on technique [part 3]

what i am going to share of you is something that will completely transform your technique - when done on a regular basis.
this is the second most important exercise, right after the inside/inside and outside/outside picking exercise that i shared with you in the article "on technique [part1]".

It's a pretty basic thing, so most good players don't stress it, for it is kinda self-exlanatory to them. in fact it isn't.
i practiced technique the wrong way for a long time just because noone ever told me what to do.

well, you can - here it is:

take your metronome. if you don't have one, buy one. this isn't optional if you truly want a superiour picking technique. you cannot do it without a metronome!

next pick a scale of your choice. no not the major scale, come on - be creative. ;)
dorian for example, or mixolydian. or diminshed.

now try finding a tempo where you can comfortably play the scale up and down, without playing sleazily. remember if you play sleazily what you're gonna practice is how to play sleazily, that's it.
try finding the right tempo on the metronome - it should challenge you, yet you
should be able to play it correctly if you focus.
do this for 20 minutes with a few breaks, and instead of just playing the scale up and down use some patterns like 1234, 2345, 3456 or 1324, 2435, 3546 and so on.

after 5 days of practicing the scale this way, turn your metronome up a tiny notch and do your scale exercises again - until you can do them without any effort.
then turn your metronome up a notch again.

repeat this procedure for about 6 months and you'll have enhanced your picking technique by a vast amount.
remember to do this every single day - without fail. if you don't understand why you should do it every day please read my article "90 minutes of efficient practice".
if you stick with this for 6 months you will be staggered by the results!

a clean picking technique will be one of the foundations on your way to master the art. this is why i dedicate so many articles in the beginning phase of this blog to technique.
i am not fond of practicing technique just for the sake of having a better technique. in fact technique is one of the least interesting areas of the entire "mastering guitar program".
it is, however, important to command your instrument on a high level when it comes to technique, because you ultimately need it for your musical expressions on the guitar.
thus, go do the exercises everyday - it's worth it.
when you've mastered technique you will be one step closer on your journey to master jazz guitar!