All The Aspects Of Picking. Part1

This is a lesson in picking for everyone. About picking and the various methods, and how to master yours. First about me. I have learned every method of picking and took a while on each. First all downstrokes, then alternate picking then half economy (alternate up, and economy back down and the opposite), and full economy. A very important thing is to only use strict style of whichever you are attempting to master. I would recommend learning it in the order I have.

Also, my technique was first wrist motion, then I went to only thumb and index motion, then fooled with "bad thechnique" of elbow picking, which actually turned out very fast and accurate once used without tension. I use a relaxed arm. It's a very refined motion from the relaxed but controlled elbow, wrist, and thumb. Remember that the relaxation of the muscles and slow programming is the key factor. It begins in your shoulder mentally focus on the shoulder and relax it, then the rest will follow. always keep this in check.

Now that we have covered my own history and physical aspects. Time for an exercise I made to utilise all picking styles because even if your strict economy like me practicing the other styles will keep you fresh and fast. Things people say about economy picking and then my thoughts:

01. It's sloppy and sounds "uneven" when changing strings - this is because they did not master economy yet.
02. It sounds like legato - this is because they don't accent notes properly.
03. I feel like I'm learning guitar all over again - don't be a wuss! Do you want to pick fast with little effort yes/no.
04. My guitar hero dosn't use it and he/she/it is real fast - they could be even faster and tendonitis free with economy.
05. It takes too long to learn - good things come to those who wait/even better things to ones who work hard at it and never cheat.
06. Economy is only faster on odd number per string runs (1, 3, 5, 7) - you can convert even runs to odd number per string ones easily if you wanted. Also why not have that extra speed and ease?

OK. When I first learned economy it took me about 6 months to play it on autopilot. And another 3 to be able to play anything faster than alternate with it. Somthing made me tell myself I'm gonna really be serious and only do this picking till I get it. It was the best decision I've made. I will never forget my late grandfather hearing me practice and saying "He sounds like a goddamn machine in there."

Exercise 1.
This is one large exersise set, they all follow the same 5 picking styles. Do each picking style once then goto the next left hand fingering and repeat the pick styles in this order:

1. All downstrokes.
2. Alternate picking starting on a downstroke for each string.
3. All upstrokes.
4. Altternate picking starting on an upstroke for each string.
5. Full on economy. Picking into each string never around.

Some players will be asking "why do all downstrokes(#1) or all up-strokes(#3)? I never use just one, it's a beginners way, ect." Well. Using logic and basic math you will see that your maximum picking speed potential will be only twice the speed of your slowest motion, be it your up or your down stroke. This sounds confusing at first, so here is an example: lets pretend we really suck and we can pick 4 notes per second clean and even with all downsrtokes. But we can only pick 3 notes per second using all upstrokes. Well, our max speed with alternate is going to be no more than 6 notes per second. You take the lower number and double it. If you don't understand this concept here is another way to see it.

Your a lumberjack and you have to cut down a tree. You use an axe alone. It's slow and painfull after long hours. You see another lumberjack with a 2 man saw. You think: "wow if we both worked together we could kill this tree even faster." When you both work together with the 2 man saw the fastest you can murder the poor defensless tree as a team will not be only dependant of your own speed. But of the weaker or slower of you and your lumberjack pal. If he is slower, it will slow you down too or else your gonna saw that tree wrong and jam the saw. So in this analagy, you with an axe is all down or all up strokes, the double man saw represents alternate picking and your the (downstroke), the other lumberjack is the (up-stroke). If you still don't understand I don't know what to tell you. E-mail me or somthin'.

Little known facts: Paul Gilbert used only UPstrokes for his first 2 years playing. I'm pretty sure this gave him a massive advantage speed wise when he went to alternate picking. Almost all players have a weaker upstroke than down. Eric Johnson uses all upstrokes for certain things for its tonal quality. Playing nothing but upstrokes and only using your ring and pinkey finger will surely make you feel like peeing yourself.

Back to the warmup/exercise.
I usually do it as part of my warmup at 120 bpm 16ths, the ones you will have trouble with (all upstrokes usually). Do as triplets (3 picks per beat) untill you get it then quads once your used to it. Smooth not jumpy do at 4 picks per beat. This should help you play whatever style you like. I belive economy is the superior style. This is after extensive experience with all styles. There are of course exceptions (rhythm parts/strum patterns).

Remember to do all 5 picking variations perfectly before moving onto the next finger combination:

1. All downstrokes.
2. Alternate picking starting on a downstroke for each string.
3. All upstrokes.
4. Altternate picking starting on an upstroke for each string.
5. Full on economy. Picking into each string never around.

