Thanks to all of you for the advice. I'll try it out and hopefully slowly see results. I guess hoping to become faster in just a week might have been a bit overestimated... That said, I'm still gonna spend as much time as possible with a guitar and try to become just a bit more precise in my picking.

Originally Posted by: CSchlegel1. Straight up & down the scale.
2. Up & down in 3's.
3. Up & down in 4's.
4. Up & down in pedal point.

I assume this "pedal point" is something that is also explained in the tutorials you linked to, is that right? I'll make sure to take my time with the tutorials, and if need be, I'll ask away. As my teacher says: If there's anything you don't understand, ask and you will get it explained. In my experience, that rule definitely applies here!