to be." - Mr Troy, you certainly are doing this and I am really grateful. You videos are really, REALLY appreciated, thanks :)

[@DaveCorsello]

I'm sure this approach works great. But in the late 90s, I achieved tremendous results by practicing very slowly at first and gradually increasing speed. In my case, I was trying to find a way to improve my right hand technique without aggravating a painful right wrist. So, I made relaxation a primary goal. After gaining complete relaxation and solid, reliable execution at one tempo, I would increase the metronome by one notch. I started playing a maximum of sixteenth notes at 80 bpm, and worked my way up to sixteenth notes at 160 bpm. I remember the moment when it finally clicked that I could play sixteenth notes at just about any commonly used tempo in rock or jazz. While playing at a jam session in Montclair, NJ, I attempted a sixteenth note pentatonic run. All of the pieces fell into place. What a great feeling. After years of neglect, I'm trying to regain the technique that I had achieved back then. I'm 62 now, but I don't think it's too late. I'm still at 40 bpm (or 80 bpm, depending how you look at it) and feeling good.

[@stevewhite3753]

I’m in the same situation and age as you. I strongly believe it’s not to late. I’m really into country and wanting blazing fast lines

[@yawarmukhtar4578]

I was just checking out your videos, the guitar nerd channel we all wanted

[@einarabelc5]

Welcome..you discovered warm water..after more than 3 years!! still, welcome!

[@yawarmukhtar4578]

JoseitoEdlVodao no man I discovered you a long time ago, what I meant was I was already watching one of your videos when you uploaded this one, I occasionally re-watch your videos, it helps a lot.

[@titmusspaultpaul5]

The channel we may not deserve but humanity needs....lol.

[@yawarmukhtar4578]

titmusspaultpaul5 and yet most of the community is watching dumb guitar meme channels, only few persistent players can understand him, rightly said we don’t deserve this.

[@mousehead2000]

Yawar Mukhtar why don’t we deserve this? I deserve this. Also, who are you talking to? The poster who replied to you isn’t the uploader.

[@ceili]

This reminds of how Shawn Lane described how he developed his speed. He never practiced slow, it was always fast and over time it cleaned itself up!

[@i_live_pain8420]

RIP Shawn, you will be missed forever.

[@sayanorasonic]

That was a misconception, always brought up by rock players who want to avoid playing slow. He only plays beyond his speed when he wants to know his limits, then work it up by playing slow

[@bamboocha63]

@@sayanorasonic "Shawn Lane talks about speed (Radisson Hotel, 17th Apr 1993)" starting at around 2 minutes. He seems to suggest that the best method is approaching it from both directions: First you start slow and learn the lick and then you jump up to a higher tempo and start cleaning it up.

[@troygrady]

@@bamboocha63 Close! Slow speed is for memorization of fingerings. Fast speed is for discovering the smoothest way to do an unknown picking hand motion. Once you've discovered the smooth way, you go *backwards* from the fast speed, gradually getting slower and cleaner with the unknown motion, while regularly checking the fast speed to make sure the motion is still smooth. Eventually, the unkown motion becomes the known motion, and you can do it very slow with accurate expert-level form. But only at the end of the journey, not the beginning.

[@TheAiket]

Matrin Miller was talking about same approach

[@RC32Smiths01]

Amazing work indeed man! One of the best and most informative channels I've ever seen to building technique! Thanks for everything!

[@cmore138]

My favorite videos are the ones that validate and expand upon things I’ve already figured out for myself.

[@AndyRehfeldt]

Hey Troy, you kick ass! Thanks 🙏🏼 for all you do man.

[@lucasnarzary3077]

Yes bro. You are right

[@greigwilliamson6763]

This is the kind of video that always makes me glad I found this channel. This is how I learned, don't work up to speed just go for it and work on cleaning it up. I always wanted to play Buckethead stuff and well I always just kind of went fast and listened to what bits were kind of clean and what bits were horror and just worked on it. Took a while to clean up but now after 7 years I can safely say I can play with speed.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

As a player with some chops, I can say this is the way I learned them.

