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Scales    Modes    Alternate Picking    Fret Tapping    Sweep Picking    The Circle of 5ths   Theory Lesson


 

 

 

Go to the video for alternate picking

 

Ah yes, alternate picking. Such grace, such speed, such awesome precise power.

Alternate picking, for those of you who are unsure of what it is, is simply picking each note with an up stroke and then a down stroke alternately through out the riff or solo you are playing. this actually helps you to gain more speed and be more precise. I recommend doing each of the following exercises with a metronome. If you don't have a metronome you should be able to find one free out there on the internet.

 
 

 

Below are the tabs to the e-minor pentatonic which you hopefully should know by now. You will start out with a normal down stroke on the first note and then an upstroke on the second note, then a down stroke on the 3rd note ..etc.


|-----------------------------------12--15------------

|----------------------------12--15-------------------

|---------------------12--14--------------------------

|--------------12--14---------------------------------

|-------12--14----------------------------------------

|12--15-----------------------------------------------

Here's how it should sound - PLAY

 

OK well here is a little warm up exercise that will definitely build your picking speed or your money back :)

If at all possible play this with a metronome. It will DEFINITELY help you in your quest for precision sound.

Alternately pick the below example starting with a down stroke. Then go back and play it starting with an up stroke  to get used to both ways because sometimes you don't always get to choose which stroke you start on.

 

|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------3-4-5-6---------4-5-6-7---------5-6-7-8---------6-7-8-9--10-9-8-7-----------9-8-7-6-----------|
|---3-4-5-6---------4-5-6-7---------5-6-7-8---------6-7-8-9-------------------10-9-8-7----------9-8-7-6---|




|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--8-7-6-5---------7-6-5-4---------6-5-4-3----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------8-7-6-5---------7-6-5-4---------6-5-4-3--------------------------------------------------------|
 

Here's how it should sound - PLAY

 

You'll notice that we went from 2 notes per string with the Pentatonic to 4 notes per string with the above example. The next example will use three notes per string. I jumped from 2 notes /string to 4 notes/string to give you a wide gap to get you loosened up (or I just felt like it).

 

3 notes per string example 1:


|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------5-6-7-------------------7-8-9----|
|--------------5-6-7-------------------7-8-9----------|
|--------5-6-7-------------------7-8-9----------------|
|--5-6-7-------------------7-8-9----------------------|


Listen to it slow - PLAY
Listen to it Faster - PLAY

*Tip: If playing with distortion palm muting can help you gain more control over the notes being played. Palm muting may also help when playing clean. Try it.

 

 

 

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