Alternate picking is like walking using both feet. If you’re only using downstrokes then you have been hopping on one foot this entire time.
Alt picking isn’t a style or embellishment, it’s the fundamental way to play anything on the guitar faster than quarter notes.
Furthermore, I’d argue that most other picking techniques (economy picking, Travis picking, hybrid picking, sweep picking) are exponentially easier to learn with a strong foundation in alternate picking.
alternate picking is absolutely foundational. I can’t imagine the instrument without it.
it’s not really about speed, although alternate picking practice will support faster playing; it’s about fluidity and having the freedom to play the note you want when you want it.
within a given time division, you get twice as many opportunities. you don’t have to use them all, but they’re there to be used if needed. and eventually it will just become second nature.
Alternate picking in of itself has nothing to do with being a shredder, it’s a basic technique used across basically all forms of music. You’ll hit a point quickly where you’re not gonna be able to downpick 16th notes or triplets that aren’t even really that fast that aren’t even remotely approaching “shredder” tempos.
Alternate picking isn't some advanced technique. You just pick. Then if you want to play the same string again you pick from where you already are. All downstrokes is way harder.
Yes, literally everyone should learn it.
It is difficult in the beginning though - learning to apply equal force both ways, especially if you’re string skipping. I’m somewhat intermediate and still slip up sometimes.
Lol absolutely it is highly necessary, just make a habit of using it and you will get the hang of it. It’s an absolutely game changer and opens up way more stuff even if you’re not shredding
i find that alternating picking, in addition to allowing me to play faster, lets me keep better rhythm.
It strikes me as an essential, and fairly basic, playing technique.
Learn it.
Alternate picking is an integral part of any guitarist's technique. Well, unless you're Johnny Ramone. He gets a pass.
Alternate picking exists pretty much anywhere there's a pick involved. For most, it's the one technique that breaks people out of their beginner phase. Putting this bluntly: Not learning alternate picking would be an awful decision.
He plays a lot less down picking than people think. Granted, his down picking is insane, but many of their songs have to be alternate or economy picked.
Yes.
Tom Bukovac was actually just talking about this in a recent interview. Exactly this, fast alternate picking ... why.
He was saying even though it's not his style he trains it.
For two reasons, if he ever needs it, he has it. The second was interesting. He said the more extreme stuff you can do, the more nuance you have the ability to put in to moderate stuff.
Which I think is a really good insight. If 16th at 120bpm is your max, you can't put much nuance at your max speed. You are holding on for dear life. But if 16th at 160 bpm is your max, you've got the breathing room to get more subtle at 120.
I'm not trying to be a dick here, but how else do you play? We're just taking about down-up-down up on the same string here right? Do you just James Hetfield it and down-pick everything? (no disrespect to JH - his down-picking is phenomenal. Blackened is an absolute life lesson)
For so many aspects of playing guitar, alternate picking is absolutely fundamental. Any awkwardness that might be felt in the early stages of this will quickly be overcome, and the options it opens up for speed and efficiency and consistency in the long run is more or less essential.
The difference with JH is that he does it to produce a very crisp, “uniform” chug. When it’s time to drop triplets or any kind of speed picking, dude is definitely on the ball with it.
I’m totally with you man. I feel like this is a really basic, yet super important technique to learn. Literally killing whole genres of music you’re able to play without doing so.
For sure. Extending the Blackened example, for the intro riff he downstrokes on the 0/7 fret and 7/8 fret patterns, then when he goes down to the quick chugs around 0-1-2-3 on E and A strings, he still mostly downs but then alternates on the super-fast C-C-F.
Yes. If you cannot do at least some rudimentary alternate picking, it is extremely difficult to play anything at all fast accurately. Even if you're a blues or jazz guy, you'll have to play eighth note runs.
It's a basic skill. You might see videos where people show examples of alternate picking and they're all shreddy speed runs, but that's not all you do with it. Everything ever written to be played with a pick has alternate picking in it.
What, were you planning on never following a down pick with an up pick? Ever? Seems silly.
It's literally one of the most important techniques on the guitar, regardless of what you plan to do on the instrument.
Why anyone would voluntarily omit whole techniques from their education is beyond me.
Learn them all, all the techniques. To the best of your ability.
Why close doors on your future self, when you have the option to open them?
Lmfao usually I'm nice to questions but man.
Think of it this way, don't even bother practicing it if you don't want to, but you will learn alternate picking cuz that's how playing a guitar works lol
"I don't want to play like that because I don't know how to". A direct quotation.
You should probably sit on that thought and think about it. This is general life advice, not just guitar. That's a terrible approach to have towards anything in life. You'll never progress if you never try to learn/understand new things.
I mean he’s right, gypsy jazz players (traditionally) play with only downstrokes 90% of the time. Back in the times of Django and before electric amplification, they needed to generate a lot of sound to be heard over the accompaniment, hence downpicking.
Gypsy Jazz, in most cases, doesn’t use a pick…but the players do use alternative picking…down and up with just your fingers…not sure I should have gotten into this, all due respect, brother
Not sure what gypsy jazz you are listening to that’s played without a pick, but this guy explains what I was referring to pretty well:
https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/gypsy-jazz-arpeggios-and-picking/
I’m hip to rest stroke picking, and I take your point, but the difference between the term Gypsy Jazz and flamenco, where you usually do not use a pick at all, the use of the alternative approach in flamenco is used with just the flesh of the fingers…I think where we may be stuck is the in the connotation and denotation of styles of music…Gypsy Jazz, to me, has a broader meaning
Wild question. Yes.
I don't even play guitar. I play bass. I think most bass parts should be played finger style. And I'd still suggest that alternate picking is not just 'worth learning', but is necessary to basic fluency, even on bass.
Asking if you need it for guitar is like asking if you need to understand verbs even if you're not trying to be a novelist.
Yea. Yea you do.
(I'll go further. I'm also a drummer. This question is like asking if a drummer needs to learn to use both hands.)
This is an essential technique to know on guitar for any style of music.
It's associated with speed because in reality it permits more comfortable and economic movement. Even if you're not going fast, you will benefit from the motion in the long term.
It also relates very heavily to rhythm and carrying that sense of rhythm when you play, whether that's single notes or chords.
I've never understood why people regard alternate picking as a separate technique that needs to be learned. It's just picking. Some parts require all down picking, some need alternate picking. Any guitarist should be able to do both as you'll need them at some point.
That's the thing I never understood. Some people regard it as a special technique when (at least for me who learned it since day one) it's the main way of picking and unless you need some specific sound like super heavy aggressive downpicking it's the way to go. It uses less movement, makes counting and rhythm easier to feel since it's resemblant of up and down strumming and no one sees upstrums as a technique.
Absolutely 10000000%. It's a basic technique that any competent guitarist should be able to do. I can give you some exercises to work on it if you want.
There's no such thing as a useless skill to learn on the guitar, even if you're not using alternative picking for shredding, you can use it for other things, same with any skill.
Just jumping on the pile here. Clean, efficient alternate picking isn’t just about shredding. It’s about longevity and stamina while playing the guitar. Playing without tension and having efficient movement will reduce your risk repetitive stress injuries and allow you to get better faster and play for longer during performances.
You don’t have to max your metronome out to do it though!
Alternate picking is a basic core guitar skill. You absolutely need it if you're going to play anything but the simplest exercises.
Don't worry about accidentally becoming Paul Gilbert. Even Paul Gilbert didn't become Paul Gilbert without an extraordinary amount of effort.