[@troygrady]

Right on!

[@fretlessblunder]

I'm a subscriber to your channel. It is ENORMOUSLY helpful just to hear this. After spending a lot of time trying to figure out the mechanics of picking, it's a relief to hear skilled players such as you basically endorse the Andy Wood 'rational hit-and-miss procedure' as a solution to picking mechanics. Thanks! (And thanks to you too, Troy)

[@cryptoskywalker1714]

Nice humble brag. Props.

[@troygrady]

That's a great way of putting it - you can't skip the "rational" part. If you're not noticing that some things work better than others, than you're not really making any changes to do things the better way. All we're trying to do is provide clearer instructions so that the trial and error part is reduced and you can start much closer to where you want to be.

[@BrotherDevious]

@@troygrady Hey Troy, thanks for all the work you do. Guthrie Govan does a very cool ultra-fast strumming thing here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o36zl4yPepp2eKc have you seen it? A vid on that would be great.

[@WowzaGuy]

Troy, this channel is a true blessing. Thank you for putting together such creative and thoughtful content.

[@lloydjerwood]

Troy I’ve been trying to find someone with this kind of psychologically informed approach to the guitar and to practice for such a long time. Thank you for existing 🙌🏼

[@shaunmcinnis566]

I found this out over time as well. You have to learn the patterns or sequences by heart slow or moderate, then when you fly over it numerous times it gradually cleans itself up. It’s actually freaky the way our brain deals with it. It’s almost like your seeing the entire run as one long string rather than a series of notes, and your brain tends to allow you to smoothen the whole run out as a unit synchronizing your picking hand with your fingering as you do.

[@monsterzero1965]

More smoothen

[@emsaye]

This is the best channel on the nuance of practicing that I know of. It's brilliant. You should have 10x the subscribers. If I'd have had this channel when I was a young guitarist, I think I'd be so much better than I am or ever was. This is such a quality product. Thank you, Troy.

[@questionmark5463]

Yeah. Absolutely right. I learned this from John Petruccis Rock Discipline VHS tape many years ago. Go over the limit when practicing and then dial it back. It's like using a medicine ball to warm up in Basketball.

[@SomewhatSublime]

Just finished your series Cracking the code and as someone who has always idolized the picking style of Paul Gilbert I found them very informational and it introduced me to some players I had avoided before and has really had me pushing the limits of what I thought possible for myself with picking speed.

[@jameswelch2389]

You never fail to impress. You're info always holds up to practical application. Thanks for what you do.

[@troygrady]

If it doesn't hold up in practice, then it's not that useful! That's really all this is - an attempt to sort out what's real, and provide instructions for same. Thanks for watching.

[@dylangammons6596]

This is great advice. I wasted years doing progressive tempo picking excercizes on a metranome just to hit a brick wall at a certain point. I have more slowtwitch muscles controlling my wrist. Later found great speed by utilizing my wrist AND forearm and lightly hovering the pick over the strings. Everyones body is different and if speed is your goal, work with it to begin with.

[@titmusspaultpaul5]

What a fantastic lesson. I've been playing for many years but never got that "super speed" thing and have recently been looking into it and practicing. Your video was a BIG help. One of the many reasons I subscribed to your channel a while ago.... Thanks and cheers mate.

[@TheHonestTerrorist]

Troy, i hope you see this because this particular video touched an old string in my mind that i had forgotten was even there. When i was a child, i used to weigh things. Rocks, tv remote, toys, books, anything i touched at that age and time... And i used to classify them as throwing-worthy or un-throwing-worthy. This might sound kinda dumb but that was the feeling i got, just like picking a stone to skip, i weighed things and sometimes got a little naughty and threw em on the wall. My point is, i had the same feeling capabilities when i started learning the guitar. It's just, by time and constant manipulative education that roams the internet, i find myself have lost this sorta talent. All i do is focusing on my 'technique' while all you say is explore your inner sensation. It's some sort of reconnection i build within myself thanks to you. i appreciate your lessons very, very much. Have a good one.

