Added: 4 years ago
From: leefe115
Views: 101,952
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:

All Comments (270)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • you mean to tell me...it isnt natural to just do this?? ever since i've picked up a guitar i've been doing it

  • I have the exact guitar!

  • I also wanna just mention the if the pick you are using is too flexible you'll find this really hard. That was my problem, I was using a .70mm pick and now im using a .96mm and it is much easier to alternate faster :)

  • haha , hot.

  • Forget alternate picking I love that brian may cardboard standup. Who needs speed picking when you can just have one of those up onstage with you, you'll have the world's attention.

  • Is it ok if I use my thumb and pointer finger to alternate pick instead of using my entire hand?

  • @metalfreak4677 if you can do it that way then yes. you do it however you feel comfy with it as long as it works thats all that matters . :)

  • Dude, I never thought to tilt the pick so it'll go past the strings more efficiently. And I've recently been noticing that my pick gets caught on my strings alot and it sounds awful. Thanks for posting this so that I'd one day watch it and go, "Hmmm."

  • This is hard to do? LOL I learned tremolo picking so fast

  • Ah, 240p, we meet again

  • zzz  slow

  • Totally helped me with Thunderstruck :D

  • when I play alternate picking I'm feeling that I'm loosing control of the pick.It's just slowly slipping out of my fingers has any of you had this problem before?

  • @Tompson911 yea your probably playing to fast just take it real slow dont matter if your playing at like 10 bpm just make sure you alternate picking and you you hit all your notes correctly..then eventually you can speed it up not to much though because its gona feel weird

    its like when you first got introduced to the computer..you typed slow on a keyboard and the words didnt come out correct..then over time you type like a beast and all the words are correct

  • I play guitar for 7 years, and I down-pick only when playing very fast, I can´t do it slow, so I just downpick...

  • @GlockenspielSAS the only thing is when you play stuff like metallica solos this technique is need this is why i really need to learn this. i downpick too i can go fast but just not fast enough to keep up with some songs so this twchnique really helps to know it. but i supose its what you play :)

  • @GlockenspielSAS

    I've been playing for the same amount of time wiht only down strokes too. It's so hard for me to alternate D:

  • @Princofbela1r Well, Lamb Of God songs helped me a lot to improve my alternate picking :D But I still write down-picked riffs, it sounds great!

  • is it possible to double pick with your index finger only? the same way you would use your index finger to strum? im trying to get good without the use of a plectrum, and i need to know if its possible for the index(pointer) finger to do everything that a plectrum could do. someone please help me!

  • @jacobbobcorn no you need a pick big mistake learning to play without a pick UNLESS you fingerpick style guitar. a pick is very important cause it gives much better and cleaner sounds you finger cant work like a pick can especially on alternate picking your finger would be well sore

  • mucho hablaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa­!!!

  • @mrerikpunk Porque no quieres que el hable? Es un maestro tienes que hablar para ensenar

  • when alternate picking i have a bad problem when transitioning to other strings... it's hard to make a clean transition without rubbing against the string im moving away from... any tips?

  • @DarkRetroFan64 Just practice slowly then faster and faster, you will get the correct move, then you'll be able to speed up the tempo and alternate cleanly :)

  • @DarkRetroFan64 i have this problem too the trick is to just keep practicing slowly and move up in speed gradually every1 starts somewere. i hit other strings too but with practice you will get used to the pattern, all you have to do is get used to the feel of your guitar and master the strings distances this is 1 of the hard parts of guitar probably 1 of the most difficult strums id say but its like anything else practice makes perfect

  • unholy confessions introduced me to this when i was learning the guitar

  • For alternate picking when you go up a string, like from the fifth to the fourth and it's a downstrum on the fifth, would the next be an upstrum? I get confused and this is how my guitar teacher tells me, but it feels if your going up a string no matter what it should be a downstrum just because your pick is already there.

  • i do good for like 8 up down picks but then i stop for like a second i cant do it for a long time without messing up does anybody have any tips?

  • William Brutal, thankyou. The critical part of this lesson is the angle of the pick. The angle changes everything, it relaxes your hand, your wrist, and it allows the pick to glide to so that you can feel the whole action much better.

  • That was exactly what I was looking for! Awesome lesson! Thanks dude!

  • I find it difficult to alternate pick and palm mute at the same time. Any tips?

  • @moom1000 try just tencening your hand over the string it makes your hand almost vibrate and adds a lot of speed almost tremolo

  • thanks for clarifying where down is. =0) that had me stumped..

  • Thanks for posting this! I have been utilizing alternate picking for a while but was unhappy with my speed. Your advice on angling the pick and keeping it perpendicular has helped me a lot. Thanks again!