There are 12 finger combinations. I feel this helps with bordom and also makes sure all your fingers work in sync with your picking.

1)
|---------------------5-6------------------------| 
|-----------------5-6-----5-6--------------------| 
|-------------5-6-------------5-6----------------| 
|---------5-6---------------------5-6------------| 
|-----5-6-----------------------------5-6--------| 
|-5-6-------------------------------------5-6----| 

2)
|---------------------5-7------------------------| 
|-----------------5-7-----5-7--------------------| 
|-------------5-7-------------5-7----------------| 
|---------5-7---------------------5-7------------| 
|-----5-7-----------------------------5-7--------| 
|-5-7-------------------------------------5-7----| 

3)
|---------------------5-8------------------------| 
|-----------------5-8-----5-8--------------------| 
|-------------5-8-------------5-8----------------| 
|---------5-8---------------------5-8------------| 
|-----5-8-----------------------------5-8--------| 
|-5-8-------------------------------------5-8----| 

4)
|---------------------6-5------------------------| 
|-----------------6-5-----6-5--------------------| 
|-------------6-5-------------6-5----------------| 
|---------6-5---------------------6-5------------| 
|-----6-5-----------------------------6-5--------| 
|-6-5-------------------------------------6-5----| 

5)
|---------------------6-7------------------------| 
|-----------------6-7-----6-7--------------------| 
|-------------6-7-------------6-7----------------| 
|---------6-7---------------------6-7------------| 
|-----6-7-----------------------------6-7--------| 
|-6-7-------------------------------------6-7----| 

6)
|---------------------6-8------------------------| 
|-----------------6-8-----6-8--------------------| 
|-------------6-8-------------6-8----------------| 
|---------6-8---------------------6-8------------| 
|-----6-8-----------------------------6-8--------| 
|-6-8-------------------------------------6-8----| 

7)
|---------------------7-5------------------------| 
|-----------------7-5-----7-5--------------------| 
|-------------7-5-------------7-5----------------| 
|---------7-5---------------------7-5------------| 
|-----7-5-----------------------------7-5--------| 
|-7-5-------------------------------------7-5----|

Stop thinking about the lumberjacks and that poor tree!

8)
|---------------------7-6------------------------| 
|-----------------7-6-----7-6--------------------| 
|-------------7-6-------------7-6----------------| 
|---------7-6---------------------7-6------------| 
|-----7-6-----------------------------7-6--------| 
|-7-6-------------------------------------7-6----|

these last few may seem tough on your left hand if your pinkey sucks.

9)
|---------------------7-8------------------------| 
|-----------------7-8-----7-8--------------------| 
|-------------7-8-------------7-8----------------| 
|---------7-8---------------------7-8------------| 
|-----7-8-----------------------------7-8--------| 
|-7-8-------------------------------------7-8----| 


10)
|---------------------8-5------------------------| 
|-----------------8-5-----8-5--------------------| 
|-------------8-5-------------8-5----------------| 
|---------8-5---------------------8-5------------| 
|-----8-5-----------------------------8-5--------| 
|-8-5-------------------------------------8-5----| 

11)
|---------------------8-6------------------------| 
|-----------------8-6-----8-6--------------------| 
|-------------8-6-------------8-6----------------| 
|---------8-6---------------------8-6------------| 
|-----8-6-----------------------------8-6--------| 
|-8-6-------------------------------------8-6----| 

12)
|---------------------8-7------------------------| 
|-----------------8-7-----8-7--------------------| 
|-------------8-7-------------8-7----------------| 
|---------8-7---------------------8-7------------| 
|-----8-7-----------------------------8-7--------| 
|-8-7-------------------------------------8-7----|

Done! Good job! Hope your hands feel really good now, they should be ready for speed drills.

Here are some for fun.
First do them with alternate picking. Then using strict Economy picking like me. Start real slow, then get it up to about 17 picks a second clean and accurate always.

|----------------------||----------------------------------------|
|----------------------||----------------------------------------|
|----------10----------||----------10-------11-------10----------|
|-10-12-13----13-12----||-10-12-13----13-12----13-12----13-12----|
|----------------------||----------------------------------------|
|----------------------||----------------------------------------|
Beginner advanced

|----------10----------------------------| 
|----------------------------10----------| 
|-10-12-13----13-12-10-12-13----13-12----| 
|----------------------------------------| 
|----------------------------------------| 
|----------------------------------------|

a little more advanced

I use my wrist motion to skip strings. Like on the last exercise. It's a flicking like motion. Don't forget to also practise these with a palm mute as well. Keep a chart of your current bpm on all exercises you do and don't cheat!