[@stephenrochester6309]

Something I very much need to practice. Good timing, no pun intended.

[@pipityri]

CtC is the place to be. Troy has done amazing job demystifying picking technique, for once and for all. The lessons and interviews are all great and in the very active forum one can find a wealth of useful info about pretty much everything guitar related. Raising our glasses for you Sir, a big Thank You!

[@GigglinHamster]

Troy, you're truly making this world a much better place. Your Michael Angelo Batio video changed my life. When I record my first virtuoso rock guitar album, I'm giving you a major shout out. Thanks for everything.

[@pourliver]

Holy shit, that video made me "break through" a mental barrier I had regarding speed. I was mostly picking by rotating my wrist, and not doing deviations. Thank you so much, I think I can practice a different way!

[@kasperitervonen8159]

After watching this I've honestly made more progress in my picking technique in few days than during the period of last six months. And I'm not even exaggerating. It seems that when I start slow and speed up gradually, I'm always teaching my picking hand to do some useless extra movements, because of which I hit the "speed limit" at some point. The best way to get past that barrier seems to be just start picking fast (ignoring the sloppiness at first) and continue doing it until it starts to feel "right". And voila, there's your perfect picking technique. Quite simple really, but maybe also a bit counter-intuitive because everyone's always telling you to practice slow.

[@troygrady]

That's pretty much it. Glad you're seeing results. It does help to have instructions for the motion you want to use, though. That reduces the trial and error component of waiting for it to "feel right". But even with instructions, attempting them at a realistic speed, without worrying too much about accuracy, is the quickest way to know if you're in the ballpark. Thanks for watching.

[@theperpetuallyannoyed4074]

The precision n clarity of notes is just 👍

[@bobbyrevell]

I joined and got the month-to-month plan to check things out. This is an incredible site and for the money, worth every penny. Thanks Troy.This entire EJ technique is like starting over but that's what I need.

[@michaelc.bergau8043]

Thanks for that eye opener! Transformed my playing in a day.

[@dimebag108]

Troy Grady, you rule. I love your depth and clear explaning, your modern approach and interesting hints for technical issues. I'm following your advice in this video, and progressing like never before. Thank. ❤️

[@coolmacatrain9434]

Brilliant as always Troy... thank you.

[@JohnSmith-te5oo]

This is EXACTLY the concept of motor learning they Charlie Francis explored in Speed Trap (On sprinting ) and that Roman and Medveyev explores in their seminal texts on Olympic Weightlifting techniques. It is SPOT ON. Even the character Sam Mussabini in chariots of fire when describing the difference between sprinting and distance running said that sprinting was custom-made for neurotics because you have to control and hold your nerves in , which is exactly what we are talking about here, essentially trying to run at full speed actually gets a slower performance than trying to run that 90 percent speed because the latter is smoother and the muscles don’t lock up

[@mutantkoffee]

Interesting

[@Tubularll]

Again, very helpful and informative! Thanks! 😉

[@billbracken5671]

Your lessons are great. The detail,camera angles ext. excellent!

[@Dang...]

Thanks! Troy, you are brilliant!

[@douglasnisbet1189]

This guy has helped my playing so much. Thanks so much for the videos.

[@douglasnisbet1189]

Just the best advice for playing fast!! Such a pity 95% of guitar teachers think that constant slow practise will lead to high speeds.

[@MrMetalhorse]

This video makes soooooo much sense. This is exactly how I learned all my shred licks. I'm really bad at downward pickslanting and when I practice it, it feels weird. I don't practice it a lot because for some reason I feel like I'll screw up the picking chops that I have but this video just made me have an epiphany... When you start playing, literally everything feels weird and it is more of a mental block rather than a physical one. I still remember when I was starting I wanted to shred so bad, but it seemed like such an impossible thing, but it's all about the thought process.

[@Agent_Moewe]

Exactly what i was looking for! Thank you very much!

