All_¥our_Bass
Deathly Chuuni
You need to work on your timing and precision a bit, but I really liked your phrasing and ideas. I bet that guitar tone sounds a lot better in person too.
How to improve my alternate picking...?
- Thread starter justreleased09
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pineappleman
Why can I not sleep?
Black_tear
Well-Known Member
I bougth it for +- 60 dolars back in 2004 but those were the best money i have ever spent on a dvd. I can say without any doubt that you'll never regret buying it!
Ok i know this is a bit old thread, but since it is quite evindent in this case and nobody had mentioned it, i just wanted to bring up the picking angle. The OTHER kind of picking angle.
Everyone's always talking about the angle which defines the pick being either flat to the strings or in a ~45 degree angle, which is quite popular. But that's not what i mean.
I haven't seen much discussion about the angle that defines whether the tip of your pick is closer to the floor (or in this case, the ceiling) or the side of the pick that you're holding. If you don't know what i mean, imagine yourself doing a sweeping motion through the strings and helping the pick slide up and down by making it "lean" to the direction you're going. The kind of angling ppl do to make strumming on an acoustic easier. Picking a single string with any kind of angle in this sense will cause an uneven sound and hinder the progress. It's often the reason why the picking rhythm might unintentionally sound shuffled. The best way to avoid this is to keep the thumb parallel to the body of the guitar.
In the latest vid posted by the OP you can see this quite clearly around 0:30 ->
To me it was a revelation to realize that there are indeed 2 different axis(es?) around which one can angle the pick. Hopefully the OP (if he's still checking this out) or someone will find this helpful
Everyone's always talking about the angle which defines the pick being either flat to the strings or in a ~45 degree angle, which is quite popular. But that's not what i mean.
I haven't seen much discussion about the angle that defines whether the tip of your pick is closer to the floor (or in this case, the ceiling) or the side of the pick that you're holding. If you don't know what i mean, imagine yourself doing a sweeping motion through the strings and helping the pick slide up and down by making it "lean" to the direction you're going. The kind of angling ppl do to make strumming on an acoustic easier. Picking a single string with any kind of angle in this sense will cause an uneven sound and hinder the progress. It's often the reason why the picking rhythm might unintentionally sound shuffled. The best way to avoid this is to keep the thumb parallel to the body of the guitar.
In the latest vid posted by the OP you can see this quite clearly around 0:30 ->
To me it was a revelation to realize that there are indeed 2 different axis(es?) around which one can angle the pick. Hopefully the OP (if he's still checking this out) or someone will find this helpful
I've been playing for over 20 years... best advice I've ever given/received... buy a metronome! Or in todays day an age, iPhone has an app for that!
Or use software like Amplitube and play along with drum tracks or click tracks. Or play with a (good) drummer!
If you're a beginner or intermediate... tap your foot. Learn how to strum on the upstroke and the downstroke (unlike Mastodon lol). You don't need anything fancy. Learn how to play rhythm patterns from staff music.... anything will do... that way you get used to more than just speed picking at one speed (boring). Plus, this will give you the mind-muscle connection (AKA muscle memory) that you need for true alternate picking.
Guitarmasterclass is a great website with thousands of visual/audio lessons and you can even download them into GuitarPro software. (All stuff we didnt have in my day!)
Here's what I did growing up:
I used to work on this one simple warmup that was basically 1st to 6th string then back to 1st string with alternate picking... 1,2,3,4 fret on each string with corresponding finger, then back down 5,4,3,2. Then, when I got back to the 1st string, I would do this again with 3,4,5,6 frets and back down 7,6,5,4... etc... (you can play with this to make it interesting... e.g. 1,3,5,7 then back down 9,7,5,3... or you can try different rhythm patterns such as 2 1/8 then 2 1/16 notes, etc... which would really work on your alternate picking)... do this faster and faster to a metronome or drum track.
Next, I would run the modes of the GM scale from 6th to 1st string all the way up the fretboard. Say the names of the note as you play them... if someone says They're strumming a G, you should be able to find every G on your fretboard, and every D as well (1st and 5th interval are most common ending/beginning notes of any solo so when in doubt). I can rip now and that's all I ever did.