Write a goal tempo and next to it put your current tempo. Buy a stylus pick and use nothing but it for practice. Download "weird metronome" from download. com and use it for all your lessons. Practice what you suck at the most in your technique. Do all the 3 note per string modes go up one and down the next so its always odd numbers per string. Remember not to abuse speed once you attain it, the rate at which you present notes to the listner is a huge part of music. Fast isn't better and slow isn't better than fast. They are just 2 different things. Use it wisely.

Exercises.
I developed these exercises while practicing with my drummer while he was doing rudaments. It is way harder than it looks. I use Economy picking but these will work you out on alternate as well. Play these with a metronome at a slow speed and gradually work them up one at a time to your desired speed. The goal is to be able to play them all back to back without 1 mistake at your desired tempo. It seems like it's more mind work than your usuall speed drills. The odd note groupings are killer for getting both hands working as one machine!

||-----15--------------|| ||--15-----------------||
||o-12----------------o|| ||o-------------12-12-o||
||--------------14-14--|| ||--------14-14--------||
||--------12-12--------|| ||-----12--------------||
||o-------------------o|| ||o-------------------o||
||---------------------|| ||---------------------||

||--------------15-15--|| ||--------15-15--------||
||o-------12-12-------o|| ||o----12-------------o||
||-----14--------------|| ||--14-----------------||
||--12-----------------|| ||--------------12-12--||
||o-------------------o|| ||o-------------------o||
||---------------------|| ||---------------------||

||--15-----------------|| ||-----15--------------||
||o----12-------------o|| ||o-------12-12-------o||
||--------14-14--------|| ||--------------14-14--||
||--------------12-12--|| ||--12-----------------||
||o-------------------o|| ||o-------------------o||
||---------------------|| ||---------------------||

||--------15-15--------|| ||--------------15-15--||
||o-------------12-12-o|| ||o-12----------------o||
||--14-----------------|| ||-----14--------------||
||-----12--------------|| ||--------12-12--------||
||o-------------------o|| ||o-------------------o||
||---------------------|| ||---------------------||

These are very annoying and cause pain to the mind! Because they are so hard to play fast and clean back to back or even alone. Once you get those above here is a basic Parradiddle lick for string skipping, easier rhythm feel but hard stretch and skips:

|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------12----12-12----12-------12----12-12----12-|
|-11-11----11-------11----11-11----11-------11----|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|

|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------14----14-14----14-------14----14-14----14-|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-10-10----10-------10----10-10----10-------10----|
|-------------------------------------------------|

then their reverse

|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-12-12----12-------12----12-12----12-------12----|
|-------11----11-11----11-------11----11-11----11-|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|

|-------------------------------------------------|
|-14-14----14-------14----14-14----14-------14----|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------10----10-10----10-------10----10-10----10-|
|-------------------------------------------------|

I hope you like these exercises for your picking and mental calibration. I have other lessons and videos on my website www.MusicHopper.com. There is nothing better than meeting your goal so keep it within reach on these tough picking patterns. Also, if you start getting dizzy from these, play them in a different scale than Eminor, it's good practice to do that anyway.

Comments

[starterZac]

dude that was sick i just started and that really helped me alot

[generoustofault]

that was some good advice(2nd)

[trashmaniac]

3rd.Nice...but need some time to read it.

[that_girl]

thank u soooo much!!

[Keefer]

Good stuff, but can you go in depth a bit more into what economy picking is? Everyone just refers to it as economy, what the heck is it?

[Something Big]

yes explain more /\

[nightwind]

That's not about finger picking

[abigape]

Nice lesson but what the hell is economy picking ?

[Sabre0001]

good lesson but it's not finger picking...

[ctb]

Good lesson definetly, this must'ave been copied off of some some 'cos it can't be this good

[oldredstring]

that's flat-picking, not finger picking. it's a good lesson, though.

[halfstepdown88]

Wasn't this about finger picking?

[Drew11]

this aint finger picking is more of a pick picking.. what a dumb ass!! but this somehow helped me..thanks man

[TaongGumigitara]

Is economy picking like you turn your pick clockwise a little and the pick slides off the string as you do alternate picking? My teacher told me it's for speed and flat picking is for strumming. There's also a jazz hand where you turn the pick counterclockwise until it is almost perpendicular to the strings. But what is economy picking, really?

[thomasma]

i am also not sure about economy picking. i assume it means the fastest way to the next string, so rather than just always doing up and down strokes you may play two down strokes consecutively to save crossing over a string unnecessarily. Is this right?