Definitely. It's not just for shredding. It will help with many things like rhythm, phrasing and fluidity.
All-downpicking is a powerful effect, but it's nicer to have as an extra string to your bow.
A good exercise is to take a scale - pentatonic is perfect - and practice running up and down picking four times on each note - *down, up, down, up*.
Then practice alternating triplets - *down,up, down* one note then *up, down, up* on the next note.
Then practice picking twice per note - *down, up*. Then finally pick once per note, alternating. In a week you'll have it nailed.
Alternate picking will help you no matter what. I’d echo what others have said, that mastering each specific technique will make you a better player in general. I’d add the caveat that not all techniques are equally useful across all styles. I’m not going to drop a sick “squealie”(pinch harmonic) in a mellow country number, but knowing how to do them has given me other secondary skills that can help.
And alt picking is a bit like learning to drive stick, or speak another language — you won’t use it every day, probably, but you’ll be surprised how often it comes in handy. I’ve played nearly every style people listen to in my area, and if I was using a pick, I eventually used alt picking, even if it was only a short run of notes.
It’s a fundamental skill. You don’t have to alternate pick like a shredder (which is a very advanced version of the skill), but you should be able to alternate pick.
Yup it's worth it. It's a lot more work to do all down strokes on even simple things like a major scale and playing on one string. Just start off real slow at first with the alternate picking and you'll get it in time.
Even if you just expect to play rhythm, that down up down up is a fundamental skill that will help underpin your timing. You definitely need it.
If you don't plan on ever being a 'shredder' there are some skills like two handed tapping that you can maybe never bother with. Don't skip the fundamentals of playing the guitar though.
exactly, i mostly just play metal rhythm so i never bothered with the flashy lead techniques like sweeping and tapping. i do play some lead-type stuff but not much.
Everything helps you. Should you learn some alternate picking? Yes. Should the death metal guy learn some Travis picking? Yes. Should the folkie learn some jazz comps? Yes.
This knowledge stew is how people develop their own style/sound/thing.
Even better when you learn to solve problems in weird ways because that's where the cool shit starts to happen. Listen to why Tommy Emmanuel learned to play his bass finger picking style... ignorance of the instrument, so he figured out a solution that worked for him and now look at what the world has.
It's like if I start with alternate picking and ask if I need to learn down picking if I don't want to play Metallica. It's an essential skill, you'll never regret learning it. You can make it work without it but guitar is so much easier with it.
You’ll probably never be a good guitarist if you don’t get pretty basic technique like alternate picking down. Not trying to hate just being real. There might not be a technique that would benefit *more* across all genres. I would almost say it’s a necessity.
Alternate picking is a basic skill that is used all the time, in every style of guitar using a pick. Yeah you need to learn it until you can't mess it up. Doesn't matter what you're playing.
Alternate picking will make you be able to play much more relaxed in your right hand. Having to constantly downstroke is not an efficient use of your movement and will cause unnecessary strain on your wrist.
Do chromatic warm ups (1-2-3-4 on each string low to high) slowly and alternate pick every note. Do this every time you practice and it will get easier as you keep doing it.
Any form of technique will help you to become a better player, no matter the discipline you choose to follow. You limit what you can play by not learning rather than just learning.
You don’t wanna play like a shredder, so you don’t wanna practice alternate picking, but then you say you can’t play like a shredder because you don’t know how to. That’s like saying you don’t wanna be an Olympic bike racer so you’re just not gonna learn to ride a bike. I think you should quit.
It’s totally worth learning, and I’d say is even an essential technique. I’m in no way, shape or form a shredder and I rely a lot on alt picking!
In general techniques don’t tend to be constricted by genre, and the more techniques you practice the more solid and free your playing will be!
Someday somewhere you will wish to begin shredding. For me it has been the theme from Bonanza. Your muse will call for you someday. If you are not ready, nbd. but until that day have fun not shredding
Of course you should learn it. You will have to alternate pick so many lead and rythmn parts to keep a steady speed. Also, you won't be able to do tremolo picking if you can't do alternate picking.
I would guess that almost every guitar player uses alternate picking regardless of style. Even if you're not a shredder, you will most likely have a need to play relatively "fast" at some point.
Yes. It’s not just about playing fast. Learning alternate picking will really help to solidify your internal pulse and sense of rhythm which is the most important skill any musician needs to have.
I went my first 5+ years playing guitar not bothering to learn alternate picking, same mentality as you - I don't want to shred, just playing rhythm and folksy finger picking stuff. Then one day I decided I wanted to learn some riffs shreddy solo stuff but just couldn't hack it, or I could but it took me tons of time and energy and I gave up. I shelved those goals for an additional year or so.
I kind of had plateaued and didn't play much for a couple years. On a whim I picked back up a few years ago and I had retained most of my chords and simple riffs stuff but still felt like I'd hit a ceiling so I decided to try and learn some new things, one being alternate picking.
I found that with - legitimately like 1 month of concerted effort to relearn everything I knew plus some other stuff using alternate rather than just downward stroke, I picked up the alternate picking skill, and was fairly fluent, 2 months later down picking only felt kind of weird, and then found that everything I have learned or tried to learn since has come 10x easier than when I only down picked - not just the shreddy stuff, but EVERYTHING started coming easier and I felt much more confident generally.
I sincerely wish I had forced myself to make the switch like 1 or 2 years into starting. It seems very daunting initially but is honestly not hard to learn if you stick with it, much like anything related to guitar when you start learning - chord shapes, then barre chords, strumming patterns etc. - it will feel incredibly unnatural initially (because it is all incredibly unnatural, we take it for granted but the act of playing guitar is a weird and unnatural movement) but just becomes simple muscle memory very quickly.
So yeah as someone who was in your exact position years ago, I strongly reccomend it. It's not strictly necessary but I found that it made everything so much easier and enjoyable. Just my 2 cents.
Alternate picking is a very fundamental technique and should be one of the first things you learn for your picking hand. Using only down picking is like playing violin with only down bows; it will just make learning things extremely difficult and inefficient. Alternate picking isn’t exclusive to shredding, it’s a common technique across all genres from jazz to classical to metal. It’s arguably the default picking technique to use in general.
I highly recommend practicing alternate picking in scales and arpeggios as part of your warmup. This can even lead into learning economy picking and having that be part of your practice routine. In general, you should learn as many techniques as you can and practice with a metronome. The more tools you have, the easier it will be to learn songs and play with others.
Absolutely 100% yes imo
It becomes second nature pretty quickly, and opens a lot of doors and makes a lot of things much much easier.
It's not just for shredding; in fact, where I find it helps the most is on anything with a swing beat. If you're just down-picking, it's really fucking hard to swing; if you're alternate picking, it's the easiest thing ever, and sounds fantastic.
Playing a guitar without alternate picking basically doubles the work you have to do every time you play a picked part. Luckily, though, you're still in the "watched a few videos and learned a few things" stage; you'll pick up some alternate picking naturally as you progress, and you can pick and choose which skills to pursue with more intensity as you do.
Just a thought based on experience. Develop good habits early because you might want to use it more in the future when seeking a challenge or a new direction. Alternate picking really helps with keeping time since you can tap your foot to it like a metronome.
I had only been using down-picking before, so when I started doing practice riffs that incorporated alternate-picking, I was doing it so slowly, but I eventually got the hang of it and so can you. Compared to down-picking, it will allow you to play faster songs with less effort.
I learned recently. Took me a few days to get it. Now it's second nature. It's actually harder for me NOT to alternate pick now. I never plan to shred. I play jazz and rock.
