Kristofer Dahl25th August 2011This is just perfect for those who want to start building their technique and wonder the exact mechanics behind!
Ben Higgins25th August 2011Thanks Kris, that is definitely the intention of these lessons.. I think down picking is hard for us all !
- Kristofer Dahl25th August 2011
Yes it definitely is for me.
I also think that the things you say here could be applied on a lot of different technique areas - so it will likely be a good foundation for some people who don't really know how to approach chops-building etc. 
Ivan Milenkovic25th August 2011Wow, nice main video, and it's great for building downstroke technique, just as you said man. I watched the whole lesson, it's very interesting, I might (and should!
) sit down and practice this as well 
Mudbone26th August 2011As always, fantastic lesson Ben
Gabriel Leopardi26th August 2011This is an awesome clinic Ben! Great concepts and exercises. Well done!
Sinisa Cekic26th August 2011Great explanation Ben, 'must do' lesson !
- Ben Higgins27th August 2011
Thank you, chaps !
Cosmin Lupu28th August 2011Congratulations on another great one Mr. Higgins!
Dinaga18th September 2011Wow, an excellent lesson! I had a lot of problems with downpicking for the exact same reason - I didn't give myself enough recovery time between riffs, I tried to force through the pain. That's why Master Of Puppets riffing was so impossible for me at higher tempos
But your philosophy is definitely very, very useful, cheers - Ben Higgins23rd September 2011
Diniga, I'm very pleased to hear that.. good luck with the down picking !
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Jam School: Lydian...
lydian, Steve Vai, fusion, changes, Joe Satriani, Flying in a blue dream, whammy, whammy bar, tremoloby Kristofer Dahl - Difficulty4
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Metalcore Chops #2
Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Avanged Sevenfold, Metalcore Riffs, Solo, harmonics, alternate picking, metal rhythmby Darius Wave
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- My notes
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Welcome to Stamina School 2.
This time we're focusing our attention on down picking, or down strokes. Using only down strokes to play riffs is a popular technique in the world of heavy rock and metal, with bands like Metallica and Megadeth using it to great effect. It's quite a difficult technique to perform because it uses quite a lot of energy. Why is this ? Well, picking in only one direction is very limiting in terms of speed. It uses quite a lot of motion as opposed to alternate picking, which use the hands energy in a more efficient way by combine up & down strokes. However, with work and practice, many guitarists have used down picking to great effect because it has an aggressive tone due to the consistent nature of playing the same type of pick stroke. Of course, there is a natural limit to how fast a human can play downstrokes in a row.. but reaching your potential in down picking is a worthwile and useful exercise because it will enhance your rhythm playing and improve your overall stamina.
Like the first instalment of Stamina School we focus on using our natural hand position to make this lesson concept effective. More info will follow in the videos. Enjoy !
Part 1 - Explanation of natural hand position, why the concept works
Part 2 - The exercise
Part 3 - following on from the lesson, how to apply this to yourself.
GEAR USED IN LESSON: Marshall JVM 410H. OD2 Channel (Red setting) Bass: 3 Mid: 3 Treb: 6 Gain: 3
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