[wolfsbane67]

The practice routine can get tough. I was in an all original band quite a ways back and its true, you dont have to really practice technique as much as you would if your in a cover band in order to play all the different styles you run into doing that and be able to play correctly every song your covering. What it really comes down to is having some kind of routine especially with a metronome because that way you can really guage your progress and speed if thats what your looking for. For 99% of players its the pick hand that needs all the work. A while back I got a book from Troy Stetina called "speed mechanics for lead guitar" and it has a good set up of patterns and exersizes to help "break" your pick hand as well as keeping the left hand trained with all kinds of patterns and scales. Most players will tell you that using a metronome will help quite a bit. All you need is 30 to 60 minutes a day of nonstop practice! But thats nonstop.