Uncle Ben Eller’s 5 Favorite Exercises for Maximum Picking Speed Gains!

Full TABs, backing tracks, bonus lessons and MORE are available here: / benellerguitars
This week, my Patreon supporters get a special bonus lesson to go along with this video showing you how to get even MORE shred gains out of these exercises!!!
Check out all the deals for Guitar Months this September at Sweetwater! imp.i114863.ne...
Snag the Wampler Tumnus here if you like things that are nice: imp.i114863.ne...
#weekendwankshop283
Hey guys! Its your good buddy Uncle Ben! You wanna make shred GAINS? You want to get your hand fingers working more better, more faster, and more stronger? You got the NEED to gain picking SPEED?!?!?! If so, chromatic exercises are the KEY!!! As long as you practice them the right way, that is.... and its with that in mind that on this episode, i'm going to show you all my 5 FAVORITE exercises that you should be practicing every day! Theres stuff in here for string skipping, inside and outside picking, a little bit of everything! A couple are ones i made up, and there's even one in here that i stole from @TomoFujitaMusic that i'm HOOKED on. Spend about 5 minutes a day on each of these and you'll be shredding FAST! You're also gonna get some metronome practice tips and valuable info about how to harness the power of CHUNKING! Get some!!!
Playing my G&L Legacy into a Wampler Tumnus, then the Axe FX 3. Bare Knuckle Veneer Board pickups sound sooooo nice.
Thanks a lot for watching! Is there another technique you'd like to learn some exercises for? Let me know in the comments!!!

[@Slaughter327]

1: The Classic 3:00 2: Triplet Surprise 7:22 3: The Flipper 11:15 4: The Tomo 15:50 5: The Punisher 21:26

[@reza_qn]

Thanks mate

[@Reeldrivenoutdoors]

When uncle Ben started playing the tomo It immediately hit me...that is the riff from lamb of gods “now youve got something to die for”

[@donald-parker]

Good ideas. Its kind of funny that I was writing this comment while listening to your video, suggesting you should limit this stuff to time budget and make sure your practice time includes playing real music too. Different brain muscles are engaged. I find I can pretty quickly be on autopilot playing these chromatic ideas. But then you ended the video saying exactly that. I need to learn to hold off comments until watching the whole video. At least with your videos anyway. Goodness from beginning to end!

[@peterdieduardo6792]

Your picking exercises have made massive improvements in my picking speed and dexterity. True story.

[@golgothaassassin5035]

True pain =The Punisher on an acoustic making every note clear.

[@ukcats82]

I love the Punisher, that's my first warm up exercise. I even throw a hybrid pick in there on those first notes

[@MrMetalhorse]

I don't know Uncle Ben... This sounds like practice.... We don't do that here. Lol

[@CrisKRA]

The real ones are those who practised the Punisher years ago, PS: When you said vier in German, the V is pronounced as an F, great video!

[@Burl_Hurlbutt]

Daily routine... practice... So about that...

[@matthewmuller5794]

Great advice to start with an upstroke! Anything that changes the normal way of playing will improve the technique.

[@jasonstallworth]

Dude, I actually find it's easier to use those first 3 notes within the scale to kick off shred patterns. And a little tip is to play each 3-note pattern twice!

[@rafacas]

i've been practicing the punisher for a couple of months now, it's a great exercise, and it has made easier to play mr. scary, just like you said it would. thanks!

[@ila2500]

Uncle Ben you thank you for this one..🎄🙏🏻

[@nethbt]

Marty Friedman IMO is the the king of chromatic soloing coz he doesn't overuse it and he does it tastefully

[@yessir6427]

he is the king overall

[@AnonyMous-rr1rv]

Great lesson and really toasty humor. Love ya uncle Ben.

[@drsmith4582]

Very useful lesson. It’s cool that you mentioned Tomo. He is awesome!

[@stepitupandgo67]

thx man...the punisher is lovely

[@kirkwilson6229]

Good lookin' on the patterns for the chromatics. They will actually be really useful when I'm playing over harmonic minor. I've been trying to get some more color notes to go with the major 7th in there. Chromatics give phrasing a nice nuanced feeling, and if done right really sound deliberate. It keeps the ear's attention. Great lesson.

