String Skipping Exercise

This last exercise is designed to develop your picking accuracy.  It will take some time to master, so just relax and have patience.  You will be glad you practiced it later on.  Start with your first finger on the 1^st fret of the low E string.  Play the four frets chromatically.  Then skip a string, and play the 1^st through 4^th frets of the D string. 

Now, go back to the A string and play frets 1 through 4.  Skip a string again, and play the same four frets on the G string. 

Now go back one again, and play the D string again.  Skip to the B string, play the first 4 frets. 

Go back to the G string, play the 1^st through 4^th frets.  Finally, skip over the B string the high E string, and repeat.  While it may seem complicated at first, you will catch onto the pattern rather quickly.

In Reverse

Once you have completed the run, start back down from the 4^th fret of the high E string, skipping strings and then working back along the way.  You should end up back on the 1^st fret of the low E string where you started.  When played correctly, the exercise will sound like this:

Practice Assignment

You can take this exercise as far as you like, by starting it at the 2^nd fret, then 3^rd fret and so on.  As always, make sure you play methodically and accurate while using alternate picking.

These warm-up exercises should be practiced at the beginning and end of every practice session.  They will seem difficult at first, but don’t rush through them.  You’ll only be cheating yourself.  Just stay loose and relax, and concentrate on every note every time you play it.  You can use these exercises as a good indicator of your improvement on the guitar.  Over time, you will be able to play stronger and quicker, thus making you capable of more advanced techniques and maneuvers.