I got all of these exercises from John Petrucci's Rock Discipline DVD. The point is not to develop speed on these exercises but merely to familiarize your fingers with the fretboard. NOTE: use alternate picking for all of the exercises.
Left Hand
Ex. 1
e|--13---13---10----10-----------------------------------------------------|
B|--12---11---11----12----13---13----10----10------------------------------|
G|--11---12---12----11----12---11----11----12----13--13---10---10----------|
D|--10---10---13----13----11---12----12----11----12--11---11---12----------|
A|------------------------10---10----13----13----11--12---12---11----------|
E|-----------------------------------------------10--10---13---13----------|
Ex. 2
e|---14---14----9-----9----------------------------------------------------|
B|---12---11----11---12-----etc--------------------------------------------|
G|---11---12----12---11----------------------------------------------------|
D|----9----9----14---14----------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Ex. 3
e|---------10-------------10--------------7---------------7----------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------9------------8---------------8---------------9--------------------|
D|----8-------------9--------------9---------------8-----------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|--7------------7-------------10--------------10--------------------------|
Right Hand
(d = downstroke
u = upstroke)
Ex. 4
d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u
e|-----------------------------5----9--------------------------------------|
B|--------------------5-----------------------5----------------------------|
G|------------6------------6-------------6--------------6------------------|
D|-----7----------7--------------------------------7--------------7--------|
A|--------7-------------------------------------------------7--------------|
E|--5-------------------------------------------------------------------5--|
Ex. 5
d u d u d u d u d u...
e|---------------------------------5-5---9-9-------------------------------|
B|-----------------------5-5----------------------5-5----------------------|
G|--------------6-6-----------6-6-------------6-6----------6-6-------------|
D|------7-7----------7-7-------------------------------7-7----------7-7----|
A|----------7-7-------------------------------------------------7-7--------|
E|-5-5------------------------------------------------------------------5-5|
Ex. 6
d u d u d u d u d u d...
e|----------------------------------------------5-5-5---9-9-9--------------|
B|--------------------------------5-5-5-----------------------------5-5-5--|
G|-------------------6-6-6---------------6-6-6----------------6-6-6--------|
D|-------7-7-7--------------7-7-7------------------------------------------|
A|-------------7-7-7-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-5-5-5-------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------6-6-6------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-7-7-7------------------7-7-7--------------------------------------------|
A|---------------7-7-7-----------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------5-5-5-------------------------------------|
Then do it with four picks on each note. With each of the exercises you can reverse the picking (i.e. start on an upstroke instead of downstroke). To make the exercise less tedious you can move the root around and form a progression. Petrucci has his root going from:
A -> C -> E -> C# --> G --> B --> F#
or
5 -> 8 -> 12 -> 9 -> 3 -> 7 -> 2Combination Exercises
Ex. 7
ascending
d u d u d u d u d u d...
e|---------4---1-------------------5---2-----------------6--3--------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------3--------2-------------4----------3-----------5-------4------------|
D|----2------------3---------3--------------4-------4-----------5----------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-1------------------4---2--------------------5--3----------------6-------|
continue until 12th fret
descending
d u d u d u d...
e|-15---------------------12---14-----------------11--13-----------------10|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----14--------------13----------13-----------12--------12-----------11---|
D|-------13---------14--------------12-------13-------------11------12-----|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------12--15--------------------11--14------------------10-13-------|
Ex. 8
e|--------4-------1----------------|-------5------2------------------------|
B|---------------------------------|----------------------------3----------|
G|----3-------------------------2--|----4----------------------------------|
D|------------2--------3-----------|----------3--------4-------------------|
A|---------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
E|-1-----------------------4-------|-2---------------------5---------------|
continue pattern until 12th fret
Remember to warm up before you practice!
Email: scudster310@hotmail.com
some helpful stuff in here