[@enigma-g5549]

this is pure gold!!!

[@Calymos]

This is perfect timing on this, I was just working on my right hand speed yesterday. Thank you!

[@85rippa]

This guy is so underrated Jesus bro I’ve been struggling for hours and hours trying to pick fast and I saw this video and you cut those hours to 30 minutes thank you my guy

[@robperez4731]

I've seen a couple videos now. Really fantastic stuff. Looking forward to getting better!

[@Blyeat2]

You. Are. Great. Thank you very much, you motivate me to play and keep searching for better playing!

[@astrofreq]

This is great. Thank you!

[@Xirrious]

I absolutely love your work Troy and I didn't always like it for a long time I didn't but I don't know why, this is helpful

[@sergeysavchenko9046]

Very cool video! You doing very great and very important videos, pls continue! Happy New Year 2020!!!

[@kilosunTV]

This'll really help me articulate my thoughts and experiences in my teaching! Thanks!

[@WorldvsTruth]

Just what I needed to hear, when I needed to hear it. Thank you Troy. Have a blessed day. =)

[@Gregorypeckory]

Another excellent lesson from the king of the analytical approach to physical guitar skill development! Troy's created a niche for himself in the crowded field of online guitar instruction that is both invaluable to players looking for improvement, and unique to him; an awesome feat given the abundance of guitar teachers, to be the only one digging in so deeply to examine exactly what great players are physically doing to play so great. He actually knows more about the concrete realities of high level playing than most of the great players whose skills he examines in microscopic detail! Keep it up Troy; you're providing an incredible service to guitarists who love to learn and improve!

[@shaneneilstocker892]

Well said lad. Well said..

[@wth522]

Great work, Troy! This is going to help so many players! I think you pretty much lay out exactly what it feels like when someone is getting their motion mechanics down. I don't think anybody has really laid it out like this and explained it in a way that is easy to understand and that everyone can latch onto. A must see video for anyone trying to get this kind of technique down and improve their overall motion mechanics and speed. Once again great work! ️ ☺️

[@troygrady]

Right on Bill. I know you have spoken about using biofeedback to make changes and that's really what we're getting at here. I think it's when we ignore the feedback that you get stuck hammering your head against a wall.

[@homeguitarplayer9482]

Thanks Troy I'm working on this stuff right now.

[@sean_on_bass]

This video is the work of genius. Bravo.

[@bullwhipjohnson8247]

If only the fretting would follow.

[@justinpearson9170]

Right?! Lol

[@fragtagninja1633]

Do hammer ons and pull offs. Then combine the two.

[@fragtagninja1633]

It takes some time to synchronize the two hands, but it will come.

[@interestingthings8598]

Lower string action, dont fret hard

[@stickman33]

Yep. My fretting hand can't keep up with my top picking speed.

[@ismelljello]

It’s good to work both methods into your routine. Jog-to-run, and sprint-to-run. Paul Gilbert was a huge advocate of metronome usage, and it’s a powerful tool for both approaches to perfection.

[@RichLyles]

Great stuff! Thanks!

[@rdog6402]

Perfect analogy for learning to play fast!!

[@SFtheWolf]

as someone self teaching this is exactly the sort of thing that's hard to spot on my own, this is super valuable.

[@stacey_1111rh]

Your lessons are awesome Troy

[@christopherjackson8958]

So much logic and positivity here

[@dougarnold7955]

I agree with this approach. Slowing down is beneficial too but I think it's important to try this way too. I've often started with a consistent pick strike on the string while the fret fingers stumble but like you said after ten minutes or so the fretboard fingers start to fall into place...thanks.

[@drewharrito5705]

Thanks this is fantastic

[@JohnJRevitte]

Awesome guitar work Troy!

[@minus9us677]

i did this first year playing, FINALLY someone showing you can fly before u can crawl. obviously learn technique also, but the confidence that oneday i could have it all really helped as a 12 year old kid. great video

[@ryansutter4291]

I needed this man, thank you!