[robot]

thanks for all the nice comments. economy picking is where you pick INTO the next string ALWAYS regardless of what the next alternate picking motion would have been. This lesson was suposed to be in texhnique or picking area.. not fingerstyle. lol I wrote this years ago... but still use it today. Its been used by session players for lionel richie.. to beginners. its a very good little thing to do.. Im working on an instructional DVD still www.musichopper.com is my website.. thanks again for the nice comments.. and please ask more questions if you need. ROBOT

[robot]

also.. I didnt name it finger picking.. someone changed this.. and didnt include my name as the author.. wtf? lol

[kdo]

nice...not to keane on the first bit but you redeamed yourself at the end...good advice tho

[BadMoFo]

Good stuff. I've always had trouble with uppicking/alternate picking, but going through the practice just once I'm allready improving. Still kind of fuzzy on the economy picking. Are you saying that if the next note is on a string above you uppick and vice versa?

[bulgarian]

Very nice exercise
Great "Intro" for beginners

[musicbox001]

good forearm exercise

[ReDofDeAtH]

very very good exercise! My teacher taught me sth like this when i started! At that time i was learning acoustic guitar but it is helpfull for the electric too! Thx ROBOT! (poor tree...! LoL!)

[Andy T]

If you think this piece of crap is helpful, than your not joking.
..Thanxs.

[cocopunk88]

Thanks, Now I can do more than just downstrokes

[JamSession]

Nice lesson, now that I can actually pick well i wont have to Hammer On all the solos that dimebag does, lol

[insanity101]

Pretty good,(actually) you're excercises helped me get some more strength when alternate picking. keep it uo

[pleasentlyplump]

dude, dimebag's dead

[thesmartguy50]

Man, this picking practice ROX. Oh, and BadMoFo, the answer is yes, you are right, or so my guitar buddies say... Thnx, robot!

[AnarchyGuitarst]

wow this'll really help me with my finger picking...thanks anyway

[original_rocker]

hmm, i never actually think about it i've always done it anyway....

[ramonesfan]

i say you write a lesson on ecomony picking...but great article otherwise!

[zeromus87]

If you still don't know what economy picking is by now - it's basically a form of sweep picking - whereby you pick all the notes on adjacent strings with one directional movement of the pick. For example, to play A,C,E over three adjacent strings quickly - you'd play 7 on the D, 5 on the G, and 5 on the B. To do this quickly and fluently, you'd pick all those three notes with one sweeping downstroke with the plectrum. But to stop the notes from bleeding (overlapping), you must be sure to take the fingers straight off the fret after you've played...Maybe I should write a lesson about this?

[Abyssal]

Yeah, that'd come in handy, for beginners.

[Face of Melinda]

very nice man

[lemoore]

sweet as my nuts, dude. watch out Jimi.....

[TornadoOfSouls]

thanks for the lesson man. it really helped a lot

[god_luvs_a_trya]

17 picks a second?!? AAA..h!!!

[Mike_uk2k]

That's awesome. I especially liked the comparison with up and downstrokes to the woodcutter, very simple and very effective. I'll use that one to explain to my parents why I sit in front of the TV playing scales for 2 hours!

[Toiletboy]

Back to the warmup/exercise.
I usually do it as part of my warmup at 120 bpm 16ths, the ones you will have trouble with (all upstrokes usually). Do as triplets (3 picks per beat) untill you get it then quads once your used to it. Smooth not jumpy do at 4 picks per beat. This should help you play whatever style you like. I belive economy is the superior style. This is after extensive experience with all styles. There are of course exceptions (rhythm parts/strum patterns).

My metronome goes like: tick tick tick tick and in between every tick i have to play 4 notes for warmup?!? Damn!

[Toiletboy]

And let me get this economy straigh. In the first warmup, it's just downstroke alternating the ascending tones and it's upstroke alternate picking the descending tones?

[Toiletboy]

i'm missing an edit button here

I'm supposed to do figure 1 in 5.5 beats?

[dan_the_pie]

ive got a johnson

[fin14]

wow col exersises cheers

[TheNthDimension]

Just to try and clarify on the economy picking front, it's used when moving from one string to another, and it's basically when you just pick both strings in one stroke, instead of using strict alternate picking.
Sweep picking is one example of this - if you tried to play an arpeggio at shred speeds using only alternate picking, it would be much harder, so economy picking is used...
That sounded much clearer in my head, hope it helps!

