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Guitar Alternate Picking
Guitar Alternate Picking
Guitar Alternate Picking
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AltermtePicking
In a brand new series, Jon Bishop takes a look at how to make improvements
in essential areas of your technique.This month s focus is on alternate picking,
which has an application in almost every musical style from rockto 1azz...
specifically to take you from from economy and a relared picking hanil.
zero to hero in t]1e shofiest You could view speed as a by-product of
time possible. Many of the accwacy, so telax, and try to malte your
concepts up for discussion movements as economical as possible.
can be mastered in a relatively As ever, start slow and try not to cut
short amount of time but will corners. All the examples will work in all
affect the wayyou play and keys and at all tempos so once you master
sound immeasurably- Each them in the notated positions (ry them in
month we will start with other areas ofthe neck. The main aim at
relatively easy examples to the end ofthe session is to include some of
build your confidence and the ideas in your playing. This could be
then push on witl trickier soloilg over a backing hack or composing
exercises to stretch you. a melodybut to get t}le most out ofthis
This month we are Iooking article it is important to start making music
at altemate picking. This is an with these concepts as soon as possible.
excellent technique for To get some extra mileage out ofyour
playing single note lines and pmctice why not also have a go at plaf ng
can be used in all music all the examples starting wit}I an up-stroke.
styles. Many beginner guitar This will strengthen your up-stroke playing
players will feel most and pose some new and interesting picking
comfortable using single problems. Good luck and see you at next
strokes to start with. Amazing month's lesson I Il
picker Paul Gilbert spent the
first part ofhis career using
only upstrokes, while many
lI $peed is a by-product of
otler players feel comfortable accuracy. Belax and tny to
using exclusive ilown strokes. make your movements as
Ifyou examine the
mechanics of continuous
down strokes you will notice
economical as possible rt
the pick needs to come back
over the stdng to retum to the GETTHETONE
upward position. In the
interests of economy the pick
may as well play a note on the
way back up. This gives us a picking
ry ,:e ,B .S
pattern of down, up dowr, up etc. An
oo Easy/Moderate added bonus is the down stroke is naturally When playing fast alternate picking
kEY, v"rir*
w[.t tMPflovt
lz Altemate pidinq
@ stronger and gives an accent on the
downbeat if we are playing quaver or semi
quaver subdivisions. Many players would
sequences, many players find that the
neck pickup provides the mostflattering
tone. For the examples ! have u5ed a
TEMPO: Various 7Abrlitylooostn ngs like to develop the ability to play fast and clean sound so you <an hearthe notes
CD: TRACKs25-35 !lSoloinq vocabulary altemate picking is a technique that will clearlyand ld recommend you dothe
serve up the goods, especially when sametostan y/ith. Lots ofdistortion can
OVER THE NEm 1o issues this new practised in a constructive fashion. mask v/€akn€sses in your playing, so if
column aims to improve your playing in Developingspeed is often agame of you can get !hings sounding good with a
many fundamenlaJ areas. The emphasis is opposites. You may think t]1at greater clean torle. ttEn e/hen it's time to rock
on building a solid foundation and each speed will require more effort, but you will you vnll 5oind arvesome!
montl's examples have been designed probably find that the best results come
TRAGK BEG(}BD For c areotrecordwith some stupendous altornate picking exampl8s, look no f!rtie? tl3! GTs yery ovn Guthrlo Goyan.
llis debut album ontltled Erotic Cakcs ls ashorv-stopDing demonstration 0f what can be achieyed viti tlt alunate picking tochnlque and
0f cours€, as it's Guthpie, every othertochniquo in the book asuell. For othergrsat alt pickers, r, $rr! LFs., PdulGilbert and Yngwio,
Alternate picking on one 5tring is a good place to start, as there is no one used bysurfking Dick Dale. Startslowl, perhaps accenting the first
needtoworryaboutcrossingstrings.Thiscuriousscaleissimilartothe of each four note groupings with a downstroke.
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Sticking with the single-string idea, this example add5 a 5equence to the Watch the fretboard shifts, though. Playthis attempos you can manage
notes. This is a conceptthe speedyYngwie Malmsteen would favour, without hesitations.
rf fast )-tEo
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B
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EXAMPLE 5 PAUL GILBERT / JOHN PETRUCCI STRING CROSSING LICK CDTRACT 3()
This example addresses one of the tricky areas ofakernate picking; Once memorised try accenting every eight notes with a loud down
crossing strings. Start slowly with this lick and then build up the speed. stroke so you'feel'the pattern better.
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E
B
E
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EXAMPLE 8 SLASH STYLE, MINOR PENTATONIC IN GROUPS OF FOUR CDTRACK 33
This example builds on the previous one but now based in groups of ofsomething that Slash might use in his soloing and will work well both :.
four- noticethe firsttwo notes are repeated,Thisconcept is reminiscent ascending and descending. l:
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B
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EXAMPLE 9 C MAJOR, THREE-NOTES-PER-STRING FINGERING GDTRACK 34
It's worth looking at some three-notes-per-string ideas with strict on an upstroke. Practising Example 3 will help you with this. Let'r first
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alternate picking, asthese posethe problem ofstarting a new string familiarise ourselves witha good frngering for C major. :t
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