Inside picking: the harder string-crossing exercise
The same notes as the outside version, but down on the higher string and up on the lower, so the pick has to jump in between the two. This is the crossing that trips most players up, and fast lines force it on you whenever a string change falls on the other stroke. Practising it on its own turns your weak direction into one you don't have to think about.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with the metronome on, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 100 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 100 bpm
- Starts at
- 60 bpm
- Length
- 2 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
How to play it
Down on the higher string, up on the lower one: the pick stays between the two strings.
These are the same notes as String crossing, outside, with the order inside each pair swapped: the downstroke is on the B string and the upstroke on the G. The pick has to finish each stroke between the two strings and be ready to go back the other way.
Start slower than feels necessary. A stroke that's slightly too big hits the string it's meant to avoid, so precision matters more than speed here.
Mistakes to watch for
- The pick getting trapped between the strings and hesitating before the next stroke: keep the pick's tip shallow.
- Turning the pattern into outside picking without noticing, by starting with an upstroke.
- Tensing up as the tempo rises. If the forearm tightens, drop back a step.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 60
- 65
- 70
- 75
- 80
- 85
- 90
- 95
- 100
That's 16 loops and about 2 minutes before you're playing at 100 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play String crossing, inside?
The goal is 100 bpm in 16th notes, which is 6.7 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 60 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Why is inside picking so hard?
The pick has to move between two strings that are only a few millimetres apart, and stop before it touches either one. Outside picking can overshoot without consequence; inside picking can't.
Can I avoid inside picking altogether?
Some techniques, like economy picking or a slanted pick motion, reduce how often you need it. Even so, most players who alternate pick come up against it in real lines, so it's worth making it comfortable.