[shadowofbodom]

i just looked up economy picking online http://www.ibreathemusic.com/article/130
great article, but now i dont know the difference between alternate picking and economy. I've always done what i thought was alternate, but what was really economy

[shadowofbodom]

soo BLAH oh well

[evvo_gc_fan]

awesome article

[Bkkkk]

Alternate picking is a strict up and down even when changing strings, IE if you go from the A string to the D string, and you finished in an up motion youll have to go down to the D, and vice versa, if the you changed string on a downward motion youll have to go up on the D string, which means you have to go over the D string and then up again, which makes a longer journey, the only difference is in the changing of strings, on a single string Alt. and Eco Picking are the same.

[Night_Lights]

thomasma:
i am also not sure about economy picking. i assume it means the fastest way to the next string, so rather than just always doing up and down strokes you may play two down strokes consecutively to save crossing over a string unnecessarily. Is this right?

yes that is economy picking

[Joey .G]

I never heard that term before and I never knew there was a name for that but I'm glad I know now.

[OnlyOnTuesdays]

goood lesson

[timzs]

i still have no idead wat economy picking is.....

[MetalMonster34]

What the f*%k is economy picking?!

[Pete R]

Let me try a simpler explanation. Alternate picking, as the name implies, means you always alternate up and down strokes no matter what you're playing. If you played a downstroke, your next motion will be an upstroke, and vice-versa, without exception. Economy picking doesn't do this. In economy picking, when you transition from a heavier gauge string to a lighter gauge string, you ALWAYS use a downstroke, regardless of what you just did. Going from a lighter gauge string to a heavier gauge string, you ALWAYS use an upstroke. If you experiment with this, you will see that this is simply minimizing the distance the pick has to travel. Economy as in "economy of motion". It's also called inside picking, since the pick travels between two adjacent strings without coming around the outside and backtracking as you often have to do with alternate picking. By minimizing motion economy picking will allow you to play faster, and it's the only feasible way to play multistring arpeggios up to speed. That's usually called sweeping, but it's the same thing: economy, inside, sweep, and sometimes "hybrid" are all names for this style of picking.
The upside is speed and less effort with the right hand. The downside is that it sounds different, and maintaining an even rhythm may be harder. Realistically though, no matter what picking style you use (and there is no reason not to learn both) you are requiring your fingers and brain to do incredibly coordinated movements, so with practice you should be able to even out the sound of economy picking.
It's doubtful one is objectively "better" than the other, it depends on what you value. If you want to shred acoustic like DiMeola, alternate may be better because the consistency of always down-up-down-up lends itself better to precise rhythm, and lets you pick harder when you want to. With economy picking there is a tendency to "fall" to the next string can lead to inconsistent rhythm and force. Both are hard in different ways. With altername picking, the hardest thing to do is an upstroke when going to a lighter gauge string. Both Paul Gilbert and Michael Angelo point this out. Interestingly, Robot's quote about his grandfather is directly echoed by Angelo in a recent video. Coincidence? If you want to play as many notes per second as possible and play insane arpeggios, then a master of economy picking will be a good goal. But it seems a solid base of alternate picking really helps, so it may be beneficial to really work alternate picking up to snuff. Experiment.

[thebrokensmile]

nice lesson, dude. it's great for beginners. my friend only started playing his guitar (fender strat) for a while now and he's really shit at alternate picking and tremolo picking. i suggested this lesson and hes gotten heaps better. cheers.

[Takendergib]

alternate picking to the grave! bah!!

[WILL334]

THAT GOOTA BE 1 OFF THE BEST LESSONS ON THIS WEBITE

[spuime4c1es]

ummm...that...was...amazing

[sexy mexy]

ive been playing classical and finger picking for about a year and using a pick is wierd for me, whats the best way to hold tha pic for maximum speed while picking??

[Seemann]

Maybe this will help: http://www.cyberfret.com/techniques/sweep-picking/index.php

[zoii_711]

^
ya.. same question as sexy mexy

[battleaxe]

hmmm, great lesson!!
I'm actually a newbie in economy picking, can do pretty fast with alternate picking, I was hoping you would put on some exercises that will cover all the basics of economy picking, odd no: runs are easy and even can be converted so I am looking forward to some more exercises !! Thanx man!!
PS- I've watched ur website and U really shredd!!!
Cheers!!

[xdan666x]

cheers pretty helpful

[ace_lester]

nice lesson..do you have any lessons about fingerpicking?? email me at [e-mail] thats GARAPAL2

[rock_goddess]

good lesson
a good song 2 learn 2 help ya wif finger picking is wake me up wen sept ends, its easy, yes i know the song gets annoying but still it helps ya out

[rock_goddess]

hey, good lesson
o yer, a good song 2 learn finger pickin is wake me up wen september ends by greenday.Yer the song gets annoyin after awhile, but its really easy 2 learn.