  • I personally like to place my pinky and my ring fingers on the pickguard as well as my palm on the bridge(when not palm muting) to balance my right hand.I noticed others such as Jason becker use this method as well.But it truly is about whats comfortable for you.And turning the pick a little really does just feel like a sweetspot.

  • The wrist motion is allso important. Avoid using your whole hand. But GREAT tips & tricks! Oh and one more thing, fingers which do not hold the pick should be bent so they cause minimal torque. I manage to get a bit more speed doing this.

    With kind regards.

  • great lesson! i'm gonna try it out, i've had a hard time doing that

  • yeah it is hard to get used to lol

  • @programmzero wtf? it's a most basic technique in guitar playing

  • @Soboliew being self taught..i started out just strumming down, it was pretty hard to get used to alternate picking.

  • @austin7956 Dude totaly true... I envy people who had a teacher who taught them to alternate pick from the very beginning, economy picking was a time thrown away...

  • @austin7956 your teaching yourselfe to? hows it going?

  • @ardeod im not necessarily teaching myself..im learning on my own terms. i learn from the internet (i use tabs) and from just listening to songs..no formal teaching at all. and its going pretty damn good :D

  • @austin7956 well thats pretty much what im doing, good luck! :P

  • @austin7956 Same here.

  • @Soboliew i broke my wrist and its hard to bend.lol

  • thanks man but... the side effect of using the pick on that angle made ma pick have teeths lol

  • Tq 4 the gr8 lesson, man!

  • instant freakin success!!!! many thanks mate!!

  • I've been playing for 2 years And I still can't get this shit along with scales. Do I suck? please someone tell me.

  • @metalfreak4677 im the same mate, i can alternative pick on 1 string but when im moving up and down strings it just dosnt work.

  • @mottsta And you know whats funny? I can almost sweep pick but I can't alternate pick. lol!

  • @metalfreak4677 haha i guess its different for everyone, don't worry I'm sure we'll get it someday :D

  • @mottsta Yeah it just takes some time.

  • thanks man, it helped me a lot!

  • alternate picking seems really hard to me

  • I love this teacher!!! So helpful and simple!

  • dude that really helps. thank you

  • nice lesson

  • i thought it was a certain special type of picking, even though i already got it down, i thought your vid was great. 

  • is it just me or does videos on youtube restart sometimes after they play for a few secs?

  • @asseertedwolf yer i get that on some vids

  • Many have said it already, but ---- Angle = INSTANT Success.

    THANK YOU, THANK YOU very much. I am So happy right now.

  • That niot what i wanted to know i wanted to know alternate puicking but the style that used in as i lay dying in the song a ocense between us and the sound of trufe

  • i suck at this. a good practice song is "I Walk the Line" by Cash

  • THANK YOU!

    i finally got this technique, great lesson for me. tilting the pick, that's the key.!

  • i play guitar for about 5 months withough teachers.im glad i can succeed many things like doublepicking :) man seriously you are rly helpful.

  • Bill Brutal?

    what are you some fucking scene kid? nice lesson btw. 

  • nice guitar. didn't know metal knobs made that much difference. XD AN INSPIRATION TO ME.

  • VOTE FOR BILL BRUTAL..!!

  • i thought this was obvious

  • man, thanks a lot

    i always felt strange when comming up in the string

    now it feels so much smoother, thanks :D

  • Thanks that really helped, i was playing it no prob in seconds :)

  • i want that Brian May cardboard!

  • Thank you! I could finally do it correctly!!

    Now it's time to practice!

    Changing the pick's angle made the difference.

  • do you do the same motion for the high B and E strings coz it doesnt really slide when u pick upwards as much as the low strings?

  • nice dude.. thanks a lot...

  • let the left hand do whatever the right hand can pick:0)

  • Cool! thanks man. \m/

  • im learning howt o play guitar and all i do is alternate picking... I cant go down all the time or up all the time.... but the worst thing is me requiring to look at what im picking instead of what im fretting

  • got a question , when doing double picking i no u go up down but if u was to go down a string could you up down down if u get me? write back

  • @RsWatchNEnjoy the answer is no, its a bad habbit in my opinion to double down pick when going down a string or double up pick when you go up a string. so i would try to keep it up down up down, it might seem slower at first but when you get into more complicated guitar riffs staying strictly up down will be helpfull

  • @RsWatchNEnjoy

    excellent lesson leefe.

    alternate picking is usually the best technique but economy picking is okay in the right situation. Much harder to stay in a good rhythm though with EP though imo. As leefe said, whatever works best for you.

  • i dont find it really that hard to

    double pick while im sitting down but when im playing stood up i find it really difficult and cant stop the pick from grabbing the string on the up pick, and if i angle the pick it just feels really uncomfortable to play so i play worse :\

    any advice?