[@user-qi2zt8nr9u]

Interesting ideas. Thank You!

[@spencerwarren9219]

Andy is the man. I meet him thru a friend. He plays here in Knoxville tn. His cover rock band is unreal . He also was dolly parton mandoline players at dollywood. Unreal on guitar also.

[@RJ-lf8ex]

Sean Hannity does an amazing job with this video! LOL!!! No really, Troy Grady, you are a genius. Not just what you have uncovered and shown the world but the way you speak, and the ideas you convey, the thoughts, like it's pretty obvious that you are scary smart. I can't tell you how much myself and others enjoy your passion and the videos that you have elected to share with the world. Thank you very much.

[@sonoman9095]

Thanks, amazing video as always

[@blindguymcsqueezy50]

Bro imma write this in every video i see of yours. You’re awesome!

[@Alext-wx7hr]

I actually applied this technique when i started playing and ive been playing for only a year and a half, and my right suddnenly became so fast at tremolo picking!

[@geemac7267]

"I never use the middle pickup". This guy really means it.

[@mdub2000]

Great lesson Troy this is great...the idea of getting feedback to know what to even work on makes sense

[@troygrady]

That's pretty much it! This is the best way to summarize what we're talking about here. It's not even about speed, per se. It's a method for knowing when form is correct, or at least in the ballpark of correct, which you can then work on cleaning up.

[@servinyallchickens]

This is exactly how I was able to develop speed, even in my left hand. I just try to do it fast and sloppy (after I learned it of course) then breaking it down without even really breaking down but by feeling it out at fast speed because my fingers were recognizing gradually what I’m doing wrong over time.

[@stevenbuckley4433]

Excellent lesson Troy

[@regdelpmit3917]

Great coverage of the subject. I am subscribing.

[@namkaban1204]

Amazing video, thank you!

[@bluestonemusic1764]

Thanks for playing clean to encourage accurate playing. Great attitude and teaching style! Love seeing the different instruments - and that's a lovely Cornford too. Great work, well done - I look forward to learning from you :)

[@troygrady]

If it ain't clean it ain't real! Thanks for watching.

[@danhilllyngdoh6347]

Very simple and easy to understand explanation.. thanks for making it feel like a kindergarten class.. wish I had seen you much earlier

[@bill18336]

Absolutely true. Once you get the notes under your fingers and committed to memory, attempting to play it fast will reveal your deficiencies in picking and fretting.

[@sellisrodrigo]

Great tips as usual

[@mojooftheg5961]

This works only if both hands are completely relaxed. No tension at all in both hands. I work with a metronome. Started at 60bpm with 16th notes and in one month I'm at 96 bpm 16th notes. Goal is 120 bpm. I do think starting slow is better for accuracy and articulation.

[@krushgroovin7513]

Thank You Troy for this amazing 20 years ago - wish it were - vid! The Jazz III was enough to say why didn’t I ever use KZbin?!! So I say thanks again. CHEERS 🍻

[@Yakov_EPH-6.12]

Really good lesson, taught Cleary and concisely. You sir, have earned a sub. 🎸

[@troygrady]

Thanks!

[@VlogsNiKuyang]

Thank you!

[@brettsjoholm]

Looks like me at the computer every night before bed... 7:36 🌝

[@seang1948]

OMG . I just spit coffee clear across the room ! Cleaning it up is still worth the laugh 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@riccc6125]

i see, so you're learning morse code on your computer?

[@jrbr549]

I've never heard of diagonal escape trajectory. I like the message of just going for it too. I'm a 40 year noodler who is starting over because my picking technique sucks. Thank you for the tip and the inspiration.

[@geotidee7009]

Very useful info!

[@cpamiseso]

I wanna add my own experience. I use metronome to let my internal sense of tempo and space getting used to something methodically even (precisely 80 beats per minute, for example). Until the level where I can 'guess' what tempo a song is at. When I have this consistency, mentally, then I embark for speed practice. I used my bodily sense to figure whether the speed is right for me or not, and go back to slower speed to figure out what is going on, then go full blown speed to test what I have figured. Troy is right. Start with speed, but understand your bodily constitution through some observation (slowing down to memorize), so you could find that smoothness somehow. Which is why, working with your instrument is vital, thus the saying "practice makes perfect" is only saying "try it more, to get acquainted better with your bodily sense" to find that smoothness. Thanks Troy.

