Trying to prescribe general technical exercises can be very difficult. Every type of playing has its own peculiarities; it's hard to prepare for everything that may come your way. The best exercises to start with are simple ones that help your hands learn to work as a team. Exercises that utilize every finger and a pick stroke for every finger are beneficial. FIGURE 11-2 is a great example to play every day—a simple chromatic scale warmup played in the fifth position.

This exercise contains a few important technical elements. First, it exercises each of your four fingers. It is also an easy pattern to work with. Chromatic patterns are great for working on relaxing your hands because the patterns are so easy to remember that they let you focus your energy on other things. For the picking hand, this provides you with four picks per string without a whole lot of jumping around. Many great players do this warmup every day.

Use the metronome to chart your progress. Start at a slow speed; say 60 beats per minute, and play four notes per click (one click on each string). As you start to feel more comfortable, gradually increase the speed by five beats per minute (65, 70, and so on). In a few short months you'll be playing better and faster.

The truth is that anything can be a good technique exercise. A simple scale practiced every day with a metronome can build speed. Anything can work for this as long as you use the metronome to increase the difficulty. What you should practice are the things that are hard for you. Each player is different; we all find certain things hard and other things easy. Focus on things that are hard for you.

There are a few spots that everyone finds difficult. For most players, using their third and fourth fingers on their fretting hand is a real challenge. Many players avoid the pinkie altogether and stretch everything with their third finger. FIGURE 11-3 shows a great exercise to overcome that problem.

Another common problem is string skipping with the picking hand. Landing accurately without looking down can be a real challenge. FIGURE 11-4 is a nice exercise using an A-Major barre chord to practice string skipping.

Remember, learning good technique is important. You were given only one set of hands and muscles—treat them right. Learning to relax when you play is one of the hardest aspects of playing well, and it is the most important part—one that doesn't get as much attention as it should. Start early, and get it right.