Fast alternate picking is a bitch to get down, really.

Yes, I struggled for years to get a good, clean picking style going. I'm still not where I wanna be, but I've started learning some things that I didn't know I was even close to nailing. I'm referring to string-skipping, using alternate picking. Somewhat like Gilbert and Petrucci, but of course not as fast. I still need to clean it up, but I can feel that this is something I will be able to improve quite a bit if I just keep at it.

It's mostly three-note-per-string licks, skipping one string each time, but I've also managed to play pretty fast stuff skipping two, even three strings. I even managed to do something of a MAB-ish thingie where I play three notes on a lower string, then skip a string or two and pick just one note there, then returning to the lower string again. Sorta like that famous Paul Gilbert lick that he teaches in Intense Rock as the first lesson, only skipping strings. It's all sextuplets, going 1-2-3-4-5-6, 1-2-3-4-5-6, and so on. MAB does a really extreme version of this in the "O.F.R." solo from Nitro's first album, where he opens the solo with perhaps his speediest playing ever, doing enormous string skips at insane velocities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI3nLSuENGw

Why does MAB wear a jacket covered in locks these days?

Maximum security.

The thing with me is that I don't have the discipline or dedication to make sure I gradually develop the technique everyday. Sometimes I go a week without playing, and any progress I've made will be lost when I pick it up again. I'm getting there though, and I've found that the best thing to do is play at my clean threshold as perfectly as possbile. Eventually, I become more comfortable and I begin to notice that going a little faster while still playing clean becomes a little easier. Before I would try to go as fast as I can, but I would just end up practicing all the mistakes I was making.

i've noticed that in the past week i've become faster after about a year of stagnating. thank you, kiko loureiro.

I've been there, and probably still am, so I can't say that I'm a beacon of light when it comes to good practice routines. The main mistake I always make is that I don't finish what I've started. I may start working on a particular solo with great enthusiasm, but then the next day I figure I wanna try something else. This string-skipping thingie is something I attempt every now and then, but I never sit and work on something for a certain period of time each day.

If I did, I'd be a monstrous shredder.

What I would recommend is to set aside one hour each day to work on a specific solo, exercise, song, whatever. The important thing is that you figure out what you need to learn, then work on it until you feel comfortable with it. Be completely honest with yourself, never taking short cuts. So many young guitarists make the mistake of rushing with an exciting new lick, blazing through it with the distortion cranked, and then thinking to themselves that they now know how to play it.

Fuck that. It doesn't work that way, and it never will. What happens is that those exciting new licks that sound so impressive played by a Gilbert or a Petrucci, will usually sound like moist ass once you try and do the same thing outside the confines of your bedroom. I've learned this the hard way, working on fancy sweep licks for hours and hours, only to discover that they just sound like exercises, and not a natural extension of your regular musical vocabulary. They sound forced, and that's the one thing that separates the amateurs from the pros. My solution was to stay away from those big, impressive licks when I record solos, and instead try to rely more on what feels natural. Usually, what feels natural to you will also sound natural to the listener, and it's better to sound comfortable and not overly flashy than it is to sound like you're trying hard to impress the listener.

So much this...I see people in studio every day who can play ridiculous solos and licks but the second you ask them to do it in a different key, or ask them to do something more in line with the rest of the group, they've got nothing

It also helps to practice everything you do without any gain or distortion...because a lot of people will play it with max distortion and it sounds pretty good, but it turns out they're doing it wrong

I never really bother turning my amp on when I'm just practising.

Same. I do a lot of practicing unplugged on the guitar I have in my bedroom - the rest of my rig is downstairs in the practice room.

Yeah I only really plug in when I'm jamming.

I used to be really frustrated by my small level of technique (especially when it comes to metal rythm, I can't do shit it's pathetic) mainly because I have no idea where to go for useful exercises. But now it's like I realized all of a sudden that the electric guitar can be a really expressive instrument, so I focus a lot more on that at the moment. In a few months I'll probably be all frustrated again because I'll want to be playing metally stuff but anyway... where to start in terms of technical exercises? I don't even know when you're supposed to alternate pick and when you're not.

i figure this is as good a spot as any to put this: what's a good mandolin to buy if i'm trying to learn the instrument?

Fender.