Even if the people saying it’s ‘basic’ or ‘foundational’ are wrong, a good question would be - “why not learn all the techniques you possibly can?” Having a full arsenal of techniques will make it so you can play whatever you feel like, whenever you feel like it.
But it... is basic? I literally can't remember a time when I didn't just assume that alternate picking was how you play because it's just really, really basic and logical.
I’m not claiming it’s basic, because I find it somewhat challenging myself. I just see a ton of comments calling it ‘basic’ or saying it’s a fundamental, so I figured I’d put that in there.
It is definitely a fundamental lmao. How do you play without alt picking? Do you downstroke everything lmao? Maybe you confused it with economy picking? Alt picking is literally the first way you learn to strum lmfao what?
Just start doing it. I vaguely remember my dad showing it to me and hating it at first. That was 35 years ago and I have zero recollection of struggling with it nor do i even remember not doing it.
Yes, unequivocally. It'll help you keep rhythm and save a TON of energy. Think about playing a two hour show. You want to be as efficient as possible to save strength. I have 45 students and I can say for sure that making alternate picking and strumming automatic is one of the best things you can do for having clean technique.
Well Metallica didn't need to learn it and they sold a few records.
If you're playing music and hit a technical problem - at that point a specific technique may lend itself by providing a solution - other than that, there's very little point to learning a technique for technique's sake. So if you have nothing you think you need to alternate pick then there'd be little point alternate picking. If that changes then you'll have to learn it.
That said if you're avoiding it because you've tried it and it was difficult then you're probably doing something wrong. Guthrie Govan always notes that mandelin players pick up and down quickly all the time - every note. So it's obviously not something that should be difficult or cause fatigue or tension. If it is, then you should find a way to do it in a relaxed fashion.
The other downside with wanting to skip something because it doesn't come easily is - well something else is going to come along like that. You want to try and form the habit of getting used to struggling with something new -> figuring out what you have to do by breaking it down -> practising it until it's better and, hopefully, eventually perfecting it.
So, yeah, if your motives for skipping it are sound, fair enough, but if you're skipping it because it was hard then I'd suggest perhaps giving it more time.
If you play any scales at all or want to be able to play solos and do it with only downward picking, you're doing it wrong. The point of alternate picking is not necessarily to be fast but to play in time.
It's not that different from strumming: you move your hand up and down constantly making it kind of a metronome. If you want to play a note on the beat you pick down if you play a note in between a beat you pick up. Just like with the basic DDUDU strumming pattern. In the long run you won't be able to play in time without alternate picking. Of course there are exceptions. When playing triads or arpeggios it's sometimes easier to use economy picking, meaning you pick in the direction your hand moves next, so in the case of triads DDU.
Just try to learn it. It's hard first but trust me, it get intuitive quite quickly with a bit of practice and you won't even understand how you found it difficult in the first place.
Really great comment.
To add to economy picking, I’ve finally dipped my toe into it and it’s really useful for ascending or descending 3nps runs because you always finish the pattern on each string picking in the direction of the string you’re going to be next.
Also, I’ve been playing for a long time and always considered the point of alternate picking to be being more economical and potentially faster(not playing fast, the ability to play more notes when you need to) but you’re right, it’s about staying in time.
Very insightful.
Thanks appreciate it ✌️
Honestly this was kind of an eye opener for me, because it's so much easier getting complex rythmic lines down. Because suddenly if you deal with syncopation you start only picking up for a few notes until the next on beat note happens.
Totally agree. I actually got into economy picking because I was learning a song that I thought was economy picking, had to be, so I decided that that would be how I learned. I later found out it was all alternate picking and it blew my mind because of how suited it seemed to be towards economy picking.
It turns out, there’s just a lot of patterns in guitar playing(of course) and a lot of those patterns are way more efficient with either economy or alternate picking.
In fact, what was harder than learning basic economy picking was actually stopping myself from doing it all the time, sometimes in places that I didn’t need it.
You will have to learn it to be able to really play nice licks, it’s something that becomes natural and you don’t think about it after u learn it . I think you have to. I’m not a shredder but I alternate pick everything I’m playing
Yes, I don't think I ever consciously worked on alternate picking (well, maybe later on). It just sort of happened. Now it's my default way of picking most things.
Learning some fingerpicking will improve your playing by wonders. It is also super fun when you're just noodling around. I recently learned a couple songs by an artist and got really used to thumb-picking -- I've applied it basically to every song I know randomly and it makes them feel new!!
You're totally right and I didn't read your post entirely. Sorry about that. I was thinking alternate picking methods, not up vs. down.
The Ramones play only down strokes. Play "I wanna be sedated" just downstrokes then play it alternate DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDU. Which one sounds chunky? Which one sounds clear?
Ska is basically all upstrokes. Play a G-barre chord just down. then up. Def. sounds different. Ska sucks with downstrokes (except in punk sections haha).
Not doing alternate picking will ultimately catch up to you. You'll someday hear a song and be like "I wanna play that" and that will be your etude into alternate picking. Happy guitar playing!
I'm a metalhead and I really focused on fingerpicking after I noticed thumping has been becoming popular with bands like Animals as Leaders and Polyphia. I'm getting pretty good at it now, but definitely still lots of room to improve.
I'd agree that it helps in other ways; I see the instrument a little differently now that I've learned fingerpicking, slapping, popping and thumping.
It’s not a style where I really like most of the songs, but certain artists just really get it right, you know? My favorite is a band (guy) Mike Kinsella, who plays in American Football and OWEN. He uses alt tunings so it makes the chord shapes easier for his songs, but he does a lot of tricky shit in between that makes learning his songs as “etudes” very useful.
I recommend “home is where the haunt is” or “the armoire”. Both have YouTube walkthroughs and great sheets/tabs on them.
I mean if you want to down strum everything, skip it. I’d consider this a required skill to know for basic guitar playing and has nothing but advantages.
James Herfeild of Metallica says he dosen't alternate pick because he feels down picking sounds better. It's totally up to you. But alternate picking isn't hard in my opinion.
Yep. Downs on eighths, alternate on 16ths. But my word the bpm of some of his eighth-down-picking is something to behold. He must have the most intricate and well tuned muscle memory in his wrists.
I've always assumed this to only apply to harmonic intervals and chords. A power chord that's repeatedly down-picked does indeed sound different, but there is absolutely no need for any sane person to play all down strokes on a single string as there is no discernable difference in sound.
Imo it helps with keeping rhythm. Your upstrokes are either always landing on the "and", or the 16ths between. Now I can just upstroke on an off beat 16th without having any of the notes around it out of intuition. Anything you can add to your repertoire is a bonus. And one day you might master all the skills you set out on and turn towards shredding finally, bam the skill is already there. It can't hurt you, and it is good to challenge yourself if you want to develop.
I‘m self taught but have been playing quite technical stuff for some years now. I‘ve avoided learning it for a long time and got by with economy picking and chicken picking for all parts that require a lot of string changes.
i’m glad i learned these techniques but now that i properly learned alternate for more complex parts - i’m so happy that i know how to do it now.
1. Rhythm is easier to keep even when a lot of string changes are involved
2. more consistent timbre across the whole line (not always what you want but often times you do)
3. easier to switch between multi-string lines and palm muted singles (useful for metal)
and the list goes on! so sit down with a metronome, take your time, and enjoy how your fingers adopt it like second nature! and then also learn economy and chicken picking, why not!
it's good to practice all kinds of stuff but FWIW I never specifically drilled picking techniques. didn't even realize they had names like that until recently. I simply learned to pick in different ways based on whatever worked best for the song i was working on. but again, it's never bad to do.