Of course we didn't drop tune in my day, so it can get confusing when you're hitting what 'should be an E' but its really an A lol... but that's a whole diff problem... but whatever you do keep in fun... guitar is supposed to be enjoyable and when it stops being enjoyable then why bother... you might as well do something more productive like cure cancer...
Or use software like Amplitube and play along with drum tracks or click tracks. Or play with a (good) drummer!
If you're a beginner or intermediate... tap your foot. Learn how to strum on the upstroke and the downstroke (unlike Mastodon lol). You don't need anything fancy. Learn how to play rhythm patterns from staff music.... anything will do... that way you get used to more than just speed picking at one speed (boring). Plus, this will give you the mind-muscle connection (AKA muscle memory) that you need for true alternate picking.
Guitarmasterclass is a great website with thousands of visual/audio lessons and you can even download them into GuitarPro software. (All stuff we didnt have in my day!)
Here's what I did growing up:
I used to work on this one simple warmup that was basically 1st to 6th string then back to 1st string with alternate picking... 1,2,3,4 fret on each string with corresponding finger, then back down 5,4,3,2. Then, when I got back to the 1st string, I would do this again with 3,4,5,6 frets and back down 7,6,5,4... etc... (you can play with this to make it interesting... e.g. 1,3,5,7 then back down 9,7,5,3... or you can try different rhythm patterns such as 2 1/8 then 2 1/16 notes, etc... which would really work on your alternate picking)... do this faster and faster to a metronome or drum track.
Next, I would run the modes of the GM scale from 6th to 1st string all the way up the fretboard. Say the names of the note as you play them... if someone says They're strumming a G, you should be able to find every G on your fretboard, and every D as well (1st and 5th interval are most common ending/beginning notes of any solo so when in doubt). I can rip now and that's all I ever did.
Of course we didn't drop tune in my day, so it can get confusing when you're hitting what 'should be an E' but its really an A lol... but that's a whole diff problem... but whatever you do keep in fun... guitar is supposed to be enjoyable and when it stops being enjoyable then why bother... you might as well do something more productive like cure cancer...
TheSixthWheel
bangetzit
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I only just saw this because of the recent bump. So many people struggle with right hand technique because they're using too much physical movement. Some of the best guitarists use as little movement as they can get away with, saving energy and stamina.
My probably now unnecessary and excessively dramatic answer to the OP's question of how to improve would be;
1 - Stop alternate picking from your elbow, especially with a tense upper arm. Pick from your wrist. Although the last video shows you picking fairly neatly while only really moving your wrist, your elbow still looks like its the main hinge at times. Think about using a pen while writing. You don't lean only your elbow on a table to write - You use your hand as a reference while moving your fingers and hinging from the wrist. Generally while picking you should avoid moving your fingers and rely on your wrist movement alone to become consistant. Having said that, Buz McGrath from Unearth moves the hell out of his fingers while alt picking and he could probably do it accurately all day. A fine motor skill like alternate picking/writing requires as much accuracy and consistancy as possible. It's very hard to be consistant and accurate over a large distance while picking from your elbow. Some people do it fine, but because you feel you're not getting better you need to adjust your technique. Keep the blade of your palm planted on the bridge, and keep your elbow and forearm as still as possible while your picking motion hinges from your wrist. This also allows for quick palm muting of single notes when necessary.
2 - Grab that thumb pick, and put it to use as it's intended. As a door stop. Then pick up any normal guitar plectrum such as Dunlop (Jazz III's, Gators, Tortex, Ultex) or any proper plectrum which wasn't destined for use with thigh slapping in between banjo numbers. Seriously though.
3 - Hold your pick close to the tip. I only mention this because those thumb picks generally extend a fair way out from the side of your thumb. They're long, and means your thumb has to be further away from the string. This means less accuracy, and in addition to (IMO) hindering any pinch harmonics, pick scrapes and sweeps, you're going to find that pick moving around on your thumb a lot when the index finger isn't underneath to support it anyway. That being the case, I'd recommend trying to ween yourself away from thumb picks. With a normal pick there should be some pick visible either side of your thumb. Again I'll use the example of writing with a pen. Try writing neatly with a pen while holding it say, halfway down its length. Now try holding it close to the tip. Which was more accurate?
