This exercise is from the Core Skills section on developing Speed Techniques.

Here we go back to the foundation of most speedy solos - good old alternate picking. If you are interested in playing faster than light, then you really need to know how to alternate pick. In this next series of exercises we will cover the bases for you. Make sure to work at them and you will reap the rewards!

To kick things off, we'll stick to notes on 1 string. We're going to play along the G string. This means you have to be tight with your pick control to avoid sounding out adjacent strings. Feel free to mute the other strings with your thumb / other fingers. Good control is as much about stopping unwanted sounds as it is about producing the sounds you want!

Make sure to play the normal speed audio first (under 'Tools' in the menu). This will help you see how it should sound. You may also find the Tablature view useful for this exercise.

This first alternate picking lick is actually small. It's just 12 notes constantly repeated:

0-0-2-0-0-3-0-0-5-0-0-3- (repeat)

It's always 2 open string notes followed by a fretted note.

Alternate picking means constantly using down / up strokes. No matter what string or note is next, always pick the string using that down / up mantra and you are alternate picking. Some folks also call it 'tremolo picking', 'trem picking' or 'double picking'.

We're being sneaky here and making sure that the fretted notes are always on the 3rd stroke. This means that some fretted notes will be downstrokes, and some will be upstrokes. This will force you to concentrate on the alternate picking, and avoid the temptation to always use a downstroke for the fretted notes (which most beginners fall into doing).

Practice as slowly as you need at first. Get the movements fluid and co-ordinated between both hands. This is the key to playing fast. It is natural at first for one hand to go faster / slower than the other. So slow down to a pace where you are tight and consistent. Then add a little speed. Keep creeping forward like that until you get the hang of it, and work at getting fast as hell. It will take time, most people struggle for quite a while - but with patience you will crack it. And once you can alternate pick, a whole world of fast guitar stuff will be open to you.

Keep the pick tight and close to the string. The less distance it requires to contact the string, the better the economy of movement. And remember that it takes time to train your muscles and get them used to these tasks, it won't happen overnight but give it regular practice and it will come.