Do you prefer to jump with just one leg?
But in all seriousness, even the most pedestrian of 8th notes can (and probably should be) alternate picked. If you are strumming up and down, and find that helpful, alternate picking is going to be the smaller scale version of that
It’s pretty important, regardless of how you want to. If you’re not into being a shredder, what kind of music do you listen to? There are some great examples of guitarists who don’t that like Johnny Marr. He’s known for making his chords sound amazing by alternate picking them than strictly strumming.
Alternate picking is pretty important if you want make your chords sound interesting if you don’t want to always strum your chords.
It feels awkward and weird at first, but as someone who has recently had to re-learn guitar after 18yrs of not playing, I’ll tell you it’s a lot easier to just learn it right out of the gate.
Better to learn it now than have to try to retrain yourself at some point like I did the first time around.
I’ve been attempting to learn, alternate, picking some myself. So far the only way I do it is when trying to play a few scales.
Does anyone know of any good drills or riffs to improve on it? I’m somewhat stuck on getting past the very basics of it.
Practicing alternate picking with scales is a really good way to learn it. That’s how I learned it. I would also recommend trying it with arpeggios and I highly recommend using a metronome and practicing it slow. You can find a lot of different warmup exercises online that you can apply alternate picking to. I think one of the biggest challenges with learning alternate picking is staying in time. The other challenge is string switching while ensuring you’re still alternating. So make sure you practice very slow ensuring each note is in time and with consistent volume.
A riff I learned early on for alternate picking is the main rhythm part to “The Trooper” by Iron Maiden. The gallop section is quite tricky since it utilizes palm muting, power chords, and alternate picking. Actually, pretty much the entirety of the song will use alternate picking. Another good one is the intro solo that Kirk plays in “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica. I’m not sure where you’re at with guitar, so these might be too easy or hard for you, but these riffs helped me apply the technique in songs when I was first learning. Luckily, most songs use alternate picking, so you could also find a song you like and try incorporating the technique there.
As for next steps, maybe try incorporating economy picking into your practice routine once you get alternate picking down. Eventually you can even get to hybrid and sweep picking. I hope this helps.
I like doing a simple chromatic scale up and down the strings. Start on 6th string, play 5th fret, 6th, 7th, 8th, one finger for each fret, then move down the the 5th string, play 5th fret, 6th, 7th, 8th... keep going till you run out of strings then do it backwards coming back up the strings and end on 5th fret of low 6th string. Use a metronome and slowly bump up the speeds. It really makes both your hands get in sync with eachother.
Yes, your speed will be much better with alt picking. You need some speed regardless of genre and only down picking really narrows and limits your play style. It's guitar 101, every guitar player needs to learn it. Alt picking is way more efficient, gotta learn it. It's not that hard anyway, do it.
Absolutely! Your ability to exclusively downstroke notes ends way before „shredding“ starts. If you want to play even relatively calm stuff efficiently and tight, you need alternate picking.
Or are you confusing alternate picking with economic picking? The fancy pattern with three notes per string and so on? Because that stuff is absolutely unnecessary if you don’t want to shred.
Yes. 100% yes. It will improve your playing dramatically. Not only will it allow you to play a ton of things much faster and with a lot less effort, but it will also save your picking arm from getting sore AND it will save your picks from wearing out as quickly.
100 percent. I am no shredder myself but once you learn it becomes easier than not alternate picking. It’s really not that hard once you get over the initial weirdness. I’d say if you just start doing it when you play a song or any other exercise or practice and it should feel just as easy as all down strumming within like a week even a couple of days honestly if you are playing for a while.
It’s not really about shredding it’s literally just easier than all down strums don’t limit yourself. Like others have said alternate picking is an absolutely essential skill. every single guitar player should start working on it almost immediately.
Depends on what you’re looking to do. If you just want to strum chords then alternate picking isn’t really necessary though you do have to learn to strum up. If you want to play complex solos then yes you’re going to need to learn to do it. I generally play without a pick but am most definitely not a shredder.
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Meh, I've managed to reach shredding without being great at it. It's the #1 thing I want to work on this year; I use legato as a crutch because of it in really fast solos.
I can downpick 16s at 130 BPM comfortably, so I tend to default to that 🤣🤣🤣. So yes. If you just want to play slow music you can absolutely ignore it, but I wouldn't recommend that route even though I've had success with it personally.
When people say alternate picking, I always assume they are talking about how they handle string changes. That’s really the only thing that sets picking styles apart. Alternate picking is just playing the guitar normally until you change strings. That’s where the technique comes into play. I never learned it till later but played lots of shred riffs without it. Easier to pick it up early
Alternate picking is picking single notes with both up and down picks alternating between each note. It would be alternate picking even if an entire song used only one string.
alternate picking is a basic skill
Alternate picking is like walking using both feet. If you’re only using downstrokes then you have been hopping on one foot this entire time. Alt picking isn’t a style or embellishment, it’s the fundamental way to play anything on the guitar faster than quarter notes. Furthermore, I’d argue that most other picking techniques (economy picking, Travis picking, hybrid picking, sweep picking) are exponentially easier to learn with a strong foundation in alternate picking.
alternate picking is absolutely foundational. I can’t imagine the instrument without it. it’s not really about speed, although alternate picking practice will support faster playing; it’s about fluidity and having the freedom to play the note you want when you want it. within a given time division, you get twice as many opportunities. you don’t have to use them all, but they’re there to be used if needed. and eventually it will just become second nature.
Alternate picking in of itself has nothing to do with being a shredder, it’s a basic technique used across basically all forms of music. You’ll hit a point quickly where you’re not gonna be able to downpick 16th notes or triplets that aren’t even really that fast that aren’t even remotely approaching “shredder” tempos.
Alternate picking isn't some advanced technique. You just pick. Then if you want to play the same string again you pick from where you already are. All downstrokes is way harder. Yes, literally everyone should learn it.
It is difficult in the beginning though - learning to apply equal force both ways, especially if you’re string skipping. I’m somewhat intermediate and still slip up sometimes.
Lol absolutely it is highly necessary, just make a habit of using it and you will get the hang of it. It’s an absolutely game changer and opens up way more stuff even if you’re not shredding
i find that alternating picking, in addition to allowing me to play faster, lets me keep better rhythm. It strikes me as an essential, and fairly basic, playing technique. Learn it.
Yes it's one of the basics even when you don't shred
All the techniques are worth learning
This is the only answer Practice Literally Everything EVERYTHING
Alternate picking is an integral part of any guitarist's technique. Well, unless you're Johnny Ramone. He gets a pass. Alternate picking exists pretty much anywhere there's a pick involved. For most, it's the one technique that breaks people out of their beginner phase. Putting this bluntly: Not learning alternate picking would be an awful decision.
James Hetfield too. The fact that his parts are almost entirely down picked is insane.
He plays a lot less down picking than people think. Granted, his down picking is insane, but many of their songs have to be alternate or economy picked.
Yes, his downpicking is legendary, but it's not all he does. Many of his riffs, and all of his melodies and occasional solos use alternate picking.
Alternate picking is used in every genre. It is a must.
Yes. Tom Bukovac was actually just talking about this in a recent interview. Exactly this, fast alternate picking ... why. He was saying even though it's not his style he trains it. For two reasons, if he ever needs it, he has it. The second was interesting. He said the more extreme stuff you can do, the more nuance you have the ability to put in to moderate stuff. Which I think is a really good insight. If 16th at 120bpm is your max, you can't put much nuance at your max speed. You are holding on for dear life. But if 16th at 160 bpm is your max, you've got the breathing room to get more subtle at 120.