[@priteshugrankar6815]

This is pure gold. Subbed.

[@acevedohiram]

Thanks Uncle Ben!

[@chrisdeleo800]

I still use that Monster chromatic exercise you posted months ago. It’s great!

[@stringbender11672]

Oh wow nice G&L guitar!!! Did not know you had one of those😎👍

[@QuistJam]

AWESOME

[@guitarnerdjoey1192]

Now do the punisher but flip the fingers. So for ascending it would be 1,2,3,4 on the low E, then 1,2,3 on the low E and then 4 on the A, and so on and so forth. It will really force you to slow down and actually think about what your hand is doing.

[@leemcmann4467]

Insane exercise, I love, hate it. Thanks uncle Ben!

[@mrk4510]

There's a pretty good one on Sweating Bullets. 👊😉

[@meyou9655]

I love the sound of that one.

[@Erocapi]

Thanks for the great advices 🙏✨

[@dylandemars7034]

I use these exercises all the time. This is one of the most useful videos ive seen.

[@davidhillewig]

Hi Uncle Ben! New subscriber from Belgium here :) The 'concept Benjamin Franklin' video blew my mind. Thanks!

[@matrixstar2767]

Great lesson for my level, I'm already feeling a big XP boost. I'm playing the diatonic scale with my eyes closed, but these simple exercises are so important to get your fingers flying. Yee haw uncle Ben! That's going to unlock to some sweetest wholesome pie like they used to make back when I was just a critter.

[@HHIDave]

My hand fingers are definitely gonna shred more betterly now thanks to these showers of gold...en guitar wisdom nuggets from Uncle Ben. Thanks! 🤘🎸

[@liorauf]

You are the BEST!!!

[@lala-everyonescrazyaunt]

Thanks, Ben. 👍✨

[@halfdriven819]

Thanks dude!

[@Cymbaline713]

Here's an extremely evil punishing variation on the Tomo exercise: Do it all legato style using all hammer ons and pull offs with the left hand only, and make all the notes sound at the same volume, even the higher strings.

[@dashking5059]

I should try this because my legato sucks especially the third and fourth finger

[@GayanDanthanarayana]

Good stuff Uncle Ben!

[@dougarnold7955]

Exercises! Awesome. 😁👍 9:30...yep. That's a good one. 14:06...yeah, I'm like that... 17:08...oh! I watched that vid the other day too. ...honest, I'm not making that up! Great stuff. I've been working chromatics on bass. I learned one from Rob Baker about two years ago that I really use a lot. I've been using the first one, the spider walk, but I keep the fingers grounded on the fret board on the string next, and only move each finger with each note... that's really good especially on the third finger which tends to be uncooperative. Thanks.

[@unklstepbilly]

You make alot of sense. I just need to apply it.

[@craiglewis905]

Nice vid great content. Thanks.

[@rickybobby5907]

Super cool. I always do the punisher when i pick my guitar up for the day. It has helped me a lot and for that i thank you Uncle Ben. Next i just have to work on my booger finger picking technique

[@danieljamesoconnor6800]

Thanx Uncle Ben, dies ist eine tolle Übung! One day I‘ll gonna be as confident as you are playin‘ the guitar. Yeah! 🍻

[@dickiefredericks]

Ive been playing that Tomo exercise for forever haha. Excellent.

[@OmnipotentO]

I desperately need this lesson specifically

[@joecool415]

All these exercises are great, I notice a lot of guitarists suck playing index to open.

[@frankkoller2622]

Thanks uncle Ben! Great exercises! 🎸👍

[@tripkitchen2689]

Quality content.

[@kaoquinn]

Hey Ben I'm in advance guitar player who was stuck in a rut.These exercises are great! I've been doing them over and over and over and they have unlocked something in my playing LOL, so I really appreciate you posting this. I follow you a lot and you are a very good teacher. One last question and I think is another problem I have, relaxing my hands, can you do a video on how to relax when you're playing? Many thanks!!!