  • you are a legend, thank you, thank you so much!

  • beautiful, very in detail.thanks

  • beautiful guitar

  • lol i thought that cardboard dude on the left was real for like 4 minutes

  • @Eagles773 that "dude" is Brian May! :P

  • Thanks for the angle advise !

  • is it better to use a thin or thick pickk

  • @RaNgErRiCk721 medium actually

  • man... you are fucking awesome! :D:D

  • holy shit

    best beginner video ever. I've seen dozens of picking videos and this is the 1st one that said to angle the pick that way!

  • That tone doesn't give the picking sound any justice it seems like?

  • i could never alternet pick... now i twisted my pick sideways and i can do it now... wow. lol. thank you!

  • does any1 have advise 4 um not speed picking but you cant get to speed normal picking. thx in advance

  • AWESOME!!

  • During all the lesson, I was looking at the cardborad of Brian May ...

  • @HolyGK lol I found myself doing the same thing. Id zone out and my eyes would go there

  • LMAO.

  • Wow you people must not like this if penis got the highest rating.

  • @TheRainbowPony haha i think it's just cause it's a funny comment. this guy seems to be laying down the basics pretty well.

  • 5/5

  • That's a great lesson. But I wonder what I'm doing wrong.. Sometimes my elbow hurt a little, and I'm really picking with finger and wrist, not the arm..

  • Woaw just the trick have been looking for ! Thanks a lot ...

  • where do you get sound distorters like this one?

    cheap??

  • @sickstring11

    holy shit epic fail by me. I can't believe no one caught that

  • slayer?

  • Holy ballsack!!!! :D

  • when you play gospel, thats "Christy" music

  • OMG! This video led me to a church, where i was saved my jesus!

  • amazing great tip

  • thnx man.. u really helped

  • Thanks man this was well explained.

  • When i started my guitar lessons it was very hard to strum the string down and up..But in the end i've done it.And if someone is asking himself that is this important..YES... you should definetly strum all of your string that whay...no matter fast or slow !!!

  • This was brilliant, putting my pick at a slight angle so it can slide, thanks a lot!!

  • im tryin to learn that part on dont stop believing when the dude goes really fast and stuff. i learned it all on the b. string, but i thought hey, sooner or later ive gotta learn alternate picking. pluss...playing it all on teh b string makes me reall prone to buzzing and mistakes. especially since my pinky is not one of my fast fingers at all...

  • is ok if i anchor my pinky on the guitar and alternate pick???or not?

  • no, it will cripple your picking, a lot of great pickers do it, like Petrucci for example, but the thing is, it's going to slow you down and it's gonna take a LOT more time to get faster, and it also forces you to make the picking motion with your fingers, which might eventually injure you, the ideal thing is to use just your wrist, and don't play out of your league, start out slow and build up speed, it takes time, but it's worth it

  • I immediately burst out laughing when this started. And then I learned how to alternate pick. And then I laughed some more.

  • man i need to do something bout my sweep picking...i cant do it =( i cant sweep pick i need some training vids tht shows me sweep picking exercises

  • @cunigham dont feel you need to sweep pick..... unless you just wanna be one of these numpties who just wanna play as fast and chaotic as they can....

    hendrix didn't sweep pick.... enough said...

    :P

  • True but I still wanna explore all the techniques there is. How else can I become a guitar god? =)

  • lolol.... you already are in my eyes dude ;)

    hail to the AxeMan Kitsune2222 :D

  • sweep picking can be very melodic if using the right chord progressions. . .

  • and moderately used... definately....

    personally ... all these endless sweep riffs make my head hurt.... but thats just me.

  • Yeah, I prefer to play sweeps slower and using beautiful chord progressions so I play 'm real melodic hehe.

  • good for the black metal!

  • i just started playing like 2 days ago and i keep hitting other strings when i try this is that normal?

  • It's completely normal. Try muting the strings you're not picking with the palm of your picking hand, it will help alot.

  • @superjoelucky12 thanks im also a novice at palm muting i also dont have a guitar tuner but thanks for the tip

  • your lessons are great, really helpful for beginners. Thank you!

  • thrash!

  • i dont know why but i seem to be laughing more at these lessons than learning things, its like im back at school :S

  • So basically when you alternate pick it's almost a very fast scrape? I've been trying to learn Voodoo Child and cannot get my fingers around the extremely fast parts. Any help would be appretiated

  • I've been teaching myself how to play the guitar for about the past three years and could never get this down, but your video really helped! I've always been a big fan of Dick Dale

  • as soon as u said angle your pick i tried it and boom.... thanks man

  • Same here. Instantly helps

  • @bobamonkey5 WHAT?! UR GUITAR EXPLODED?! WTF

  • @ChiTownBears4life hell yeah. Yours didnt?