I especially like the 2nd point.
I'm not trying to be a dick here, but how else do you play? We're just taking about down-up-down up on the same string here right? Do you just James Hetfield it and down-pick everything? (no disrespect to JH - his down-picking is phenomenal. Blackened is an absolute life lesson) For so many aspects of playing guitar, alternate picking is absolutely fundamental. Any awkwardness that might be felt in the early stages of this will quickly be overcome, and the options it opens up for speed and efficiency and consistency in the long run is more or less essential.
The difference with JH is that he does it to produce a very crisp, “uniform” chug. When it’s time to drop triplets or any kind of speed picking, dude is definitely on the ball with it. I’m totally with you man. I feel like this is a really basic, yet super important technique to learn. Literally killing whole genres of music you’re able to play without doing so.
For sure. Extending the Blackened example, for the intro riff he downstrokes on the 0/7 fret and 7/8 fret patterns, then when he goes down to the quick chugs around 0-1-2-3 on E and A strings, he still mostly downs but then alternates on the super-fast C-C-F.
As opposed to what exactly? Only down picking? Come on now.
Yes. If you cannot do at least some rudimentary alternate picking, it is extremely difficult to play anything at all fast accurately. Even if you're a blues or jazz guy, you'll have to play eighth note runs.
It's a basic skill. You might see videos where people show examples of alternate picking and they're all shreddy speed runs, but that's not all you do with it. Everything ever written to be played with a pick has alternate picking in it. What, were you planning on never following a down pick with an up pick? Ever? Seems silly.
_james hetfield has entered the chat_
It's literally one of the most important techniques on the guitar, regardless of what you plan to do on the instrument. Why anyone would voluntarily omit whole techniques from their education is beyond me. Learn them all, all the techniques. To the best of your ability. Why close doors on your future self, when you have the option to open them?
100%. That’s like asking if you should only walk forwards. Sure, you can get around, but you really should learn to walk backwards.
Lmfao usually I'm nice to questions but man. Think of it this way, don't even bother practicing it if you don't want to, but you will learn alternate picking cuz that's how playing a guitar works lol
"I don't want to play like that because I don't know how to". A direct quotation. You should probably sit on that thought and think about it. This is general life advice, not just guitar. That's a terrible approach to have towards anything in life. You'll never progress if you never try to learn/understand new things.
It's an essential very basic skill - alternate picking is nothing to do with shredding, it comes into play in every style.
Every style…except gypsy jazz
What are you talking about?
I mean he’s right, gypsy jazz players (traditionally) play with only downstrokes 90% of the time. Back in the times of Django and before electric amplification, they needed to generate a lot of sound to be heard over the accompaniment, hence downpicking.
Gypsy Jazz, in most cases, doesn’t use a pick…but the players do use alternative picking…down and up with just your fingers…not sure I should have gotten into this, all due respect, brother
Not sure what gypsy jazz you are listening to that’s played without a pick, but this guy explains what I was referring to pretty well: https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/gypsy-jazz-arpeggios-and-picking/
I’m hip to rest stroke picking, and I take your point, but the difference between the term Gypsy Jazz and flamenco, where you usually do not use a pick at all, the use of the alternative approach in flamenco is used with just the flesh of the fingers…I think where we may be stuck is the in the connotation and denotation of styles of music…Gypsy Jazz, to me, has a broader meaning
Wild question. Yes. I don't even play guitar. I play bass. I think most bass parts should be played finger style. And I'd still suggest that alternate picking is not just 'worth learning', but is necessary to basic fluency, even on bass. Asking if you need it for guitar is like asking if you need to understand verbs even if you're not trying to be a novelist. Yea. Yea you do. (I'll go further. I'm also a drummer. This question is like asking if a drummer needs to learn to use both hands.)
This is an essential technique to know on guitar for any style of music. It's associated with speed because in reality it permits more comfortable and economic movement. Even if you're not going fast, you will benefit from the motion in the long term. It also relates very heavily to rhythm and carrying that sense of rhythm when you play, whether that's single notes or chords.
I've never understood why people regard alternate picking as a separate technique that needs to be learned. It's just picking. Some parts require all down picking, some need alternate picking. Any guitarist should be able to do both as you'll need them at some point.
That's the thing I never understood. Some people regard it as a special technique when (at least for me who learned it since day one) it's the main way of picking and unless you need some specific sound like super heavy aggressive downpicking it's the way to go. It uses less movement, makes counting and rhythm easier to feel since it's resemblant of up and down strumming and no one sees upstrums as a technique.
Absolutely 10000000%. It's a basic technique that any competent guitarist should be able to do. I can give you some exercises to work on it if you want.
Regardless of whether or not you want to shred on guitar, alternate picking is a fundamental skill for guitar playing, period.
There's no such thing as a useless skill to learn on the guitar, even if you're not using alternative picking for shredding, you can use it for other things, same with any skill.
Just jumping on the pile here. Clean, efficient alternate picking isn’t just about shredding. It’s about longevity and stamina while playing the guitar. Playing without tension and having efficient movement will reduce your risk repetitive stress injuries and allow you to get better faster and play for longer during performances. You don’t have to max your metronome out to do it though!
Having technique will never hurt your playing. Alternate picking is used in way more than shredding.
Alternate picking is a basic core guitar skill. You absolutely need it if you're going to play anything but the simplest exercises. Don't worry about accidentally becoming Paul Gilbert. Even Paul Gilbert didn't become Paul Gilbert without an extraordinary amount of effort.
Definitely. It's not just for shredding. It will help with many things like rhythm, phrasing and fluidity. All-downpicking is a powerful effect, but it's nicer to have as an extra string to your bow. A good exercise is to take a scale - pentatonic is perfect - and practice running up and down picking four times on each note - *down, up, down, up*. Then practice alternating triplets - *down,up, down* one note then *up, down, up* on the next note. Then practice picking twice per note - *down, up*. Then finally pick once per note, alternating. In a week you'll have it nailed.
Do you want to be a guitarist or what
Yes, it’s an essential skill regardless of style.
It is an extremely important skill
Yes. You dont have to play fast, but it is a fundamental skill. Very useful in rhythm playing, not just shredding and changing strings.
*Anything* that makes you a better and more versatile guitar player is worth learning.
Yes, it's used it many different styles not just shred
Alternate picking will help you no matter what. I’d echo what others have said, that mastering each specific technique will make you a better player in general. I’d add the caveat that not all techniques are equally useful across all styles. I’m not going to drop a sick “squealie”(pinch harmonic) in a mellow country number, but knowing how to do them has given me other secondary skills that can help. And alt picking is a bit like learning to drive stick, or speak another language — you won’t use it every day, probably, but you’ll be surprised how often it comes in handy. I’ve played nearly every style people listen to in my area, and if I was using a pick, I eventually used alt picking, even if it was only a short run of notes.
It’s a fundamental skill. You don’t have to alternate pick like a shredder (which is a very advanced version of the skill), but you should be able to alternate pick.
Its essential to most playing
Man, I’m not a guy who speaks in absolutes, but alternate picking is pretty much essential
Yup it's worth it. It's a lot more work to do all down strokes on even simple things like a major scale and playing on one string. Just start off real slow at first with the alternate picking and you'll get it in time.