[@truthseeker630]

Most awesome Uncle!. Love the tutorials!

[@k4mil66]

Please make video about your guitar collection!

[@ilyatiourine707]

Thanks for good lessons, you do very good job explaining "obvious" to good guitarist thing to the beginners .

[@paranormalrushhour]

You know how I feel about The Punisher! Best damn exercise anyone can learn!

[@johnfestich5008]

Great lesson Ben! And I love that g&l!

[@fireonhigh100]

saw this band in orlando ,the lead guitar player had only 2 fingers on his left hand, they called him lobsterboy,, he was fucking badassss!! im not kidding!

[@johnmaloney1681]

Been kinda a picking exercise addict lately. I do about 15-min/day. Funny-ass vid muh-man. How about one on useful sequences? Thx for the new routines.

[@travisguide4516]

Way to break it down and keep it funny you kick ass uncle ben

[@nordicguitar8395]

Thanks Uncle Ben. I told my step-dad I’m coming to live with you because you rock. Mom doesn’t know because she started drinking again and she’s passed out.

[@amarokker]

I do the Tomo since three weeks on aingle strings up the neck, and it's awesome! I'll check out the others, too. Thanks!

[@seraines]

Diggin your channel, Ben! Great stuff! 🤘🏼

[@davidandrews3237]

Thanks to Uncle Ben, my guitar chops have significantly improved - but my grammar has taken a nose dive 🙂 Tomo while doing Yoga sucks too !!!! 🙂

[@darkomtobia]

This is well done. Thank you.

[@fabienbourdier9847]

Oh thanks so much dude ! i have always been doing the spider exercise, the first that you show, but always ascending, i've tried descending when going back up and even tho i struggle to do so in the beginning i feel my pinky and ring finger coming to life ! I will stick to this exercise for a but and come back later for the rest ! You rock ! thanks

[@masterman6537]

Great stuff as always. Thanks Uncle Ben 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@zebraoctobra94]

You're the best

[@roxanapopescu8908]

This is really valuable! Thank you!

[@allboutthemojo]

The exercises in the later half of the video have my brain spinning and reminds me of a time when I played drunk in front of some guests who asked me to play because they " heard " that I played guitar. At the time I could play 3 chords , after drinking I attempted 6. They never asked me to play again! 😄

[@charles-davidcorbin3341]

Nice video Ben, like usual. I practice your Punisher exercices since I watch it a month or 2 ago and its really help me playing faster I can Do it AT 190 bpm now! And now I Will have another exercices I want to try the hum gym suicide? ( Run a Line go back and run the next Line)

[@Jarrodpimental]

I actually prefer inside string changes. Always have. I admit it makes many songs difficult though.

[@Eskimogunslinger]

@13:46 crying here dude this is how I feel when I'm analysing my playing too much. The puzzled look at the end made it 🤣

[@zaidanp7258]

Finally!!!

[@gruggiere]

Uncle Ben Snake Sabo showed me a chromatic exercise about 40 years ago he called it, if I remember correctly his spider crawl starting on low E after the 4th note you advance to the next string and move up one fret till you make it to the high E then come back in reverse all with alternate picking of course, so yes this is why i suck at guitar, that's when i decided to let him be the Rock star, I'll be the truck driver 😂

[@k4mil66]

I think that's the most usefull channel I subscribe :O

[@JYelton]

Really useful stuff presented in typical awesome Uncle Ben style. What’s up with hitting the bell and it says “disabled because kids?”

[@hectoriii8603]

Shots fired 😂😂😂

[@meyou9655]

Thank you for this. I used to do the first one all the time but I never really conciously focused on alternate picking. I wish I would have. Also good explanation of the metronome thingy... Or whatever it's called 😁. Cheers from Miramichi.

