Speed Building Exercises & Legato Picking (2-Finger Combinations)

If I could wave a magic wand and improve one aspect of your playing, I'd bet you'd choose speed. In this lesson, we break down the three core elements that determine how fast you can play: fretting hand technique, picking hand technique, and the sync between them

We'll work through two-finger combinations using hammer-ons and pull-offs within the A minor pentatonic scale (shape 1)

This legato approach lets you play faster without picking every note, which is the secret behind a lot of our favourite players' speed!

Main Learning Points:

• Hammer-on technique with third finger supported by the pinky

• Pull-off (flick-off) motion for clean note separation

• Two-fret combinations at the 5th and 12th fret positions

• Alternate picking fundamentals with proper pick angle

• Why holding the pick on the side of your first finger reduces effort

• Muting technique to keep unwanted strings quiet

• The "zoom in, zoom out" method for fixing sync issues

• Practice riffs: Running Down a Dream, Big Black Witchcraft Rock

The key insight here is that by slowing down while practicing, lets us zoom in on problem areas, to then gradually speed back up with cleaner technique. These exercises will have knock-on benefits for everything else you play.