Hi all,
I've been learning guitar playing on and off for several months now.
but I really struggle with gallop picking.
At a very low speed, I count the beat in my head and can do it.
but at slightly higher speeds, I can't keep counting and I totally lose the rhythm.
I researched online. It seems all the advice is to 1 start slow and build up speed , 2 keep wrist relaxed.
but I found they don't help me as much.
I wonder if someone has experience, tips or anything to share.
I'd very much appreciate it.
Thanks

There's a lot of things that could be going wrong, it's impossible to assess it without watching you play. You could try uploading a video, though the ideal solution would likely be having a real life teacher to correct your technique.

This is the best answer.

i can give only an anecdote on how i learned to do it, take it with a big grain of salt: the three riffs that taught me are Iron Maiden's Phantom of the Opera one at 4:33 (where i first encountered the technique) the first one of Crystal Mountain (for me this was the eureka moment that made me figure out how to do the right hand movement at faster tempo, even if its just a single short burst in this case) and finally the Raining Blood one at 0:44 (took me a bloody lot of time to take up to speed, but it's easy to count)

mind that i was playing for 2 years when i first attempted the Crystal Mountain and Raining Blood ones

the best advice has already been given (post a video, find a teacher) but here are my general tips:

1) Firm grip on pick

2) loose and relaxed wrist + forearm

3) Hold the pick so that the edge of the pick hits the string at a slight angle (NOT parallel to the string)

4) Focus on picking THROUGH the string. The wrist + forearm need to be relaxed so your arm becomes a whip

5) To practice this, hit the string so that it slices through the target string and crashes against the string below. (This is called a "rest stroke" in classical guitar)

6) As you try to play faster, the brain isn't able to think about each note individually so it has to think in "chunks" of notes. Each gallop (Down-pause-down-up) needs to becomes ONE movement. Focus your mind on NAILING the first downstroke of your gallop and let the last two notes fall into place behind them and don't think about them too much

7) Let yourself be sloppy and shitty for a little while. As you train your brain to combine these three notes into one "chunk" you will gradually tighten your technique up

The only way to get better at playing fast is to practice playing fast. Full stop.

[quote="Element_man"]the best advice has already been given (post a video, find a teacher) but here are my general tips:

1) Firm grip on pick

2) loose and relaxed wrist + forearm

3) Hold the pick so that the edge of the pick hits the string at a slight angle (NOT parallel to the string)

4) Focus on picking THROUGH the string. The wrist + forearm need to be relaxed so your arm becomes a whip

5) To practice this, hit the string so that it slices through the target string and crashes against the string below. (This is called a "rest stroke" in classical guitar)

6) As you try to play faster, the brain isn't able to think about each note individually so it has to think in "chunks" of notes. Each gallop [i](Down-pause-down-up)[/i] needs to becomes ONE movement. Focus your mind on NAILING the first downstroke of your gallop and let the last two notes fall into place behind them and don't think about them too much

7) Let yourself be sloppy and shitty for a little while. As you train your brain to combine these three notes into one "chunk" you will gradually tighten your technique up

The only way to get better at playing fast is to practice playing fast. Full stop.[/quote]

Thanks! I think that thinking in "chunks" might help.

[quote="coupdebleus"]There's a lot of things that could be going wrong, it's impossible to assess it without watching you play. You could try uploading a video, though the ideal solution would likely be having a real life teacher to correct your technique.[/quote]
Thanks! I'll upload at some time. I can only do it real slow right now though.
about getting a teacher. I dont actually know where to find someone who can play metal stuff.

Well, if you'd like us to chime in, record yourself playing it slow and well, and then speed up until it gets messy, that way me might be able to tell you what is that you're doing wrong.

You don't need a teacher that specifically plays metal. Any decent one who focuses on electric guitar should be able to help you improve.