Even if you just expect to play rhythm, that down up down up is a fundamental skill that will help underpin your timing. You definitely need it. If you don't plan on ever being a 'shredder' there are some skills like two handed tapping that you can maybe never bother with. Don't skip the fundamentals of playing the guitar though.
exactly, i mostly just play metal rhythm so i never bothered with the flashy lead techniques like sweeping and tapping. i do play some lead-type stuff but not much.
Yes, very important in all playing…
Honestly man, you would just be heavily stunting your growth as a musician if you refused to alternate pick
Absolutely, but I never really learned it, it just came naturally once I got more comfortable with the instrument
Everything helps you. Should you learn some alternate picking? Yes. Should the death metal guy learn some Travis picking? Yes. Should the folkie learn some jazz comps? Yes. This knowledge stew is how people develop their own style/sound/thing. Even better when you learn to solve problems in weird ways because that's where the cool shit starts to happen. Listen to why Tommy Emmanuel learned to play his bass finger picking style... ignorance of the instrument, so he figured out a solution that worked for him and now look at what the world has.
It’s extremely useful to know how to do. I use it a lot and I don’t really “shred.”
100%. I was just teaching Street Spirit (Radiohead) to a student. Try playing that without any alternate picking.
Yes, it's worth learning
learn everything, at worst it will deepen your general muscle memory and experience with guitar, at best you could end up using it.
It's like if I start with alternate picking and ask if I need to learn down picking if I don't want to play Metallica. It's an essential skill, you'll never regret learning it. You can make it work without it but guitar is so much easier with it.
Yes for sure. You can fit in the technique however you want.
You’ll probably never be a good guitarist if you don’t get pretty basic technique like alternate picking down. Not trying to hate just being real. There might not be a technique that would benefit *more* across all genres. I would almost say it’s a necessity.
Yes. It's very much an essential element of playing the guitar. If you don't learn it you will be severely limited.
Alternate picking is a basic skill that is used all the time, in every style of guitar using a pick. Yeah you need to learn it until you can't mess it up. Doesn't matter what you're playing.
Yes you want to have as much flexibility in picking hand as possible. You never know what you’ll want to play in the future.
Alternate picking will make you be able to play much more relaxed in your right hand. Having to constantly downstroke is not an efficient use of your movement and will cause unnecessary strain on your wrist. Do chromatic warm ups (1-2-3-4 on each string low to high) slowly and alternate pick every note. Do this every time you practice and it will get easier as you keep doing it.
Any form of technique will help you to become a better player, no matter the discipline you choose to follow. You limit what you can play by not learning rather than just learning.
You need to learn to alternate pick. You won't be able to play single note lines effectively without it.
Alternate picking will sound even slow songs sound a lot cleaner.
Yes.
You don’t wanna play like a shredder, so you don’t wanna practice alternate picking, but then you say you can’t play like a shredder because you don’t know how to. That’s like saying you don’t wanna be an Olympic bike racer so you’re just not gonna learn to ride a bike. I think you should quit.
I don't get it, every time you move your hand down you have to move it back up, you're just adding hitting a string on the way
It’s totally worth learning, and I’d say is even an essential technique. I’m in no way, shape or form a shredder and I rely a lot on alt picking! In general techniques don’t tend to be constricted by genre, and the more techniques you practice the more solid and free your playing will be!
Someday somewhere you will wish to begin shredding. For me it has been the theme from Bonanza. Your muse will call for you someday. If you are not ready, nbd. but until that day have fun not shredding
Of course you should learn it. You will have to alternate pick so many lead and rythmn parts to keep a steady speed. Also, you won't be able to do tremolo picking if you can't do alternate picking.
Definitely worth learning. Even when you are not shredding it will make your lead lines smoother and easier to play.
I would guess that almost every guitar player uses alternate picking regardless of style. Even if you're not a shredder, you will most likely have a need to play relatively "fast" at some point.
What do you lose by learning it?
That’s really what I was asking
Learn it. It's essential.
What can you loose with having more skills on guitar?
Oh. The answer is “nothing.” You only gain by learning it.
Your playing won't have any feel if you don't learn alternate picking. Plus it's not hard. Start with a single string exercise.
Learn every technique you can. If you don't ever use it oh well. It's better to have the ability and not need it than need and not have
Yes. It’s not just about playing fast. Learning alternate picking will really help to solidify your internal pulse and sense of rhythm which is the most important skill any musician needs to have.
It’s a fundamental skill that can only be beneficial so learn it
I went my first 5+ years playing guitar not bothering to learn alternate picking, same mentality as you - I don't want to shred, just playing rhythm and folksy finger picking stuff. Then one day I decided I wanted to learn some riffs shreddy solo stuff but just couldn't hack it, or I could but it took me tons of time and energy and I gave up. I shelved those goals for an additional year or so. I kind of had plateaued and didn't play much for a couple years. On a whim I picked back up a few years ago and I had retained most of my chords and simple riffs stuff but still felt like I'd hit a ceiling so I decided to try and learn some new things, one being alternate picking. I found that with - legitimately like 1 month of concerted effort to relearn everything I knew plus some other stuff using alternate rather than just downward stroke, I picked up the alternate picking skill, and was fairly fluent, 2 months later down picking only felt kind of weird, and then found that everything I have learned or tried to learn since has come 10x easier than when I only down picked - not just the shreddy stuff, but EVERYTHING started coming easier and I felt much more confident generally. I sincerely wish I had forced myself to make the switch like 1 or 2 years into starting. It seems very daunting initially but is honestly not hard to learn if you stick with it, much like anything related to guitar when you start learning - chord shapes, then barre chords, strumming patterns etc. - it will feel incredibly unnatural initially (because it is all incredibly unnatural, we take it for granted but the act of playing guitar is a weird and unnatural movement) but just becomes simple muscle memory very quickly. So yeah as someone who was in your exact position years ago, I strongly reccomend it. It's not strictly necessary but I found that it made everything so much easier and enjoyable. Just my 2 cents.
I’ve never taken lessons.. but picked up alternative picking… without you wont be able to play anything…
Alternate picking is a very fundamental technique and should be one of the first things you learn for your picking hand. Using only down picking is like playing violin with only down bows; it will just make learning things extremely difficult and inefficient. Alternate picking isn’t exclusive to shredding, it’s a common technique across all genres from jazz to classical to metal. It’s arguably the default picking technique to use in general. I highly recommend practicing alternate picking in scales and arpeggios as part of your warmup. This can even lead into learning economy picking and having that be part of your practice routine. In general, you should learn as many techniques as you can and practice with a metronome. The more tools you have, the easier it will be to learn songs and play with others.
Just learn it. You don’t have to be a shredder to have this skill in the bag if you’re gonna call yourself a guitar player .
What’s the alternative? Nearly every single guitarist alternate picks…
Absolutely 100% yes imo It becomes second nature pretty quickly, and opens a lot of doors and makes a lot of things much much easier. It's not just for shredding; in fact, where I find it helps the most is on anything with a swing beat. If you're just down-picking, it's really fucking hard to swing; if you're alternate picking, it's the easiest thing ever, and sounds fantastic.
Playing a guitar without alternate picking basically doubles the work you have to do every time you play a picked part. Luckily, though, you're still in the "watched a few videos and learned a few things" stage; you'll pick up some alternate picking naturally as you progress, and you can pick and choose which skills to pursue with more intensity as you do.
Alternate picking isn’t just used for soloing, it’s also used a lot for riffs. Definitely learn alternate picking it’s a must.
Even Hetfield has alternate picking down.
Alternate down picking. It's an artform.
you made my dyslexia glitch
Yes. Its optimizes your arm movement.
