When to post critique?

Technique Critique
#1

As it says in the title, when is it appropriate to post a technique critique? I’m new to cracking the code and \ just watched my way through the pickslanting primer (starting to work on wrist/forearm which seems to be the most natural right now). I built a magnet and think I’ve got some pretty horrendous string hopping and pure elbow motion going on, but is it valuable to submit that? Should I instead try to work at the wrist/forearm motion until my picking matches my forearm motion test, then post a video of that?

As a quick intro, I’m here because I finally need to get over my picking struggles. I’ve been playing guitar for well over a decade, but my alternate picking is so terrible (serious wall ~110 bpm 16ths after long-term focused practice) that I’ve run to hybrid picking, thumbing, and lots of legato instead of facing and addressing the issue. Any advice in general on where to start? Tremolo with a new motion? Building speed on a single string 6 note pattern?

Any and all thoughts/advice are hugely appreciated.

#2

A limit of 16ths at 110 BPM is a strong indicator that you’re stringhopping or using some other inefficient movement pattern.

This works for most people, and it’s a good starting place. Check out the tapping tests and experiment with the motions on the guitar. If that doesn’t work, read on.

Try drumming a continuous accented 16th note roll on a table top or on your knee, as in this clip (made for another user).

https://youtube.com/shorts/7Md3Aa_osJM?si=9m31b8NBhvlNj0Pl

How fast can you do this, while maintaining the rhythm?

You should be aiming for a continuous accented 16th note roll at at least 160 bpm. No drummer considers this to be fast because it isn’t fast at all. Speaking frankly, if you can’t do this you have bigger problems than picking technique that need to be addressed first.

Drummers get two hands, but they only get one stroke per hand. Guitarists only have one picking hand, but we get both upstrokes and downstrokes.

Now, understand that efficient picking mechanics feel like the 16th note roll rhythmically. So, try to pick continuous accented 16th notes (on a singe string is fine for now) at the speed you can perform a drum roll.