Tremolo picking exercise: four strokes on every note
Every note picked four times in 16ths while the melody moves along the B string. Tremolo picking is the sound behind surf lines, black metal riffs and sustained melodies, and it builds picking stamina and an even, steady stroke. The real test is keeping both hands together when the fretting hand changes note.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with the metronome on, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 120 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 120 bpm
- Starts at
- 72 bpm
- Length
- 2 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
How to play it
A small motion from the wrist; the fretting hand only moves on the beat.
Each note gets four 16th-note strokes, down-up-down-up, and the fretting hand moves to the next note on the beat. The melody walks up and down the B string between the 1st and 8th frets.
Think of it as one continuous motion in the picking hand that never stops, while the fretting hand changes note under it. The note changes have to line up exactly with the downstroke on the beat.
Mistakes to watch for
- The picking hand stalling for a moment on each note change.
- Too much pick on the string: a small, shallow stroke is faster and steadier.
- Tension creeping up the arm into the shoulder. Shake it out between loops if it does.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 72
- 78
- 84
- 90
- 96
- 102
- 108
- 114
- 120
That's 16 loops and about a minute before you're playing at 120 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 Tremolo picking?
The goal is 120 bpm in 16th notes, which is 8 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 72 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
What's tremolo picking used for?
It's the sound of surf guitar melodies, black metal and post-rock, and of any long melody note held on an instrument that can't sustain it. It also builds the stamina that fast alternate picking needs.
How fast should tremolo picking be?
Real tremolo parts are often faster than the 16ths at 120 bpm here, and some aren't measured at all. Get it even at this tempo first; speed comes once the motion is relaxed.