[robot]

Hello.. Its me the author of this lesson... Allen ROBOT Van Wert.. im glad it has helped so many people. I am going to submit some more lessons soon as a thank you for the nice messages about this and the positive feeling of this site in general. If you have any questions about this lesson or anything at all.. please feel free to email me at [e-mail] and also my new website is http://www.AllenVanWert.net I will be posting lessons on there as well.. a new video was also added to the site recently. THANKS AGAIN SO MUCH!!! keep a lookout for my new lessons here and feel free to suggest a lesson about a technique or topic as well.

[aaronbatcheldor]

Hey robot i saw those videos on your website and put simply - ur a psycho (in a good way). I would love for you to write a lesson on tremolo picking with transisting between strings (john petrucci style) in a triplet kinda thing. An example of what Im talking about is your "Some more in E minor starting up high" video in the first 5 seconds.

[axe o power]

you did such along article an put so much time and efert into it i cant believ you forgot to say what ecomy picking even is

[WaterLock]

Thanks for your effort.. you've helped me

[StylinProfilin]

This was a remarkable lesson. I just started playing 2 months ago and I was only using downstrokes, 4 days ago I started this lesson and alternative picking definetly improved my picking. I now pick alot faster and more accurate and its alos alot easier

At first I had doubts because it is hard to adjust from downstrokes to alternate and economy picking but after a few days of practicing for hours, I now have it completely down and it is like second nature. Thanks alot.

[pyrosk8er]

so you just alternate pick unless your changing strings then you just "stroke" through right?

[pinkfloyd_syd]

good job.... helpfull.. i never even though about practicing my up stroke untill i read this... thanks

[ibanezperez]

wow, thats is an awesome lesson, thanks for that info on economy picking(Pete R)!!!!I REALLY got the understnding of it.

[rockergurl09]

man, i just learned how to do "economy picking" after a whole 3 years! Man I need a teacher, I'm not much of a self teacher...

[CodyDaRody]

Man, I never have really upstroked untill this lesson, now I must practice it.

[el conrado]

on economic picking surely somtimes u have 2 go around or over the string?

[Guitarhero180]

how do you do economy picking

[Guitarhero180]

i figured it out

[robot]

Im really glad this lesson has been helping people out and there have been alot of really nice comments. It makes it worth posting lessons for people. I will be doing some more lessons.. the next one will have a more in depth look at economy picking itself and exercises. It will be called All the aspects of picking (II).. My guitar instructional on speed picking and technical accuracy is now available thru my site for immediate download www.AllenVanWert.net It even gives scientific proof of certain methods and very detailed directions and planning for you to follow. some audio samples and what I consider the very foundation of gaining speed and control. This lesson is actually one page from the book itself. Have fun! and thanks again for taking time to hone your craft and for being dedicated musicians... Allen 'ROBOT' Van Wert

[SlashandClapton]

Well, i think i am going to refuse to economy pick until i get to the sweep picking section of my speed mechanics book, but if anyone can give tips on the ideal way to hold the pick for the fastest picking Mysef, and many others would appreciate( I saw a few comments on it on this page). Im about to go look at your site robot, that was a great lesson

[BloodBrotherXxX]

Well, I broke my pinky finger about 9 months ago and i have a hard time tryin to play with it and i need some help to rehabilitate it (i think thats how its spelled) If you got any ideas on how to help me pleasepost it here or e-mail me at [e-mail]

[zep_hed449]

From experience rolling your thumb forward will give you an advantage in speed but may take from accuracy, attack the strings at a sharper angle and use a rocking motion, this works great for scales, you can also barely expose your thumb to the strings, throw in a vibrato and get some cool squeals that Zack Wylde and those guys love so much, kind of hard to explain hit me up and Ill try to explain it better.

[zep_hed449]

Blood brother which pinky did you break? Fretting or Picking hand? If its your fretting hand try working some pull-offs and Add-ons try working the 4th and 7th frets high and low. Try it as a warm up technique as well

[ToxicSoup]

crap... alternate.. thats going up and down, right? im terrible at going in upstrokes and my pinky finger is like a stick of jello... should i just practice those excercises and hope for the best?

[IriShDroPkick]

this has helped me a ton. thx fot the great lesson

[celluloid]

I find your lesson vey informative and well-elaborated. I've learned a lot.

[ShaunSA]

[soad_malakian]

since i play bass and i am not very used to picking on my guitar this was a good lesson for me. Can you post some more stuff on economy picking????.cheers.

