TREMELO PICKING: HELP!

Give me a routine and some tips on how to pick like those death/Black metal fuckers... It's so hard!

200+ BPM!

Don't get me wrong, I ain't no beginner-BUT-That shit ain't even Human right?

The usual answer.....PRACTICE!

To elaborate:

Use a metronome and find the max you can go then practice to that speed for a while. When your comfy with that speed knock it up 5 or 10 bpm then repeat.

Always have a guitar in your hands when your watching tv or something and just alternate pick.....

Yeh man, its possible but you just have to practise with a 'nome if you can. Also, its best to practise with it clean (ie - no effects/distortion) that way you can hear when you're doing things wrong, whereas distortion can sometimes hide mistakes.

I never had to practice the trem picking for rhythm, it just came naturally, sometimes I work on getting myself tighter though. The main thing is to relax and don't think about it too hard.

Although I'm hesitant to aid the plight of Black Metal, the key to picking fast is to bend your thumb. Most people will bend their thumb so the knuckle sticks out a bit but plenty of guys, John Sykes for one, bend their thumb the other way. I'd also practise to a metronome: start off by picking crotchets on an open string, then quavers, then semiquavers. Once you have it up to speed, increase the speed on the metronome and do it again. As with all things shred, progress will be frustratingly slow but that's just because you need to train your muscles.

Fuck me that was quick! And so many replies too. This site is awsome.
I will do as you (all) say and post the results in a while.

Cheers fellas.

Atom wrote:I never had to practice the trem picking for rhythm, it just came naturally, sometimes I work on getting myself tighter though. The main thing is to relax and don't think about it too hard.

Aye same for me, it is just everything else about playing guitar that i find difficult.

another thing....

One of the things I used to play a lot and I think really gave me picking practice was the riff in The Fourth Horseman/Mechanix...The one that goes like

dudledu DA dudledu DA dudledu DA DA!

It also helps you be able to switch between strings when playing fast alternates without sounding like a big knob

if that makes any sense whatsoever...

just learn all the slayer and you'll be ok

Yup, it's starting to work up already.
What kinds of pick sizes do you all use?
I use 3mm Big Stubbys from Jim Dunlop.

p.s. That's PICK sizes, not PRICK sizes

3mm is a bit too thick for me...I tend to like a plectrum with a bit of give, the max I go is 1mm but something around the .7-8 range is what I find best.

Jazz III

The king of guitar picks.

aye, i play with the blue dunlop pick fuck knows how many cm it is. Ay canny be ringed with that nonsense. As long i downpick it. I play bass but i try to downpick as much as i can, its the only way like newsted style. fuckin weh. Mid paced alternate picking is fuckin roughage as a pint of warm tennents

Atom wrote:Jazz III

The king of guitar picks.

Yus.

3mm pick?!

That's far too thick like. I used 1.5mm for a while but there's no real need to go above 1 - 1.14mm or so. In my experience at least.