[@wademarlar5155]

Your a great teacher an I love your videos . I have a 1967 fender mustang identical to your an it’s a great guitar

[@jovaransguplar3019]

This is what I did. It worked pretty well for me. Only thing I'd say is keep your eye out for bad habits. If you are headed toward bad habits with individual techniques then it's time to slow it down. And you need to be willing to do that as frequently as you honestly need to. Biggest things are either building tension in the body when you are hyper focused on pushing yourself, or cheating in really small ways. This probably sounds like a bit much but it's legitimate advice coming from an experienced guitarist, and I want you to avoid the mistakes I made.

[@DizzyKrissi]

You've gpt a good idea bout what is mentally required to execute motions - thanx for your observations.

[@troygrady]

You do need clear instructions for doing the motions, yes. It's taken us a long time to research and deliver these, and when it comes to wrist motion specifically, you can find one of our best videos on this subject right before this one (the USX wrist motion video). Our instructional stuff has more of that.

[@DizzyKrissi]

@@troygrady : watched that video but the thing that confuses me is: when I practice this on a single string I get good results BUT: when I have to cross strings I get trapped with this technique. How can you use this USX motion along with string-crossing? You've got that 10 degree angle but when switching between inside and outside motions you have to change the angle in the opposite direction - right?

[@troygrady]

Good observations! The pick must be escaped to make a clean string change. USX motions only work for switching strings when you play an upstroke, because that is the escape stroke. To do downstroke strings changes, you need a DSX motion. That's the companion motion. We have not posted a tutorial for that, but you can see me using it in this video right here in the slow motion shots. Keep in mind, also, not all players use both motions. Players like Eric Johnson and Marty Friedman use mainly USX, and don't play the kinds of phrases you are describing. When they use alternate, they switch strings almost exclusively during upstrokes. They also use a lot of downstroke sweeping. It's a big world out there. Any one of these techniques can be used to make a huge variety of music, even if it seems "incomplete" to you when you look at it.

[@seanowens8330]

I've always been told to do things a specific way with the guitar. It's nice to learn there's more than one way.

[@funnyfarmband4410]

Sean Owens do things your way don’t play just cuz somebody says it’s how you’re “supposed” to do it. Fire your guitar teacher.

[@foxsnobsguitarlessons1872]

very good point

[@enigmaahhart8802]

Fantastic vid! 🤓

[@RainStickland]

It's how I've always learned, and I refused to listen to people who tried to tell me otherwise. I learn how I learn. Period. It works for me. People's judgment of a 'good' learning technique is impaired if they're trying to force other people to change what works for them. That's not teaching, that's oppressing a learner, and it does nothing but discourage students.

[@anthonyshaw8698]

Great instructional video brother. Havnt played my guitar in years. Working too many hours on the job. Spent about 15 years on the road back when I was younger. About to retire. Gonna get my guitars out the closet and get with it. Never got that picking style down, to the point where I felt comfortable, and totally in control of ax. Going to spend more time now, practicing on your techniques. I really want to play jazz. Is it possible, to actually correctly learn how to play jazz. Without out a teacher? Improvisation. Self taught. I don't think one can play good jazz, without a music theory background. I used to play and sing alot of George Benson s songs. Note for note. Scatting and the whole bit. I sounded just like him. But, I could never take off on my own, as well as I wanted too. Gotta have that theory

[@reginaldolegora3409]

Graças aos seus videos melhorei muito meu picking!

[@icarus432hz9]

Troy you`re awesome.

[@loupgarou39]

Great lesson!

[@isaacinvang]

I always love you video because of the animation to illustrate the point. It's kinda nerd but its serve the purpose.