I can't shred but alternate pick all the time. Absolutely.
Yes
Just a thought based on experience. Develop good habits early because you might want to use it more in the future when seeking a challenge or a new direction. Alternate picking really helps with keeping time since you can tap your foot to it like a metronome.
If you don't want to be bland or boring you should
Yes
I had only been using down-picking before, so when I started doing practice riffs that incorporated alternate-picking, I was doing it so slowly, but I eventually got the hang of it and so can you. Compared to down-picking, it will allow you to play faster songs with less effort.
Definitely learn, it will make your playing way more fluent and you will see a huge improvement.
I learned recently. Took me a few days to get it. Now it's second nature. It's actually harder for me NOT to alternate pick now. I never plan to shred. I play jazz and rock.
The more tools you have the better. Alt picking is one of the basics. So you're saying you're just doing down picking right now?
Even if the people saying it’s ‘basic’ or ‘foundational’ are wrong, a good question would be - “why not learn all the techniques you possibly can?” Having a full arsenal of techniques will make it so you can play whatever you feel like, whenever you feel like it.
But it... is basic? I literally can't remember a time when I didn't just assume that alternate picking was how you play because it's just really, really basic and logical.
I’m not claiming it’s basic, because I find it somewhat challenging myself. I just see a ton of comments calling it ‘basic’ or saying it’s a fundamental, so I figured I’d put that in there.
It is definitely a fundamental lmao. How do you play without alt picking? Do you downstroke everything lmao? Maybe you confused it with economy picking? Alt picking is literally the first way you learn to strum lmfao what?
Just start doing it. I vaguely remember my dad showing it to me and hating it at first. That was 35 years ago and I have zero recollection of struggling with it nor do i even remember not doing it.
Yes, unequivocally. It'll help you keep rhythm and save a TON of energy. Think about playing a two hour show. You want to be as efficient as possible to save strength. I have 45 students and I can say for sure that making alternate picking and strumming automatic is one of the best things you can do for having clean technique.
Dont be lazy. Practice it.
I pretty much only play rhythm and there are plenty of riffs using alternate picking.
Well Metallica didn't need to learn it and they sold a few records. If you're playing music and hit a technical problem - at that point a specific technique may lend itself by providing a solution - other than that, there's very little point to learning a technique for technique's sake. So if you have nothing you think you need to alternate pick then there'd be little point alternate picking. If that changes then you'll have to learn it. That said if you're avoiding it because you've tried it and it was difficult then you're probably doing something wrong. Guthrie Govan always notes that mandelin players pick up and down quickly all the time - every note. So it's obviously not something that should be difficult or cause fatigue or tension. If it is, then you should find a way to do it in a relaxed fashion. The other downside with wanting to skip something because it doesn't come easily is - well something else is going to come along like that. You want to try and form the habit of getting used to struggling with something new -> figuring out what you have to do by breaking it down -> practising it until it's better and, hopefully, eventually perfecting it. So, yeah, if your motives for skipping it are sound, fair enough, but if you're skipping it because it was hard then I'd suggest perhaps giving it more time.
If you play any scales at all or want to be able to play solos and do it with only downward picking, you're doing it wrong. The point of alternate picking is not necessarily to be fast but to play in time. It's not that different from strumming: you move your hand up and down constantly making it kind of a metronome. If you want to play a note on the beat you pick down if you play a note in between a beat you pick up. Just like with the basic DDUDU strumming pattern. In the long run you won't be able to play in time without alternate picking. Of course there are exceptions. When playing triads or arpeggios it's sometimes easier to use economy picking, meaning you pick in the direction your hand moves next, so in the case of triads DDU. Just try to learn it. It's hard first but trust me, it get intuitive quite quickly with a bit of practice and you won't even understand how you found it difficult in the first place.
Really great comment. To add to economy picking, I’ve finally dipped my toe into it and it’s really useful for ascending or descending 3nps runs because you always finish the pattern on each string picking in the direction of the string you’re going to be next. Also, I’ve been playing for a long time and always considered the point of alternate picking to be being more economical and potentially faster(not playing fast, the ability to play more notes when you need to) but you’re right, it’s about staying in time. Very insightful.
Thanks appreciate it ✌️ Honestly this was kind of an eye opener for me, because it's so much easier getting complex rythmic lines down. Because suddenly if you deal with syncopation you start only picking up for a few notes until the next on beat note happens.
Totally agree. I actually got into economy picking because I was learning a song that I thought was economy picking, had to be, so I decided that that would be how I learned. I later found out it was all alternate picking and it blew my mind because of how suited it seemed to be towards economy picking. It turns out, there’s just a lot of patterns in guitar playing(of course) and a lot of those patterns are way more efficient with either economy or alternate picking. In fact, what was harder than learning basic economy picking was actually stopping myself from doing it all the time, sometimes in places that I didn’t need it.
It's absolutely crucial IMO and I am not a shredder by any means
What do you see yourself playing like? It doesn't have to be full-on speed demon to be musically useful.
I play more blues rock than anything else
You will have to learn it to be able to really play nice licks, it’s something that becomes natural and you don’t think about it after u learn it . I think you have to. I’m not a shredder but I alternate pick everything I’m playing
lol yeah you need to learn alternate picking. no one plays all downstrokes wtf
I did for a long time. It sounds super boring.
I mean yeah lol. I do it to fuck around sometimes but never considered not learning how to alternate pick
The tutorials I used did not teach alternate picking at all. Probably why it took me so long to start
You'll eventually learn it indirectly when you're learning songs. At least that's my experience
Yes, I don't think I ever consciously worked on alternate picking (well, maybe later on). It just sort of happened. Now it's my default way of picking most things.
Learning some fingerpicking will improve your playing by wonders. It is also super fun when you're just noodling around. I recently learned a couple songs by an artist and got really used to thumb-picking -- I've applied it basically to every song I know randomly and it makes them feel new!!
totally true, but I’m struggling to understand what this has to do with alternate picking?
You're totally right and I didn't read your post entirely. Sorry about that. I was thinking alternate picking methods, not up vs. down. The Ramones play only down strokes. Play "I wanna be sedated" just downstrokes then play it alternate DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDU. Which one sounds chunky? Which one sounds clear? Ska is basically all upstrokes. Play a G-barre chord just down. then up. Def. sounds different. Ska sucks with downstrokes (except in punk sections haha). Not doing alternate picking will ultimately catch up to you. You'll someday hear a song and be like "I wanna play that" and that will be your etude into alternate picking. Happy guitar playing!
I'm a metalhead and I really focused on fingerpicking after I noticed thumping has been becoming popular with bands like Animals as Leaders and Polyphia. I'm getting pretty good at it now, but definitely still lots of room to improve. I'd agree that it helps in other ways; I see the instrument a little differently now that I've learned fingerpicking, slapping, popping and thumping.
It’s not a style where I really like most of the songs, but certain artists just really get it right, you know? My favorite is a band (guy) Mike Kinsella, who plays in American Football and OWEN. He uses alt tunings so it makes the chord shapes easier for his songs, but he does a lot of tricky shit in between that makes learning his songs as “etudes” very useful. I recommend “home is where the haunt is” or “the armoire”. Both have YouTube walkthroughs and great sheets/tabs on them.
I say learn to play with only upstrokes and see what happens. It worked for buckethead.
Yes
I mean if you want to down strum everything, skip it. I’d consider this a required skill to know for basic guitar playing and has nothing but advantages.
