The First 100 Picking Patterns for Guitar

When you’re confident, set your metronome to 60bpm and play one note per click, ignoring the actual written rhythm of the exercise. Even if it is written in 1/8th notes, still play one pick per beat. This will force you to focus on the accuracy of your playing while sticking to a pulse.

When you can play each chord cleanly, learn the following example that uses a fragment of a picking pattern on the first three beats of the bar. The gap (rest) at the end of each bar is there to give you the opportunity to change chords smoothly before the first beat of the next bar. Begin with the G Major chord, then move to the E Minor chord. Lis