Tremolo Pick on Your Electric Guitar

You know when you hear the pros shredding on a guitar, and all you think is, "I'll never be able to do that..." Well, it's a lot easier than it sounds and looks.

Steps

  1. Hold your pick firmly, but not to the point that you're straining yourself.
  2. Steadily, and very quickly, pluck the 6th string with alternate picking (back and forth).
  3. Hold down some frets, and go in sync with your picking hand.



Tips

  • You might say "Wow, I learned nothing from this," but it's actually simple; it just looks and sounds complicated. Most people out there just sit in awe as the person shreds, and you will never be able to do that if you don't try it.
  • At first, you probably won't be able to pick fast and steadily, but practice it for a couple hours. It comes to you really fast.
  • It helps if you actually know what you will be playing, whether it be a warm-up, a song, or if it's just improvisation. A good one to start with is on the 4th string... 00700500300200300500700... and so on.
  • It is also OK to use a Jim Dunlop Jazz 3 pick, due to the fact that they are very small and hard, and are great for alternate picking
  • Make sure your pick is sturdy. It is very difficult to do this with picks any thinner than .8 mm.
  • Remember, Practice makes perfect.
  • Anchoring your pinky to the body of the guitar helps to improve precision and clarity

Warnings

  • Keep your face away from the strings if you feel that they might be weak or old.
  • Have a 1st string gauge of .09 or higher.
  • If your hand starts cramping up, massage it out. It's up to you if you want to take a break or not.
  • Make sure the volume is at a suitable level for others around.

Things You'll Need

  • Amp (preferred, not a necessity)
  • Electric Guitar (preferred, it's harder on acoustic)
  • Sturdy Pick (the pick can be thin as long as it doesn't give much bend, a tiny amount of bend is okay for Tremolo picking.)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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