The Spider Exercise

Author: Justin Sandercoe

This is the Ultimate alternate picking exercise. It is very difficult and will take a lot of practise to get smooth and fast, even for an experienced player.

Make sure you start off slowly, there is a very obvious pattern to the notes, like a diagonal line moving across the fingerboard. Once you have the pattern down really focus on the picking, you should not have to look at your left hand, so you should devote all your attention to your picking. Try to make as small a stroke as possible, and keep to a tempo where you can play in time, without stumbling, tripping up, or slowing down for the "harder bits".

Good luck!

You can download the sheet music for the spider exercise here.