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Posted by: Guitarman700 Jun 12 2007, 04:10 PM

no matter what i do i just cant get it right. any pointers or tricks that you guys learned?

Posted by: Kristofer Dahl Jun 12 2007, 04:24 PM

Well in short, the advice I would like to give is: Realise that it will take you more time than you would like it to.

In other words don't stress it ( I assume that if you play it super super slow it's not a problem) - stay within your range and slowly your range will grow...

...and follow all the advice given in gmc picking lessons of course!

Kris

Posted by: MickeM Jun 12 2007, 04:26 PM

Just that it takes practice and practice and practice.

Took me a while too when I started out on guitar, it's just to get it to stuck in your brain. Practice different patterns. First on one string, then on two string like;


...D U D U
G ---5---5-|
D -5---5---|repeat

...D U D U
G -----5---|
D -5-5---5-|repeat

...D U D U
G -------5-|
D -5-5-5---|repeat


Then work on triplets, hope that gives a few ideas

Posted by: Slammer Jun 12 2007, 04:40 PM

Well, the way I learned...

The book I was reading said to Practise Alternate Picking on a Scale, i.e G Major Scale.

E-----------------------------------------2-3------|
B-----------------------------------3-5------------|
G---------------------------2-4-5-----------------|
D--------------------2-4-5------------------------|
A------------2-3-5--------------------------------|
E-------3-5----------------------------------------|

I practise that scale Up and Down, using Alt. Picking. With Up-Down Strokes for each note.

After I did it hundreds of times. Alt picking became Easier, my Fingers became More Flexable. But it is Boring as Heck

Posted by: Marraboy Jun 12 2007, 04:49 PM

Dude...

I've had the same problem - the thing is to keep doing it, slowly at first. I found that simply moving up and down the same scale constantly for an hour (resting of course) each night really helped - it was a little boring but it helps alot.

I set my metronome to snail pace and just kept going up and down and up and down and up and down... eventually (in my case only after a few days - but this may be different for others) I done it without even noticing I was doing it!

I still cannot do it at any great pace but I'm getting better each day. One thing I would suggest is not to get too stressed over it - just keep doing the exercises and if they are hard, slow the metronome down and just do quarter notes.

You will succeed - don't give up!

Good luck.

JT

Posted by: Iluha Jun 12 2007, 05:17 PM

Ok could anyone tell me the reason It's good to learn strict alt picking, I just prefer using economy all the way, it's more comfortable..

Posted by: fkalich Jun 12 2007, 05:18 PM

I also improve everyday. Because of the fine instruction we have, if you pay attention, you can improve every day.

1) It is the same for everybody, takes a lot of time.
2) I think much of it is training your right hand and left to take instructions independently. This past week my picking had has sort of become like a robot arm. it just picks back and forth, back and forth, alternating, and moves to the right position, but just keeps going on like a robot arm, taking brain instructions in a different neural path than the fretting hand. they two are synchronized, like two tracks, but operating on different brain paths. My picking hand is becoming a sort of bouncy relaxed robot arm, just bopping back and forth, back and forth, and moving to the right string to pick.
3) Do it right. Slow down the metronome if you are screwing up. Or break it into little pieces. Actually i think setting the metronome high and just playing little pieces correctly, and then trying to string them together, maybe repeat once, then maybe repeat twice, that is good to, break it down if you are screwing up, 3 notes fast, break, the next 3 fast, break, still keeping a rhythm, then go for it, all 6, then go for it, all 6 repeated 2 times, then go for it, aw, screwed up, back off, on and on.

Kris's alternating picking exercises helped me a lot. They make your left hand do different things in simple patterns, and you have to keep your robot arm picking hand bopping in the same bobbity bounce no matter, different brain paths.

