Alternate Picking Part II

2011-04-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

Introduction

In the first article, I showed you some easy alternate picking exercises that should help you to learn picking with small movements. All of these exercises are played only on one string. I also mentioned some rules that you should consider while you’re practicing alternate picking. Before we start with new
exercises, I’ll repeat the most important things that we learned in the previous article:

-movements of your pick must be small and precise
-you should pick strings with the edge of the pick, which gives more aggressive and articulate
sound
-picking with the flat of the pick gives warm and smooth sound and it’s more suitable for slow
playing
-wrist movements give best results, combination of wrist and elbow movements also work well

Ten new exercises that I prepared for you now should help you to master crossing the strings. It’s very important to apply the same small movements that you developed by practicing Exercises 1-6 while you’re moving from string to string. Good fretting hand technique is also very important. I’m sure that I’ve already said that you shouldn’t move your fretting hand fingers away from the fretboard. Point finger of your fretting hand is the most important – it’s almost always on the fretboard pressing the strings.

Exercise 7

This exercise is played on two strings. You will be using three notes per string patterns which are the best for fast alternate picking licks. It demonstrates leading with a downstroke to new string, which is easier than leading with an upstroke. Play it on other two pairs of strings (third and fourth, fifth and sixth), too.

Exercise 8

Sounds awful, but it’s very useful, because it helps you to learn leading with an upstroke. It probably reminds you of some Petrucci/Gilbert exercise.

Exercise 9

We’ve got here leading with an upstroke again, but this time it sounds like music. Pay attention at slides!

Exercise 10

This is A minor pentatonic lick. Look at fretting hand fingering in the first bar! For me, it was really hard to find fingering that works well in the first part of this exercise. If mine doesn’t work for you, change it and find better one.

Exercise 11

In this exercises, we have string skipping for the first time. I know that it looks complicated, but if you practice it with metronome, you’ll surely master this lick and you will never have problems with string skipping.

Exercise 12

This is the most interesting exercise, in my opinion, and because of that, I made backing track for it. You could benefit a lot from it – you’ll learn two note per string arpeggio patterns and improve your alternate picking technique.

Exercise 13

Exercise like this is much easier to play with sweep picking, but played by using alternation of upstrokes and downstrokes, it’s great exercise for alternate picking.

Exercise 14

Before you start practicing Exercise 14, be sure to memorize all of seven three notes per string major scale positions. After memorizing this exercise and those three note per string positions I mentioned, try to play this exercise in other positions.

Exercise 15

It’s similar to Exercise 14, and the things that I’ve said about previous exercise are also applied here.

Exercise 16

The sequence I used here is almost the same as the sequence I used in Exercise 15. The thing that makes it different from Exercise 15, and probably the most complicated alternate picking exercise in this article, is string skipping.

Download Exercise 12 Backing Track

Download Guitar Pro files and PDF tabs

Alternate Picking Part I

2011-04-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Introduction

There are three different approaches to picking: alternate picking, sweep picking and economy picking. It’s good for all guitar players to learn alternate picking first, because it’s the hardest guitar technique to master, although it looks simple – it’s based on consistent alternation between downstrokes and upstrokes. I’m sure that all professional guitar players think that alternate picking is the most important guitar technique. Some people prefer economy picking which requires memorizing of certain picking patterns. In alternate picking you do not have to memorize patterns, the only thing you should know is up and down. So, once you’ve learned this technique you will not have to think about complicated things like picking patterns and you’ll be able to concentrate on things like note choices, while you’re improvising. The alternate picking also helps us to develop our rhythmic abilities and unlike other guitar techniques, it sounds clear and more articulate.

Now, let’s discuss some rules which are very important for mastering the alternate picking. If you want to play fast, movements of your pick must be small and precise, just up and down, without any extra movements, and you should pick strings with the edge of the pick, which gives more aggressive and articulate sound. Small and precise movements are developed by doing alternate picking exercises only on one string. Picking with the flat of the pick gives warm and smooth sound and it’s more suitable for slow playing. Use wrist movements for the best results and, sometimes, combination of wrist and elbow movements works well.

In the first article dedicated to alternate picking, I’ll show you some exercises for beginners, that will help you to learn how to pick with small movements. Before you start, find the best picking hand position. I know that all guitar players prefer different positions and it’s hard to say which one is the best. If you have a problem to find which one is the best for you, you should check some videos of guitar players that you like and try to copy their picking hand position and picking motions.

Now, let’s move on to the exercises.

Exercise 1

The first exercise is very simple. It sounds like old school heavy metal lick from 80's. I suggest you to practice this exercise with metronome and you should start at 80 bpm. If you haven’t played such exercises before, start at 60 bpm, or even less. You should try to achieve 150 bpm. After that, you’ll be able to play more complicated and faster runs on the guitar.

Exercise 2

Exercise number two is almost the same as the first exercise. There is only one difference – it’s played by using sixteenth note triplets.

Exercise 3

This is exercise is a bit tricky. It is combination of previous two exercises. It’s played by using sixteenth tones and sixteenth tone triplets.

Exercise 4

The fourth exercise is inspired by “Flight Of The Bumblebee”, written by Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. It’s good for your fretting hand technique, too. Be careful, you mustn’t move your fretting hand fingers away from the fretboard if you want to play this exercise fast.

Exercise 5

This is something inspired by neoclassical players, like Yngwie Malmsteen. It’s also good for your fretting hand.

Exercise 6

The last and the most complicated exercise.

Download Guitar Pro files and PDF tabs

RadoslavZ Guitar Lessons

Alternate Picking Part II

Introduction

Alternate Picking Part I

Introduction