To me, using one of those thumb picks while alt picking from your elbow is the equivalent of holding a pen halfway down its length, and leaning on the table only with your elbow while attempting to write neatly.
Smaller movements are faster movements.
My probably now unnecessary and excessively dramatic answer to the OP's question of how to improve would be;
1 - Stop alternate picking from your elbow, especially with a tense upper arm. Pick from your wrist. Although the last video shows you picking fairly neatly while only really moving your wrist, your elbow still looks like its the main hinge at times. Think about using a pen while writing. You don't lean only your elbow on a table to write - You use your hand as a reference while moving your fingers and hinging from the wrist. Generally while picking you should avoid moving your fingers and rely on your wrist movement alone to become consistant. Having said that, Buz McGrath from Unearth moves the hell out of his fingers while alt picking and he could probably do it accurately all day. A fine motor skill like alternate picking/writing requires as much accuracy and consistancy as possible. It's very hard to be consistant and accurate over a large distance while picking from your elbow. Some people do it fine, but because you feel you're not getting better you need to adjust your technique. Keep the blade of your palm planted on the bridge, and keep your elbow and forearm as still as possible while your picking motion hinges from your wrist. This also allows for quick palm muting of single notes when necessary.
2 - Grab that thumb pick, and put it to use as it's intended. As a door stop. Then pick up any normal guitar plectrum such as Dunlop (Jazz III's, Gators, Tortex, Ultex) or any proper plectrum which wasn't destined for use with thigh slapping in between banjo numbers. Seriously though.
3 - Hold your pick close to the tip. I only mention this because those thumb picks generally extend a fair way out from the side of your thumb. They're long, and means your thumb has to be further away from the string. This means less accuracy, and in addition to (IMO) hindering any pinch harmonics, pick scrapes and sweeps, you're going to find that pick moving around on your thumb a lot when the index finger isn't underneath to support it anyway. That being the case, I'd recommend trying to ween yourself away from thumb picks. With a normal pick there should be some pick visible either side of your thumb. Again I'll use the example of writing with a pen. Try writing neatly with a pen while holding it say, halfway down its length. Now try holding it close to the tip. Which was more accurate?
To me, using one of those thumb picks while alt picking from your elbow is the equivalent of holding a pen halfway down its length, and leaning on the table only with your elbow while attempting to write neatly.
Smaller movements are faster movements.
Ryan-ZenGtr-
Well-Known Member
I agree with TheSixthWheel 2nd point, based on what suits MY playing style. I would be worse than useless with a thumb pick. But the OP probably uses better than most regular pickers.
I just wanted to say, in the 2nd video, YOU HAVE IT NAILED! WELL DONE!
It was great to see the improvement from video 1 through to 2. It's always good to people improving at things they enjoy.
Also, don't forget Shawn Lane!
Happy picking!
I just wanted to say, in the 2nd video, YOU HAVE IT NAILED! WELL DONE!
It was great to see the improvement from video 1 through to 2. It's always good to people improving at things they enjoy.
Also, don't forget Shawn Lane!
Happy picking!
coldandhomeless
Well-Known Member
alot of this advice is good advice, but there is one key element that i think could help you... unplug ur guitar, put 10s on ur axe, and use a heavy pick for about a month... then go back to 9's (assuming they are ur size...most common) and you will be waaay more accurate. i practice everything i play unplugged with medium high action and thick strings... plugged back in, it will be insane after you practice... sorta like running with weights on ur ankles....
hard_rockin_man
Member
AP is my favorite technique. When I was much younger I couldn't really figure out how Malmsteen sounds so tasty and clean. Then later I found that he's actually not using pure alternate picking. True AP players at the time (even nowadays) were Paul Gilbert and Vinnie Moore. I used to have an old acoustic guitar that couldn't be tuned properly. It was working up to 7th fret and everything else was out of tune. I spent 5 years practicing Yngwie's solos on that guitar. Later when I got a proper electric guitar, it felt like wearing trainers after one year walking in heavy military boots. AP became a piece of cake for me over night.
I even wrote an article about AP, in depth explanation from scratch to real world examples. You can check it out here.
I even wrote an article about AP, in depth explanation from scratch to real world examples. You can check it out here.