I like that bit from Cannon rock, the part of the song that people recognize, that gets played in the elevator. you know, da, da da da, da da da, da da............. That is a good alternating picking exercise. You fret all kinds of ways in that section. all in the same 4 frets. play it as fast as you can, and keep the robot picking arm bopping unabated, just bopping along while you do all the fretting, and repeat over and over and over and over and over, faster and faster and faster. become a robot, then you will understand true bliss. sometimes after awhile it gets like meditation, your brain goes off somewhere, you become one with the universe. or maybe you become a robot.


ALTERNATE PICK EVERYTHING! Kris said it, as you learn do that. Doing that does the brain adjustment that gets your picking hand and fretting hand to work with independent instructions. that is what your brain has to learn, sort of like rubbing your tummy and patting your head. but a LOT HARDER! But same difference. Alternate pick everything except things such as sweeps. But if alternate picking is practicable, do it every time.

or except maybe with cliche stuff. like Free Bird, or Cream's Crossroads. Where you have the riffs that are in one place, and can be repetitive. You know, like the old Chuck Berry lick on the top 3 strings is a simple example of that. So alternate pick all the time, except when you don't, for cliche type riff stuff and sweeps mostly.

oh, one reason the Cannon Rock bit is great, is that there are 8 2-bar parts to it, strung together. but at the beginning of each of the 8 parts, you pick should start in the same direction if you really did stick to alternate picking. so you know right away if you brain got screw up. i am positive this is caused by your right hand screwing with your left hand in your brain, and you need to keep those baby apart in your brain, or they fight. that is the trick. if you get screwed up on the alternate picking direction, that is like you were rubbing your tummy and patting your head, and you patted your tummy by mistake. they got mixed up. have to keep those babies apart, or they fight. you get them to work together, but in different rooms.

Posted by: Andrew Cockburn Jun 12 2007, 05:52 PM

Fkalich - your posts are becoming works of art - I love the robot arm bobbity bobitty bit

And yes, its good advice too!

Posted by: Smikey2006 Jun 13 2007, 10:36 PM

Where abouts is this picking lession, im not having troubles with eco picking or alternate but just with holding the pick it slides around and i lose grip and all that jazz so i need help ..

HELP ME GMC!

Posted by: mattacuk Jun 13 2007, 11:14 PM

A little off topic but....I love that Paul! As for the alternate picking, I managed to pick it up after watching kris's picking video series when i first joined GMC. I did all the suggested exercises daily -I have spent litterly countless hours under the watchful eye of my metronome and its paid off big time! Start off slow as you like, just make sure your playing clean and precise and the speed will follow!

Posted by: Guitarman700 Jun 14 2007, 01:46 AM

The guy in the picture? thats not me, thats Peter Frampton with his signature guitar.
It is nice though
thanks guys, for all the advice.

Posted by: FretDancer69 Jun 14 2007, 02:25 AM

lol, seriously, at first i thought it was you!

about the Alt Picking, my alt is very good, ive seen alot of imrpovement. I cant play fast with alternate, but you dont have to, but if its your goal, you gotta start very slowly , if you practice scales with alternate picking you will even benefit more!.

Posted by: mattacuk Jun 14 2007, 01:51 PM

LOL, i feel like a right prat!!

Posted by: Hardtail Jun 22 2007, 02:46 AM

One thing I was wondering personally about Alt Picking is the note versus picking timing.

For instance: Back in the day when I was learning bluegrass picking from a professional at his studio he said "the pick should be moving up and down in a perfect pattern with the speed of the song, but if a note is skipped in the song you should skip the pick as well..."

What this resulted in was the following example:

----D----U---D-----U----D----U----D----U
----1----3----1-----------1----3----1---------e
-------------------------------------------------b
-------------------------------------------------g
-------------------------------------------------D
-------------------------------------------------A
-------------------------------------------------E

So on the fourth count your pick didn't hit the string because no note was to be played. The physical result was D--U--D----D--U--D.

Is that the right way to do it?

I ask because since I have really been working on my Alt picking I would play the above as D--U--D----U--D--U.

Which one is right? I can't perceive any time loss the way I do it but I wanna make sure I practice AP the right way.

Thanks in advance!