  • Nothing says "Brutal Metal" like a maple neck stratocaster.

  • lol

  • hell yah

  • fuck yea

  • you may want to angle your pick.. like this!! that part mad me lol for some reason

  • tilted picking is genius! its helped me out a lot thanks man

  • any tips to increase acuarcy while jumping from string to string (rigth hand) for example when i go up from string one to 2 or string 2 to 3 in scales and shredding im not very clean

    plz tips exercices?

  • two things i do for alternate picking practice are:

    1. play E G B e B G x2 A G B e B G x2 all open (it's a classical song that i'm forgetting the name of)

    2. you can play this on whatever frets you want or just open... B B e B B e over and over. so it's B(down) B(up) e(down) then B(up) B(down) e(up). that forces you to practice over under and the opposite.

    with both of course start slow and build up. those two things helped my alt picking A LOT.

  • Is it called Nothing Else Matter - Metallica?

  • No it's some classical song like Beethoven or something. It was the first thing I learned on guitar. Ya know, now that I think about it, Metallica might use that too... So I guess it's both.

  • it doesnt matter while youre jumping or skipping the string, i mean its all about right hand n up pick. when you re doing up pick, you have to feel it, you have to feel that you are picking up that note. try to practice alternate picking starts with up picking. i bet you start with down pick, then try it reverse.

    goodluck mate!. peace.

  • There are many things that you can try, a good start is to break down the string change into very small sections, so start from the note just before the change (with a downstroke) then do the actual change (with an up) and then one note after (with a down again) so thats three notes starting and ending with a down. Practice these three notes really slowly with a very relaxed hand focusing on the movement when you change strings.

    Try setting a timer for 2 mins and playing these notes

  • over and over again at this very very slow speed with your picking hand relaxed. When the two mins are up take a quick break and then do it again, keep doing this as many times as you can each day and you will notice improvement within weeks. When you start to feel more comfortable start working on it with a metronome, starting slow then gradually building up. Then add two more notes to it and again build up until you are executing full licks.

    Hope this helps.

  • lol i learned this before i even knew it took a technique lols

  • SAME HERE!!! Haha!!!!

  • i can do easily alternate picking on 6th and 5th strings(the thickiests) but i can't do on others because de pick becomes stuck on the strings, can anyone help me?

  • Hey ragnaros9. I typically pick with the pick tilted to the side going against the strings, I find that it helps the pick to graze the string more quickly without being obstructed by it. So basically, instead of holding it vertically, I tilt it sort of diagonally at a slight angle, just like he does in this video. Hope that helps.

  • Comment removed

  • Any Bassists thinking this is easy as f***

  • This is like the only lesson i could find that was actually useful all the others just taught there way of holding the pick. Which made me think i was holding it wrong. But now i know as long as it sounds good do it.

  • Thanks a lot man, that was helpful

  • is it the same technique if i want to alternate between 2 power chords?

  • Erm usually you just downpick powerchords, I haven't been playing very long but that's what I've learnt.

  • The reason you want to downpick power chords more often than not, is because it will give the power chord a chunkier, more distinct sound than it would if you were to alt-pick it. You don't HAVE to downpick them, but a lot of people choose to for that exact reason. Especially if you're going for a more acoustic sound without distortion, it can be fine to alt-pick power chords. Just doesn't sound as edgy with distortion on.

  • please tell me hes not a guitar techer... his picking technique is bad

  • I've been playing guitar for a few years now, and im up to the skill level of playing songs from bands like Psycroptic and harder songs etc, where there are quick riffs. What is it called when you just pick normally but go up and down instead of just down, because i am self taught from tabs and just pick down, but want to learn to pick up and down as a natural style of picking. Whats this called? how can i improve this?

  • Alternate picking is NOT also known as double picking. WTF dude? Double picking is picking two of the same note in succession.

  • double picking is economy picking?? or is just to pick double like down down up up ???

    I hate the sinonyms xD

    Sorry for my english :D

  • No, double picking is not economy picking. I'll give you an easy example of what it is....Take any phrase on the guitar and pick each note twice instead of once. Same with triple picking etc...Double and triple picking will help your alternate picking technique quite a bit, especially if you use a metronome, start out slow, and gradually increase the speed. John Petrucci and Steve Vai did it, and so should you! ;)

  • Hmm, nice. Seen 100 times. But i would like to konw how technique i should use with up/down picking between several strings, not just on 1 string.

  • you mean strumming?

    there are plenty of strumming videos on youtube. i recommend watching rockongoodpeople's videos for picking. they're really good!