Any tips to strengthen picking hand?

[Mike M.]

Due to the amount of hours I work during the week I can't always practice as much as I'd like to. I have no problem with my fretting hand, but it takes a while to get the picking hand going. Other than good old-fashioned practice does anyone know of any exercise's for one's picking hand to help increase strenght? As of right now I can probably fret notes twice as fast as I can pick them. I know I can do better than that. Any tips? Thank's.

 

[HolyDirt]

Re: Any tips to strengthen picking hand?

Due to the amount of hours I work during the week I can't always practice as much as I'd like to. I have no problem with my fretting hand, but it takes a while to get the picking hand going. Other than good old-fashioned practice does anyone know of any exercise's for one's picking hand to help increase strenght? As of right now I can probably fret notes twice as fast as I can pick them. I know I can do better than that. Any tips? Thank's.

extensive, fast palm muting, it strengthens your picking hand tremendously, i always do a few minutes of heavy, fast palm muting riffs as part of my warm up.

 

[Mike M.]

Re: Any tips to strengthen picking hand?

extensive, fast palm muting, it strengthens your picking hand tremendously, i always do a few minutes of heavy, fast palm muting riffs as part of my warm up.

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that. But the question is: is there anything I can do to streangthen my picking hand when I don't have the guitar in my hand's?

 

[HolyDirt]

Re: Any tips to strengthen picking hand?

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that. But the question is: is there anything I can do to streangthen my picking hand when I don't have the guitar in my hand's?

oh oh i see, well, there are guitar exercisers, but those are for the fretting hand... have you seen the drummer excercise gyros? i think those would help greatly

 

[BornToShred]

Re: Any tips to strengthen picking hand?

Lots of palm-muted downpicking.

When you can play steady eights for about 5 minutes at 180bpm, i'd say your picking hand is pretty strong.