[soad_malakian]

this guy has got 4 albums out. Some review said he will be the next member of the g3!!!!!(possibly). Somebody from ug is mainstream. Hurahhhhh.wohooooo

[Pr0az]

Bro it was a goog tut. One major thing you left out however is what economy picking is.....

[sammer28]

man.... ive been economy picking this whole time :P never knew it! good excersize for you pinky though!

[Poop606]

man awesome lesson, i havent done it much but what i have i can really tell that its helping me. i like the explination of the lumberjack too it made it make so much more sense. but props to the killer lesson!

[soad_malakian]

man i just keep coming back to this lesson cuz i just love it!.it reminds me that i could be a better guitarist.

[c0ld_3mphasis05]

Dude, you have a way of explaining things. You put some things out there that normal people wouldnt even think of. This is a 10 lesson if I have ever seen one.

[Bmack911]

dude, those r cool excersises. they helped me alot, even though i can economy pick, those warmup's r good for ur pinky.

[mr.Timps]

Learning acoustic and hope these will help.Exercises look nice so ill give it a try

[RoughDraft]

poor defenless tree...murder....
WHAT? ...I like the rainforest but PLEASE keep to guitar lessons...

[RipleyMKH]

this is good but how do u know to up or downstroke?

[deadsinner]

awesome lesson dude, i think i was one of the few that understood the economy picking principle first time round, and this is by far the longest lesson i'v seen but all worth it, helped me a bunch. keep on rockin!

[twist96]

Umm...there is one flaw with this lesson. Economy picking means you force your picking stroke to go up/down going lower/higher string respectively, right? Well, in your lesson, for the beginning practices, you give two notes per string...but think about it.

(Bear with me here)

Start with low E, Fret 5. To go to A, Fret 5, I'll need to do a downstroke on E6, right? So, I'll do an upstroke on E5. Then, E6, downstroke, and that flows me nicely to A5. To get to D5 from A6, I'll need to do a downstroke..but wait! I've done a downstroke already to get to A5! That means I'll have to do downstrokes all the way...but that's about as good as as doing ALL downstrokes.

Economy is supposed to be a COMBINATION of Strumming and Alternate.

What the author simply needs to do is add three notes per string instead...an odd number, so you'll have the final stroke on that string going in the correct direction WITH alteration included (on the second note).

I.E, instead of

A5: DOWN A6: DOWN

You could have:

A4: DOWN A6: UP A7: DOWN

So you'll include the Alteration aspect. Suffice to say, it is a nice toturial, but in my practice, I added the extra note per string.


I hope you understood the concept of what I'm pointing out.

[Mr. Kill]

man greeat lesson thanx!! and as the guys exapained i think what i use is economy picking.. and ur right its much faster once u get used to it.. thanks again

[SoilWzelot]

I

[SoilWzelot]

IF STILL DONT UNDERSTAND WHATS ECONOMY PICKING.....WWW.YOUTUBE.COM...FUNTWO....SEARCH...WATCH VIDEO....ECONOMY PICKING=COOL STUFF PLAYING FAST BUT PICKING SLOW ..JUST UP AND DOWN...ULL RECOGNISE IT...

[coldplay082002]

I STILL DONT UNDERSTAND WHATS ECONOMY PICKING.....but tnx!!! for the lesson!!! hehehe!!! pls... email me at [e-mail] and give me some advice about ECONOMY PICKING.....tnx in advance!!!

economy picking:
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/guitar_techniques/economy_picking.html

[ZeGuitarist]

javascript:insComm(106)
quote

This lesson's perfect for everybody who's not sure what economy picking actually is.. I made it, and I agree with robot (author of this lesson) that it's the best picking technique. So check out my lesson too!
ZeG

[ZeGuitarist]

Sry quote was wrong, here it is

economy picking:
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/guitar_techniques/economy_picking.html

ZeG

[JohnnySlash]

Great lesson! But there's only one thing I didn't get. Do you use an index/thumb picking motion or an elbow motion? thx again Robot! :cheers:

[raul_garza90]

hahaha is almost as good as sweep picking ajaja

[kevin144446]

Good job man

[FretboardToAsh]

amusing, and that scale isn't E-minor, it's E Dorian
since there's an C# in it:peace:

[robot]

sorry about that.. the talk about Eminor was meant for the set of exercises above the last parradiddle one. also.. if you wanted to get technical.. Dorian is a minor scale.. so is Phrygian and Aeolin. however I know you were saying natural minor...so i will stop being a dork.. sorry about the mixup. by bad.

