Alternate Picking Exercises In A Natural Minor [ Aeolian mode ]

As with all subjects, there is a wealth of info on the net and players seem to have varied opinions when it comes to the best way to increase alternate picking speed/accuracy but as with learning anything, there is no substitute for putting in the time.
When I started out, I wanted to be like Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen etc and subsequently spent many hours playing repetitive scales in an effort to get my left and right hand coordinated. Although there is no substitute for playing full scales, it can also be of benefit to select a small section of a scale that you can work into a 'lick' as your speed and accuracy improves.

Fretting Hand Position : Whether you sit or stand when practicing, be comfortable as you may be there a long time! Try not to be twisted or in a position where it is difficult to reach frets. It's difficult enough without having to struggle to hit the notes you want to play. Keep the thumb of your fretting hand around the centre of the back of the neck and your wrist relaxed, this will help with reach. (When you get these down, you can put your thumb where you want..)

Picking Hand Position : Some teachers insist you must hold a pick in a certain way, I don't agree with that.
If you look at any number of successful 'fast' players, they hold the pick in many different ways and each one works for that guitarist. As long as you can control the pick and accomplish the lines you want to play, there should be no definitive way. The only thing I would suggest is that the palm of the hand is close to the bridge, so if you do need to palm mute you can do so quickly and easily. This also gives you opportunity to rest your forearm/wrist and will help you to dampen the strings you're not playing so everything sounds cleaner. I'll do more on muting in another lesson...

As you can hear from the audio examples, I've used a thin clean(ish) tone because you have to work a lot harder to be accurate and it highlights sloppy picking technique, just has it has doen with mine! 
As with all these types of exercise, this is just a start point, they can be used in any key, scale or note grouping, so take them where you will.

REMEMBER : These are alternate picking exercises so start with a down stroke, keep it slow and accurate initially, the speed will follow... ..and use your little finger!

Π - Indicates a down pick stroke
∨ - Indicates an up pick stroke

Picking Exercise 1

Notes played are C, D Eb and E which are the minor 3rd, 4th flat 5th and  perfect 5th of the A natural minor (Aeolian mode), the flat 5 is referred to as the 'blues note'. The important part of this exercise is crossing from the G to B strings, pick down on the G and up on the single E note played on the B string. This should be played in a 6/8 feel so you get 6 semi quavers (sixteenth notes) per beat. Suggested finger numbers are indicated below the pick stroke markers and you can play the audio for this exercise below... credit should go to Paul Gilbert for this one.

Picking Exercise 2

Notes played are C, D and Eb which are the minor 3rd, 4th and flat 5th of the A natural minor (Aeolian mode). This should also be played in a 6/8 feel so you get 6 semi quavers (sixteenth notes) per beat.

Picking Exercise 3

Notes played are C, D, Eb and E which are the minor 3rd, 4th, flat 5th and perfect 5th of the A natural minor (Aeolian mode). Played with the same 6/8 feel, 6 semi quavers (sixteenth notes) per beat. This exercise combines the two examples above to expand the lick and effectively get more mileage from the same group of notes. This is the technique used when you hear those long bubbling runs that go from one end of the fretboard to the other.