Alternate Picking

Lesson 3/62 | Study Time: 5 Min
Course: Rock Guitar
Alternate Picking

Alternate Picking

All the examples you have played so far have involved a downward pick motion, indicated by a a. When playing eighth notes, a down (a) and up (s) picking technique is commonly used. This is called alternate picking, and is essential for the development of speed and accuracy.

The technique involves using a down pick on the beat (the number count) and an up pick off the beat (the "and" count). Practice the previous example using alternate picking until you can do it comfortably and then try the following example which uses alternate picking for eighth notes and downstrokes for all the quarter and half notes. It is a good idea to practice the first two bars and last two bars separately at first, as the picking is quite different in these two sections.

Here are some more examples to help you become comfortable using eighth notes. Remember to use alternate picking and count out loud as you play along with your metronome. Practice each one slowly until you can play it smoothly and evenly. Gradually increase the speed on your metronome until you are more confident playing at a faster tempo (speed).

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Class Sessions

1- Syncopation 2- Playing Two Strings Together 3- Chords 4- Rests 5- Minor Chords 6- Arpeggios 7- Learning All the Notes 8- Using An Electronic Tuner 9- The Release Bend 10- Vibrato 11- Bending Notes 12- The Half Bar 13- Using the Whole Fretboard 14- The Slide 15- The Minor Pentatonic Scale 16- Sixteenth Notes 17- The Triplet 18- Left Hand Technique 19- Moving to Different Keys 20- Moving Between Forms 21- How to Read Music 22- Notes on the Fourth String 23- The Eighth Note 24- Five Forms of the Pentatonic Scale 25- Notes on the First String 26- Scale Degrees 27- Electric Guitars 28- Pentatonic Blues Solo 29- The Symbols 8va and Loco 30- Notes on the Sixth String 31- Music Notation 32- Left Hand Technique 33- Analyzing What You Play 34- The Lead-in 35- Slight Bends 36- Notes on the Second String 37- Tones and Semitones 38- Identifying Scale Patterns 39- Slash Chords 40- Chord Shapes 41- Alternate Picking 42- Rhythm Notation 43- Notes on the Fifth String 44- Vibrato With Bent Notes 45- Power Chords 46- Sharps 47- Jam Along Progressions 48- Notes on the Guitar Fretboard 49- Riffs 50- Major Chord Formations 51- Movable Power Chords 52- Notes on the Sixth String 53- Notes on the Third String 54- Bar Lines 55- Electric Guitar Pickups 56- The Chromatic Scale 57- Chord Symbols 58- Amplifiers 59- Listening 60- Flats 61- Picking the Open Strings 62- Types of Amplifiers

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