M Metal Guitar Lessons

Supporting article · 7 min · Updated 30 Aug 2026 · Editorial team

Outside string-crossing drill

Quick answer

Outside crossings are the string changes where the pick has to go around the next string instead of into it. They are where most “I pick fast on one string and fall apart in riffs” problems live. Drill two adjacent strings, two notes each, at a tempo where both notes match—then add the next pair.

Problem statement

Single-string 16ths can look solved while a three-string riff still rushes the change. The pick path on an outside change is longer than on an inside change. Players hide that extra distance by tensing or by letting the second note shrink. The riff “almost” works until it is recorded.

Step-by-step guidance

  1. Name the crossing. Inside: the pick is already moving toward the next string. Outside: the pick must clear the string it just played and approach the next from the far side. You will feel outside changes on many 6→5 and 5→4 pairs depending on starting direction.
  2. Two strings, two notes each. Example on strings 6 and 5, fretting-hand parked (open or one fret). Down-up on 6, down-up on 5. Loop one bar. Goal is equal length and equal volume—not speed.
  3. Record four bars. If the note after the change is late or thin, the crossing is the item. Do not add strings yet.
  4. Keep the stroke short. A long “metal” stroke makes outside crossings worse. See the stroke-length diagram in alternate picking.
  5. Walk the pairs. 6–5, then 5–4, 4–3, 3–2, 2–1. Same rule. Then reverse direction (starting with an upstroke) so both outside geometries get reps.
  6. One note per string. Only after two-notes-each is even. This is the real riff test.
  7. Raise tempo 4 BPM only after two clean recorded passes. Use the 1-bar metronome protocol rather than grinding the pair for ten minutes.

Common questions

Can I economy-pick instead and skip this?
You can economy-pick some lines. You still need outside changes in real riffs. Skipping the drill leaves a hole. See alternate vs economy.
Should the fretting hand move?
Not in the first week of this drill. Park it. Add a simple fret pattern only after the pick path is even.

Related reading

Sources: pedagogical isolation of a common mechanical failure point. Not a biomechanics study. Last updated 30 Aug 2026.