ALTERNATE PICKING is when you play a string or strings with alternate strokes or picks as opposed to playing with a continous downstroke or upstroke.The best way to start developing your alternate picking technique is with the CHROMATIC SCALE.Its also known as the HALF-TONE scale.
It can be played with all four fingers on one string which is why its the perfect scale to develop co-ordination between your pick hand and your fret hand.For me its musically a boring scale as it lacks any melodic intervals and we are starting with this scale predominantly just for the effectiveness it has on your left and right hand coordination.
Developing coordination and a good picking technique takes time and requires patience and a lot of determination.So dont expect miracles overnight because they will only come with many days/weeks of practise.A lot of what follows may be already familiar to most but its necessary to practise these anyway and make sure you can play them ACCURATELY
with a metronome as some of the lessons later in this course will be SCARY.
with a metronome as some of the lessons later in this course will be SCARY.
So you will need to have your chops up to scratch.We start the course with the first exercise i was ever taught on the guitar.So get out those metronomes and turn those mobile fones off and get ready to work those fingers to the bone!!!!!
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In EXAMPLE 1 we are going to use all four fingers.And its important that we stick to the finger per fret rule while playing this exercise.The finger per fret rule is self explanatory.Each finger is assigned to a certain fret.For example if you are playing the 1st fret with your 1st finger you will play the 2nd fret with your 2nd finger and so on.
This is essential for developing speed and fluency.We start the example with a downstroke on the first note followed by an upstroke on the next note and so on.Also a good practise habit is to accent the 1st note of every 4 notes.Accent meaning to pick that note a little harder.
It will help your timing especially when playing at greater speeds and it will help your playing DYNAMICS which again we will be getting into later on.When picking the string its important not to pick with too much of the pick/plectrum sticking into the string as this will lead to the plec getting caught in the string.
When alternate picking its important that you pick with a relatively loud pick stroke.
Picking too softly will lead to sloppiness and an insecurity in your picking.Trust Me!
You need to develop confidence in your picking and the only way to do this is to pick
aggresively.Dont over do it obviously,but be confident.A lot of people pick softly as they are afraid of their mistakes being louder.
Picking too softly will lead to sloppiness and an insecurity in your picking.Trust Me!
You need to develop confidence in your picking and the only way to do this is to pick
aggresively.Dont over do it obviously,but be confident.A lot of people pick softly as they are afraid of their mistakes being louder.
But at the same time the notes you play well wont be as loud as they could be so its catch 22.And either way you shouldnt be thinking of the mistakes you will make.Everyone makes mistakes and making mistakes is part of the learning process.
To quote Einstein 'Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new'.
To quote Einstein 'Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new'.
So think of it this way,if your making mistakes and your aware of your mistakes,your learning ;) Repeat this example a few times without stopping.With this example and most others it makes for good practise to move it up and down the fretboard.
For example when you get back to the last note,in this case we finish 4 3 2 1 on the low e string,then you should start the next position on the 2nd fret and so on.Playng in certain areas of the fretboard exercises different groups of muscles in yur hand so therefore its important to practise on the higher frets also.
And dontforget to practise THE SPIDER technique with these chromatic exercises for maximum benefit.
EXAMPLE 1
In EXAMPLE 2 we are covering more of the fretboard.But remember to accent the 1st of every 4 notes and to use all of your fingers.You still use the finger per fret rule even though you are changing to a different group of frets on each string.The pattern is the same as in EX.1 except we move up a semi-tone/half tone on each string.
A semi-tone/half tone is the distance of one fret.For example from the 1st fret to the 2nd fret.And therefore a whole tone/full tone is the distance of two frets,from the 1st fret to the 3rd fret.Remember with this and all other examples you should move them around the whole fretboard.Repeat this example a few times without stopping.
EXAMPLE 2
In EXAMPLES 3-7 we are using some PERMUTATIONS in the 1st fret position.
You can apply these permutations to any chromatic sequence.
You can apply these permutations to any chromatic sequence.
EXAMPLE 3
EXAMPLE 4
EXAMPLE 5
EXAMPLE 6
EXAMPLE 7
In EXAMPLES 8-10 we are simply moving the chromatics chromatically up and down the board.Aim for a smooth transition between positions and use a metronome to gain most effect for your coordnation and timing.Also practise these on all of the strings.
There are infinte possibilities with these examples so come up with some of your own ideas too.
EXAMPLE 8
EXAMPLE 9
EXAMPLE 10
In EXAMPLES 11-13 we are applying STRING SKIPPING which puts a little more stretch into the equation and works the muscles a little harder.Try applying THE SPIDER to these to really work your fingers and develop an amazing economy of motion technique.
EXAMPLE 11
EXAMPLE 12
EXAMPLE 13
EXAMPLE 14 is the correct form for the actual chromatic scale.All the previous examples
used the chromatic scale but didnt work through all the notes in proper chromatic order.
EXAMPLE 14
EXAMPLES 15-18 are some really great exercises for developing your fingers even further and requires a chosen finger to move to other strings while the other 3 stay playing on the same string.I call these examples 'The Runaways' for obvious reasons.
These also prove themselves to be a very tricky picking exercise also and work your picking hand to its maximum and give you great control over your picking.
These also prove themselves to be a very tricky picking exercise also and work your picking hand to its maximum and give you great control over your picking.
Try and figure out the other runaways starting on all the different fingers as these are all off of just the 1st finger.After this we are finished with chromatics for the time being to everyones relief im sure and we are ready to move on but make sure you practise all of the above a few times before you move on to alternate picking 2.
EXAMPLE 15
EXAMPLE 16
EXAMPLE 17
EXAMPLE 18
