All of metal's greats use this technique, like James Hetfield and Randy Rhoads, to name a few.  This lesson will teach you
how to speed pick and also give you some pointers on speeding.  Let's move on to the first example.

In this example, you are just palm muting the low E string open.  This will give you the feel of speeding a bit.  Just work
on this exercise at your own pace then as you get better gradually speed it up until you get the speed that you want on it.

Ex.1

pm...................................................................................
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--

Once you have that down, go on to Example 2.  You are going to use some power chords in this exercise.  Just remember from
the first exercise to take it at your own tempo first, then gradually speed it up.  This bit is taken from Metallica's
"Fight Fire With Fire"  from the "Ride the Lightning" album.  The original is all in sixteenth notes.

Ex.2  Listen here at regular tempo.  Listen here for a slower version.

pm.. . . . .   . . . . . .   . . . . . .   . .   . .
---------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
--------------5-------------3-------------5-----4-----3--
--------------5-------------3-------------5-----4-----3--
--0-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-0-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-2-0-0-1--

Now that you have gotten that finished, it's time to move on to something a little more challenging.  This example isnt pure
speed, but it give you a good idea of string changing.  This is taken from Metallica's "Of Wolf and Man".  Another exercise
to do if you want to practice changing strings is do Example 1 but change strings every once in a while.  Example 3b
is kind of like Example 3a but you change fingerings for the chords and there is a quick fill in the end that requires some
speedy fingers.  Example 3b was taken from Ozzy's "Crazy Train".

Ex. 3a  Listen here for a sample.

pm . .       . .   . .     . .     . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------4-----3------------------------------------------------------------
--2--2-2-3-2------4-----3------------------------------------------------------------
--2--2-2-3-2------2-----1-------5^7-----5^7~~-5^7~~~~~-------------------------------
--0--0-0-1-0--0-0---0-0-----5-6-----5-6----------------------------------------------

Ex. 3b  Listen here for a sample.

1st---------------------------------------------------------+2nd---------------------
pm . . .     . . . .     . . . .     . . . .
------------------------------------------------------------I------------------------
-----------5-----------5-----------3------------------------I------------------------
-----------6-----------4-----------2-----------2-------2---oI--4^2^0-----------------
-----------7-----------6-----------4-----------2-------2---oI--------4^2^0-----------
--0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0------2^4------I--------------4^2^0-----
------------------------------------------------------------I------------------------
 

Dustin Mitchell  [email protected]