• Registered: 2008-03-19
  • Posts: 13

Topic: Alternate Picking

Hi all

I've been playing for about a year, mostly "chords" and strumming, but also a few instrumentals (Ventures, The Shadows). Most of my playing has been just on my own, no backing, no background even and it was only when I went to play Walk Don't Run (The Ventures) that I realised how slow I was and how much faster I would have to get to play it "in time" with the backing.

So, I've started to practice alternate picking and trying to use that in everything I now play. I'm still not great at it (i.e, I still suck!), but I was wondering - as an experienced guitarist, do you use alternate picking as the norm or do you, errrm...alternate, between straightforward down picking and alternate?

The practice routines I've been using, other than playing WDR over and over, are simple alternate picking chords and scales to get me used to string skipping. Pleased to say that in a week I've gone from Godawful to about 60BMP without slurring notes, so I guess that's progress!

Cheers, Kevin

  • From: north wales. uk
  • Registered: 2008-11-23
  • Posts: 167

Re: Alternate Picking

Hi, I use alt picking most of the time, unless the music needs just down stroks, I find it keeps your struming hand in time better and as always it is much quicker to alt pick, in fact twice as quick as you gain a note on the up strum.

the best practice all round is to play along with a song you like, you will learn just what the guitarist who played it was doing.

best of luck tonyblue

man is the dream of the doliphin
  • From: Orpington London
  • Registered: 2006-10-22
  • Posts: 390

Re: Alternate Picking

alternate picking for me

johncross21's Website

  • From: Frederick, MD
  • Registered: 2006-12-28
  • Posts: 851

Re: Alternate Picking

I play lead guitar for a church and the only way I can keep up with some of the faster praise music is using Alternate Picking.

=]
Dm

"Talent instantly recognizes genius,
but mediocrity knows nothing more than itself."

-Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle

Detman101's Website

  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,865

Re: Alternate Picking

It depends on the song and the player a steady downstrum makes for a stronger beat but there are limits regarding tempo and consistancy I use both and have no problems but I have been playing for over 40 years smile

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website

  • Registered: 2008-03-19
  • Posts: 13

Re: Alternate Picking

Thanks guys. I know what you (Russell) mean about it depending on the tempo, but I find that even at what seems a steady beat I can't comfortably keep up using just downstrums.

  • From: Western Oregon,US
  • Registered: 2008-07-22
  • Posts: 2,498

Re: Alternate Picking

Alternate or "Atkins" style Hybrid for the most part, but I rarely find myself with a pick in hand anyway.... that's why the Lord made Fingernails!

  Guess for me that answer would have to be any and all of the above.... the more tools in the kit, the easier the job gets done.  Learn everything you can, and when the time comes it will all fall into place as to what you need to do almost without thinking.
Russsell's got a couple years on me.... but we tend to agree on most things.  Something about experience revealing basic truths, another one of those universal constants.

Take Care;
Doug

"what is this quintessence of dust?"  - Shakespeare
  • From: Ireland
  • Registered: 2007-09-23
  • Posts: 84

Re: Alternate Picking

The only time I don't use alternate picking is when I play metal of hard rock riffs!

jaminfesteddonkey's Website