Picking on a single string is the simplest way to get started.
All the great shredders recommend this… From Paul Gilbert
to Silvio Gazquez.
So I started going back to basics, picking on a single string.
A metronome is good to guage speed. But there are other
ways to actually increase the speed of the picking.
Some of the fastest players in the world actually do NOT
use a metronome. For example, Rusty Cooley told me
this personally – he doesn’t use one.
I think both schools of thought are valid – playing with
and without a metronome.
I believe in the wisdom – “if you want to play it fast,
first play it slow”.
That applies to even picking a single note on 1 string.
Start SLOW… And go for the feel of it, the consistency.
When you can play it slow (or even moderate to fast)
and play it perfectly, then you can easily speed it up
with only a slight loss of perfection.