Side-by-side portraits of bluegrass guitarists Tyler Grant and Bryan Sutton. On the left, Tyler Grant poses with an acoustic guitar wearing a patterned shirt. On the right, Bryan Sutton smiles while holding a Martin acoustic guitar, wearing a blue denim shirt.

How to Build Flatpicking Speed: A Guide for Serious Bluegrass Guitarists

Guitar

Every bluegrass guitarist remembers the moment they first heard Tony Rice or Doc Watson unleash a flurry of 16th notes that sounded as effortless as breathing. It is the holy grail of the genre: clean, driving, resonant speed. However, for many intermediate and advanced players, reaching that next tier of velocity often feels like hitting a brick wall. You push harder, your forearm tightens, and the tone thins out.

If you’re wondering how to build speed in flatpicking without sacrificing tone or timing, you aren’t alone. The journey from moderate tempos to breakdown speeds requires a shift in mechanics, mindset, and mentorship. At ArtistWorks, we believe that speed is actually a byproduct of accuracy and relaxation. Through our comprehensive curriculums with standout educators like Tyler Grant and Bryan Sutton, plus our unique Video Exchange Learning® platform, we have helped thousands of students break through these plateaus.

In this guide, we will dismantle the mechanics of speed, optimize your gear, and outline a structured routine to help you fly up and down the fretboard.

Table of Contents

The Foundation: Relaxation Over Force

The biggest misconception about playing fast is that it requires “trying” harder. In reality, tension is the enemy of speed. When you tense your forearm, shoulder, or wrist, you are engaging opposing muscle groups that fight against each other, acting as a brake on your momentum.

To master how to build speed in flatpicking, you must first master the art of playing with zero tension. This is often the first thing our world-class faculty, such as the legendary Tyler Grant, looks for when reviewing student video submissions. If your shoulder is raised or your knuckles are white, you cannot achieve fluid speed.

The “Shake Out” Technique

Before you even touch a pick, let your arms hang loose by your sides. Shake them out until your hands feel heavy and warm. This serves as your baseline sensation. When you pick up the guitar, try to maintain that same feeling of heaviness in the elbow and wrist. Speed comes from a loose, swinging wrist, not a stiff, piston-like forearm.

Gear Check: The Best Pick for Flatpicking Speed

While technique is paramount, your equipment can either help or hinder your progress. Bluegrass guitar requires a specific tool to drive the heavy strings of a dreadnought acoustic.

Many beginners gravitate toward thin, flexible picks because they feel easier to strum. However, for speed and precision, a thin pick introduces a “lag” time—the moment the pick bends before it snaps off the string. This micro-delay makes playing fast 16th notes nearly impossible.

Choosing the Right Plectrum

The best pick for flatpicking speed is generally rigid and between 1.0mm and 2.0mm in thickness. Materials like BlueChip (composite), tortoise shell alternatives (casein), or heavy celluloid are industry standards.

Here’s a few things to consider when looking for the right pick for ultimate flatpicking speed:

  • Rigidity: Allows for instant energy transfer from hand to string.
  • Bevel: A “speed bevel” on the edge of the pick allows it to slice through the string rather than getting hung up on it.
  • Grip: Ensure the pick doesn’t rotate in your sweaty fingers during intense practice sessions.

Right-Hand Mechanics: Economy of Motion

Once you are relaxed and have the right pick, we must look at the geometry of your movement. Efficient flatpicking relies on “Economy of Motion.” This simply means strictly limiting the distance your pick travels away from the string.

The Pick Slant

Many speed pickers utilize a slight pick slant (angling the pick downward or upward) to facilitate smoother string crossings. This prevents the pick from getting “trapped” between strings during fast runs. Your instructor can review your picking angle personally to see if a slight adjustment in your wrist rotation could instantly unlock higher BPMs.

Rest Strokes

For powerful, fast downstrokes, consider practicing “rest strokes,” where the pick comes to rest on the adjacent string after striking the target string. This ensures you are driving through the string rather than pulling away from it, providing both volume and speed.

Flatpicking Exercises for Speed

Now, let’s get into the woodshed. Flatpicking exercises for speed should isolate specific mechanical challenges: string crossing, left-hand/right-hand synchronization, and stamina.

1. Open String Bursts

Forget the left hand for a moment. Set your metronome to a comfortable tempo. Play continuous eighth notes on the open G string using strict alternate picking (Down-Up-Down-Up). Focus on making the “Up” stroke just as loud as the “Down” stroke. Every four measures, double the speed to 16th notes for one measure, then return to eighth notes. This “burst” training conditions your nervous system to handle speed in short, manageable intervals.

2. The Linear Chromatic Climb

Pattern: Play frets 1-2-3-4 on the Low E string, then 1-2-3-4 on the A string, and so on up to the High E.
The Goal: The key here isn’t just playing the notes, but keeping your fingers close to the fretboard. “Flying fingers” on the fretboard hand will slow you down just as much as a tense right hand.

3. Continuous G-Run Loops

The classic Lester Flatt G-run is a perfect microcosm of bluegrass mechanics. It involves hammer-ons, slides, and precise picking. Loop the G-run continuously without pausing. This builds “vocabulary speed,” ensuring that the licks you use most often are bulletproof.

Check out this breakdown on the G-run with our very own Bryan Sutton:

Designing Your Daily Flatpicking Practice Routine

Consistency beats intensity. You will make more progress practicing for 45 minutes every day than for five hours on Saturday. Here is a sample daily flatpicking practice routine designed to build velocity:

  • 0:00–0:10: Warm-up. Slow scales, focus on tone and relaxation. No metronome yet.
  • 0:10–0:20: Technique Isolation. Focus on the right hand. Practice crosspicking rolls or tremolo picking on a single string.
  • 0:20–0:40: The “Push” Session. Use the metronome. Find your max tempo where you can play cleanly. Bump the BPM up by 3-5 beats. Play until it falls apart, then dial it back down. This is progressive overload for your hands.
  • 0:40–0:50: Repertoire. Play a fiddle tune you know well (like “Blackberry Blossom” or “Whiskey Before Breakfast”) at a challenging tempo.
  • 0:50–1:00: Cool down. Slow, melodic playing to ensure you don’t leave the session with tension in your hands.

💡 Pro Tip: For more targeted drills, check out our blog post on 5 Guitar Flatpicking Speed Exercises for Building Dexterity.

The “Secret Weapon”: Video Exchange Learning

You can practice exercises all day, but if your mechanics are fundamentally flawed, you will only reinforce bad habits. This is where self-teaching often fails. You cannot see your own hand from the perspective of an expert.

This is why Tyler Grant’s Advanced Flatpicking Course at ArtistWorks is so effective – utilizing our Video Exchange Learning system, you can film yourself playing a speed exercise or a tune, and submit it to the site. Tyler Grant will review your video and record a personalized video response tailored to your needs.

This level of personal guidance is usually reserved for conservatory students, but at ArtistWorks, it is accessible to anyone, anywhere. It is the fastest way to correct course and break through speed barriers. Learn more about how Video Exchange works on our website.

Conclusion

Learning how to build speed in flatpicking is a journey of refinement. It requires the right gear, a relaxed playing position, and a structured approach to practice. But more importantly, it requires feedback. Speed is precise; it leaves no room for error. By slowing down, analyzing your motion, and seeking expert critique, you will eventually find yourself playing at tempos you once thought impossible.

Don’t let frustration keep you from the joy of jamming at full speed. With the right instruction, you can master the fretboard.

Ready to pick faster and cleaner? Start a free trial at ArtistWorks today and learn with personal guidance from world-renowned educators like Tyler Grant and Bryan Sutton today.