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Kenny’s Electric Guitar Crash Course

Alternate Picking


Fig. 1: Simple Alternate Picking Exercise

Fig. 2: Alternate Picking Variation

Alternate picking is a technique in which you pick in a down, up, down, up pattern. It allows you to play a series of picked notes fluently and cleanly. It helps develop a good sense of rhythm because the regular picking motion helps acquire an evenness of timing that is absolutely essential. When picking single notes in a series you should always use alternate picking. Once it is mastered it will allow you to achieve great speed. Look and listen to the example below and ask yourself if you think it would be possible to pick at this speed with just downstrokes of the pick.

Pick Position And Movement

Everyone holds a pick a little bit differently. Most people find that
holding your pick with the tips of the thumb and forefinger sufficient.
How you hold your pick to the strings is what is important here. You don’t want the top of your pick to lean too far towards the ceiling or towards the floor. You may want to position you pick at a slight angle.

Limit arm movement to your wrist. Your thumb, finger, elbow, or arm should not move when picking. Keep your wrist movement to a minimum to achieve maximum speed.

Down, Up, Down, Up Symbols

Look at the picture below. The first symbol in the pattern is the down
symbol. The second symbol in the pattern is the up symbol. All the alternate picking exercises have these symbols in the tab.

Usually you won’t see these down, up, down, up symbols in tablature.
The use of alternate picking is expected when you pick a series a single notes. Since our purpose is to develop our alternate picking skill we’ve included them with each exercise for your preference.

Exercise 1

For this exercise practice the down, up, down, up alternate picking pattern on the open high E string. Start slowly! You want the notes to be as even as possible. Once you’re able to play the pattern evenly slowly increase the tempo. This may seem like a boring exercise, but it’s very beneficial to build alternate picking skills. Do the exercise while you watch TV. It’s a no-brainer.

Exercise 2

Now we’re going to alternate pick on all 6 strings. This one isn’t as
easy as it looks. Remember to keep the notes even. Once you can play through the exercise without a mishap and all the notes are even, try playing it faster and faster. Don’t get sloppy! Maintain a clean attack.

Exercise 3

Now let’s get the left hand involved. We used a metronome to play along with on this exercise. Concentrate on keeping it clean and even. It doesn’t matter if you have to go real slow at first. You’ll build speed with time. If you try to rush into playing fast before you are ready it will just sound sloppy.

Notice that there are 3 notes per string on this one and some strings
begin with an upstroke. We don’t change the alternate picking pattern even when we switch strings.

More About Alternate Picking

Alternate picking is a guitar playing technique, used only by pick users, that employs strictly alternating downward and upward picking strokes in a continuous run, and is the most common method of plectrum playing. If this technique is performed on a single note at a high speed, then it may also be referred to as tremolo picking.Read More »Alternate Picking

Five Songs That Forever Changed Electric Guitar

Electric Guitar Hasn’t Been The Same Since…

It’s a rare occurrence when a single song changes everything, but I’m going to list five songs that forever changed how electric guitar was played.

While Jazz musicians had been using electric guitars since the 1930’s, the later half of the 20th century saw the emergence of the electric guitar in mainstream music. This new spin on an old instrument provided the guitarist with more versatility over his instrument.  The guitarist also had the ability to alter and change the sound by using effects which enabled new experimentation.

Through the years a plethora of great electric guitar music has hit the airwaves, but the gems of songs found on this list stand out as turning points in the direction of the instrument. These songs did not create quickly fading fads, but changed how people played the electric guitar for all time.Read More »Five Songs That Forever Changed Electric Guitar

Changing Electric Guitar Strings (Fender)

Changing electric guitar strings is not that hard and something you should become comfortable doing on your own. You should change your strings on a regular basis. For example, if you start to see an oily, dirty build up on your strings then you should probably change your strings. The dirt from your hands and fingers is collected by the strings and will kill your tone.

Active players or professional players may change their strings one a week or more, especially if they are playing in public. Some players change strings just before each show.

A Word About String Gauges

Strings come in variety of gauges. The gauge of the string tells you the thickness of the strings. The lower the gauge the thinner the strings, higher gauges mean thicker strings. Most manufactures display the gauge size by the size (diameter) of the high E string (the smallest string). Typical gauges run from .008 to .012.

Read More »Changing Electric Guitar Strings (Fender)