[Ex'sAndOh's]

Sensational.

[nigguh_please]

is ecomnoy picking where you tilt your pick a little so that it slides off the string? if so, then i've been using this technique for a while and didnt know what it was =)

[-kuddel-]

man, that was really good work... it helped me a lot... keep on going, man

[chimp_spanner]

Just to say...this MAY have gotten to the root of my picking problem. It's so obvious, but I never considered the upstroke to be a technique worth knowing...even though it effectively constitutes HALF of my alternate picking technique. When I tried to do ups only, surprise surprise; I sucked. I'm gunna work at this one as much as I can. Great lesson *thumbs up*

[ATFN]

Dude, Good artical but. Just review you comment on 17 picks a second sounds a bit to much. It meas you play at 1020 bmp. Don't want to spoil you parade but just never hear of anybody that fast!

[dbrain22]

ROBOT Thanks for the great article and twist96, Thanks for the clearance in economy picking. In this case if you are using alternate picking then it will only be like downpicking or up picking but like twist96 suggested if you add one more note per string then you will get a better view of economy picking.

[Divinephyton]

Also, my technique was first wrist motion, then I went to only thumb and index motion, then fooled with "bad thechnique" of elbow picking, which actually turned out very fast and accurate once used without tension. I use a relaxed arm. It's a very refined motion from the relaxed but controlled elbow, wrist, and thumb. Remember that the relaxation of the muscles and slow programming is the key factor. It begins in your shoulder mentally focus on the shoulder and relax it, then the rest will follow. always keep this in check.

I've have asked a good deal of guitarists (both professional and just guys in bands), music instructors, teachers etc. and most of them do say that elbow picking in the long term even when you relax your elbow has a much higher risk of leading to serious problems than wrist picking, also I was told thumb and index motion in't too healthy for the fingers either, although nobody said it could cause serious injuries...

Does anybody have an opinion about this? Doctors and such could give extremely helpfull advice here

[Deep*Kick]

um with the examples when you go up to lighter strings do you play all down strokes like twist96 said or do u play upstroke-downstroke until you get to high e where its down-up. and the opposite for on the way down? also should changing between strings be done just from the wrist???? ty

[leadlix4emblem]

was that lumberjack thing an inside joke or something?

[leadlix4emblem]

wait nvm i read the entire thing now.

[Gandalf-Grey]

thx man, i just relized that i cant even pick all the upstroke notes, i guess thats why my alternate isnt very fast. thx again.

[Wolfgar]

Wow, nice lesson, man. But I would like to know, how hard and how long am I supposed to play those exercises till I can be really good at picking downstroke>upstroke and I can do that really fast ?

[Wolfgar]

I'm training for three days amd I can see lot of progress comparing with my alternate before I started to train

[Nivek88]

thanks..most of my picking is economy anyways...but some of these tips should help out with my accurracy.

[xavengedx]

really good lesson, thanks a lot for the help ^_^

seriously, helped me like hell

[HighPitchSolov2]

I dont get it.. its impossible to economy pick this riff
|-----5-6-----|
|-----5-6-----5-6-----|
|-----5-6-----5-6-----|
|-----5-6-----5-6-----|
|-----5-6-----5-6-----|
|-5-6-----5-6----|

How are you supposed to economy pick this? No notes just fall into each other, you HAVE to alternate pick..

[HighPitchSolov2]

^AHHH stupid thing wouldnt let me post it right.. its the very first riff in the whole lesson

[GlobalSG]

how in the world could this lesson have helped you people?! half of those excersizes would be be done exactly the same if they were in alternate picking or economy. i cant see how you people could even compliment this lesson. (no offence to ROBOT)

[dragonball]

what is an altertnate , economy , and sweep picking And how to do this things ?

[SGSamurai]

i can tremolo pick fine but i cant alt. pick across strings. do i just keep practiscing or am i screwing up?
its just ive only been playing a few months so maybe my technique isnt good enough.

[Jumboshrmp]

thanks.
What's a stylus pick though?
Wouldn't it be best to practice with the pick that we normally play with?

[robot]

HighPitchSolov2 wrote:

I dont get it.. its impossible to economy pick this riff
|-----5-6-----|
|-----5-6-----5-6-----|
|-----5-6-----5-6-----|
|-----5-6-----5-6-----|
|-----5-6-----5-6-----|
|-5-6-----5-6----|

How are you supposed to economy pick this? No notes just fall into each other, you HAVE to alternate pick..

Because when you move from the high e string to the b string and from the low e string to the a string you play them as economy instead of going around as in alternate.