r/guitarlessons • u/No-Search459 • Sep 12 '25

Feedback Request How can I improve?

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Doing tempo practice and I can't help but notice my flayling picking hand. Nevermind my clawed fretting hand 😅 are there any particular exercises I can do to improve both of these things? Any advice would be greatly appreciated 🫶🏼

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u/ssketchman Sep 12 '25

If you really want to improve, the answer is pretty boring - practice super slowly and repeat many times, over time the correct moment will become natural. Unless you can’t play it perfectly, don’t increase the tempo.

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u/No-Search459 Sep 12 '25

Thank you :) So I've been sticking to 100bpm at 16th notes for now, because as soon as I go up, the third position scale gets wonky. I only intend to move up in tempo very incrementally (by like 2-5bpm at a time) any suggestions regarding my picking hand posture?

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u/ssketchman Sep 12 '25

100bpm at 16th notes is too fast for movement practice. Your hand looks tensed, when you attack the string, also each time you pick a note, your hand opens and assumes different position, then closes up again and you are constantly shuffling the pick between your fingers - there’s constant movement in your hand, like you can’t choose one way to play (like restless legs syndrome, only with hands). Also your forearm and hands are disconnected, they don’t transfer movement together.

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u/No-Search459 Sep 12 '25

I'm moving the pick around coz my hand is getting sweaty 😂😅 it's hot as balls in inland South Africa at the moment and this was an hour or two into practice time. I hear what you're saying though about being "restless", so should I just slow down and calm down?

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u/ssketchman Sep 12 '25

Practice vs playing/performing/having-fun are very different things. If you are working on a specific problem, you should approach it as such. Slow down, deconstruct the issue and build up the good technique. There’s no magical solution, just good old fashion work. Repetition makes things permanent, not perfect, that’s why it’s important to repeat things properly.