[@Robbie28]

I know crazy well (I've been to enough shrinks to start my own 12 step program) and those 6 people who "thumbs down" this are in desperate need of couch time. Visit your local VA and tell them Rob sent ya :)

[@thijs199]

I don't know whether my strumming habits (without pick) play a role but I had no issue with starting the upstrokes with the 3 notes a string pattern. Neither had issues with the finger 2 3 4 on the way down. I did practice it before but not like a lot

[@brewedawakening6577]

Got to be the only channel who knows who "sucks" at guitar playing and only channel that made me accept reality. I was living a lie before I run into this dude.Truth is such a kick in the...you know where :( Even my vacuum cleaner's better than me coz' once u turn it off, it don't suck no more :(

[@sd76-22]

Ben.... can you cover some Enuff Z’Nuff??? I could never be without you and For Now???? Derek Frigo Classic 80’s hair band! Has a great tone lots of whammy bar chops and harmonics!!!!

[@patricks_bored8519]

Sumbitch that Flipper is hard.

[@dheerajyadav7637]

Hay Uncle Ben,,,,,great lesson as always however I wish if u could a lesson on "Hybrid picking" and some exercises to master it ??🤘🤘

[@krokovay.marcell]

I’m so grateful that I gladly give you my mother, without you asking for her.

[@mattwilliamson3374]

That guitar is beautiful I'm about todo that same thing to a guitar wish me luck

[@ambageo]

Uncle Ben, my masochist self would wholeheartedly like to thank you for the Punisher exercise; since I first saw it in another of your videos it has become my main warm up exercise. Now I will have to find some time to also add the Flipper ,which will be an additional mindf@ck exercise (but I can clearly see the value of it! I was wondering: Could you also come up with an exercise that would combine alternate and economy picking, like the one you already share in the Weekend Wankshop 242, but going down the strings and then up and with the exercise duration being longer? I have tried to come up with an exercise like that but so far I haven't created something worth mentioning.

[@Alman88100]

Uncle Ben has developed superb comedy chops as well through this channel.

[@BenEller]

And I write all my own material, except for the parts that I steal from funnier people!

[@SuperSpear2009]

Still of the night solo yet Mr. Ben Eller? Still waiting in the Still of the...you know the thing.

[@ricksanchezito8972]

Sweet guitar strap!

[@neverquit7190]

You are insane, Ben. Those chains are sick!

[@davidhamilton5121]

Continue the madness uncle.

[@drsmith4582]

The Flipper is the only one I didn’t know. I used it for the first time this morning and I can already feel new dendrite connections forming in my brain 🧠 😂

[@johnkbijo]

Aight time to replace the punisher exercise with these! Would still need something for them complex chords :)

[@j1shot2]

Where did you get that string retainer from? It looks awesome!

[@d00mf00d]

Sub SEA quently set it on fire. The tomo scale practice sounds like NES dungeon music.

[@dis.infectant]

I think #3 is Mustaine's Spider idea.

[@hamzabencherif5278]

you killed me with your imitation :-D a French follower... ;-)

[@laudnivek-k9]

Then repeat on acoustic finger style.

[@pennabis]

since I saw your (former) video the punisher has become my favourite exercise; the others are interesting as well. appreciate your vdeos. how about some warm up exercises without guitar (I mean arms and hands stretching)? You do any of those, and which are the most efficient in your opinion? Keep up the good work, ciao!

[@Buzzedd777]

I two also watched Tomo's vid as soon as it was uploaded. He's a good player/teacher and those Orangewood guitars look pretty good for the money. Yin Yang Mouse-Meat, I laughed so hard at that one. I swear years ago on the oldie Mtv channel I heard one of the Vj's call him Yawgwie Mullamossteen. It still makes me laugh, big raffs.

[@meyou9655]

There's a road near here called "The Mullin Stream Road". My friend once called it "Malmsteen Road".

[@dongantt7824]

@@meyou9655and I once put a green crying on the kitchen table and it started to sprinkle..

[@meyou9655]

@@dongantt7824 Oh yeah, well I guess that happens to almost everyone.

[@laudnivek-k9]

If you’re having trouble check out stepdads channel cracking the code. 🤣🙃🤟

[@kalebthornsberry870]

That triplet surprise reminds me of something Devin Townsend might play.

[@matthew3496]

I really like your intro animations. Jokes also funny. Well done.