Pretty obvious right? The single string practicing is what i do in substitution for tremolo picking (alternating quickly on 1 note) because it is the same motion in the right hand, BUT, and this is a big but, you're coordinating it with the fretboard hand which is very important. Case in point; now i'm as a big a speed metal fan as anyone (well, er, maybe not) but alot of those guys have these insanely fast rhythm parts (read:Slayer) which is just peachy, but when it comes time to take a lead... look out!

Do this now: start humming, push out your lips like Mick Jagger, keep humming, now bring your index finger up to your lips and rub it up and down quickly while you hum...

Interesting sound huh? Imagine talking to someone this way. You know, someone asks you a question and you do the flicky-lip thing; "bawabawababawabawababa". This is the equivalent sound made by someone having a fast picking hand on the guitar and NO synchronization with the other hand.

Remember, the picking hand does NOT "flail". Both hands must work in unison and be equally as fast and agile. The single string practice is great for this because we eliminate all other stuff and simplify the motion of just going up and down with the pick. i've also found i can increase my speed slightly when practicing single string stuff.

We have some sub-categories too, but that's for the next lesson. If you find/make as many exercises as you can for all 3 of these main categories, i think you'll be well on your way. Remember that HOW you practice this stuff is equally important. We'll talk about that in an upcoming lesson as well. Remembers, also, that i'm specifically talking about increasing speed and accuracy in the picking hand here. i use many different styles and angles of the pick depending on what i'm playing and at what speed. This changes in sound and dynamic level and makes things way more interesting to me. In essence, just because you've found your path to picking, so to speak, doesn't mean that it's the only thing you should do. These are only some very basic ideas about formulating a plan of attack for working on your picking chops. YOU have to come up with the interesting stuff. Drop me a line and let me know how it goes!