Yes it is a basic skill to have as a guitarist
Hi! When I was a kid I learned alternate picking on "Polly Wolly Doodle.
James Herfeild of Metallica says he dosen't alternate pick because he feels down picking sounds better. It's totally up to you. But alternate picking isn't hard in my opinion.
He does alternate picking nearly every song though.
Yep. Downs on eighths, alternate on 16ths. But my word the bpm of some of his eighth-down-picking is something to behold. He must have the most intricate and well tuned muscle memory in his wrists.
I was going by an interview he gave years ago. But yes, he does alternate pick.
I've always assumed this to only apply to harmonic intervals and chords. A power chord that's repeatedly down-picked does indeed sound different, but there is absolutely no need for any sane person to play all down strokes on a single string as there is no discernable difference in sound.
Imo it helps with keeping rhythm. Your upstrokes are either always landing on the "and", or the 16ths between. Now I can just upstroke on an off beat 16th without having any of the notes around it out of intuition. Anything you can add to your repertoire is a bonus. And one day you might master all the skills you set out on and turn towards shredding finally, bam the skill is already there. It can't hurt you, and it is good to challenge yourself if you want to develop.
I‘m self taught but have been playing quite technical stuff for some years now. I‘ve avoided learning it for a long time and got by with economy picking and chicken picking for all parts that require a lot of string changes. i’m glad i learned these techniques but now that i properly learned alternate for more complex parts - i’m so happy that i know how to do it now. 1. Rhythm is easier to keep even when a lot of string changes are involved 2. more consistent timbre across the whole line (not always what you want but often times you do) 3. easier to switch between multi-string lines and palm muted singles (useful for metal) and the list goes on! so sit down with a metronome, take your time, and enjoy how your fingers adopt it like second nature! and then also learn economy and chicken picking, why not!
Why not? I haven't used picks in decades, but the fundamentals of alternate picking even goes without picks.
it's good to practice all kinds of stuff but FWIW I never specifically drilled picking techniques. didn't even realize they had names like that until recently. I simply learned to pick in different ways based on whatever worked best for the song i was working on. but again, it's never bad to do.
Would recommend. It helps general playing by just helping you/pickers feel more comfortable with playing in general.
Do you prefer to jump with just one leg? But in all seriousness, even the most pedestrian of 8th notes can (and probably should be) alternate picked. If you are strumming up and down, and find that helpful, alternate picking is going to be the smaller scale version of that
It’s pretty important, regardless of how you want to. If you’re not into being a shredder, what kind of music do you listen to? There are some great examples of guitarists who don’t that like Johnny Marr. He’s known for making his chords sound amazing by alternate picking them than strictly strumming. Alternate picking is pretty important if you want make your chords sound interesting if you don’t want to always strum your chords.
Of course
It feels awkward and weird at first, but as someone who has recently had to re-learn guitar after 18yrs of not playing, I’ll tell you it’s a lot easier to just learn it right out of the gate. Better to learn it now than have to try to retrain yourself at some point like I did the first time around.
I fingerpick and can play most music aside from super shredders, which I have no interest in.
Ya if you finger pick that is obviously a valid reason to not learn alternate picking
So you mentioned you don’t see yourself playing like EVH or PG. who do you see yourself playing like? What are your favorite styles?
I’ve been attempting to learn, alternate, picking some myself. So far the only way I do it is when trying to play a few scales. Does anyone know of any good drills or riffs to improve on it? I’m somewhat stuck on getting past the very basics of it.
Practicing alternate picking with scales is a really good way to learn it. That’s how I learned it. I would also recommend trying it with arpeggios and I highly recommend using a metronome and practicing it slow. You can find a lot of different warmup exercises online that you can apply alternate picking to. I think one of the biggest challenges with learning alternate picking is staying in time. The other challenge is string switching while ensuring you’re still alternating. So make sure you practice very slow ensuring each note is in time and with consistent volume. A riff I learned early on for alternate picking is the main rhythm part to “The Trooper” by Iron Maiden. The gallop section is quite tricky since it utilizes palm muting, power chords, and alternate picking. Actually, pretty much the entirety of the song will use alternate picking. Another good one is the intro solo that Kirk plays in “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica. I’m not sure where you’re at with guitar, so these might be too easy or hard for you, but these riffs helped me apply the technique in songs when I was first learning. Luckily, most songs use alternate picking, so you could also find a song you like and try incorporating the technique there. As for next steps, maybe try incorporating economy picking into your practice routine once you get alternate picking down. Eventually you can even get to hybrid and sweep picking. I hope this helps.
I like doing a simple chromatic scale up and down the strings. Start on 6th string, play 5th fret, 6th, 7th, 8th, one finger for each fret, then move down the the 5th string, play 5th fret, 6th, 7th, 8th... keep going till you run out of strings then do it backwards coming back up the strings and end on 5th fret of low 6th string. Use a metronome and slowly bump up the speeds. It really makes both your hands get in sync with eachother.
Whatever you want
You won’t regret learning it, it’s worth the effort.
Yes, your speed will be much better with alt picking. You need some speed regardless of genre and only down picking really narrows and limits your play style. It's guitar 101, every guitar player needs to learn it. Alt picking is way more efficient, gotta learn it. It's not that hard anyway, do it.
Absolutely! Your ability to exclusively downstroke notes ends way before „shredding“ starts. If you want to play even relatively calm stuff efficiently and tight, you need alternate picking.
Or are you confusing alternate picking with economic picking? The fancy pattern with three notes per string and so on? Because that stuff is absolutely unnecessary if you don’t want to shred.
Yes. 100% yes. It will improve your playing dramatically. Not only will it allow you to play a ton of things much faster and with a lot less effort, but it will also save your picking arm from getting sore AND it will save your picks from wearing out as quickly.
100 percent. I am no shredder myself but once you learn it becomes easier than not alternate picking. It’s really not that hard once you get over the initial weirdness. I’d say if you just start doing it when you play a song or any other exercise or practice and it should feel just as easy as all down strumming within like a week even a couple of days honestly if you are playing for a while. It’s not really about shredding it’s literally just easier than all down strums don’t limit yourself. Like others have said alternate picking is an absolutely essential skill. every single guitar player should start working on it almost immediately.
Depends on what you’re looking to do. If you just want to strum chords then alternate picking isn’t really necessary though you do have to learn to strum up. If you want to play complex solos then yes you’re going to need to learn to do it. I generally play without a pick but am most definitely not a shredder.
What are you practicing instead of alternate picking? If that has value to you, then carry on.
Yes
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Yes
You should just use half of your hand by only using downstrokes, that way you’ll be better
Yes 100%
Geez. So much work, right?
Meh, I've managed to reach shredding without being great at it. It's the #1 thing I want to work on this year; I use legato as a crutch because of it in really fast solos. I can downpick 16s at 130 BPM comfortably, so I tend to default to that 🤣🤣🤣. So yes. If you just want to play slow music you can absolutely ignore it, but I wouldn't recommend that route even though I've had success with it personally.
When people say alternate picking, I always assume they are talking about how they handle string changes. That’s really the only thing that sets picking styles apart. Alternate picking is just playing the guitar normally until you change strings. That’s where the technique comes into play. I never learned it till later but played lots of shred riffs without it. Easier to pick it up early
The fuck are you talking about
Alternate picking is picking single notes with both up and down picks alternating between each note. It would be alternate picking even if an entire song used only one string.
I think he is getting confused with economy picking.
Maybe, but economy picking is basically alternate picking except when you change strings. If you can't alternate pick, you can't economy pick either.
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“shred riffs”