# How do YOU gallop?



## eoinbmorg (Dec 1, 2013)

Thread title; the four-miss-one method recently gave me a huge speed boost but I feel like you're *supposed* to play gallops strictly alternate picking for better control. Am I just listening to the snobs too much?


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## Hollowway (Dec 1, 2013)

No, you're thinking about it wrong. It's strict alternate picking, but it's the second beat that is not picked. So it's: n nv|n nv|n nv| etc.

There are other ways to group the notes, but the galloping you're referring to is that.


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## Hyacinth (Dec 1, 2013)

You can do whichever is most comfortable for you. I do down-up-down down-up-down because it's just more comfortable for me.


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## hk_golgatha (Dec 1, 2013)

Strict alternate picking as in what is mentioned above or as in down-up-down up-down-up repeat? That would keep the alternate picking across the whole motion but in my opinion be extremely odd at fast tempos.


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## karjim (Dec 1, 2013)

It depends I can do both but for a good horsie sound Number2 own-up-down /Down Up down etc...with the moving thumb technique . "The Thumb Jump"...Very efficient when it comes to do that trick on 2 strings or multiple strings skipping.
It makes a better horse ride sound than strict alternate which makes all notes sounds pretty similar. It's because the gallop accent is always hit with the same slap. It's always Down or always Up. Alternate will make the accent once on Down and once on Up so you must have the same sound and even you got it, there is always a tinny different between two consecutive gallops due to the angle of your pic.
Both techniques at high speed are not odd with just one string, tiring ok, but I find the thumb is more strong for these exercises. And with 2 strings it's even harder 
Practice very very slow like a dumb. It's very frustrated. 
try 5 5 
00 00 00 etc....


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## eoinbmorg (Dec 1, 2013)

Hollowway said:


> No, you're thinking about it wrong. It's strict alternate picking, but it's the second beat that is not picked. So it's: n nv|n nv|n nv| etc.
> 
> There are other ways to group the notes, but the galloping you're referring to is that.



I know I said galloping, but I really mean a group of two 16th notes and an 8th. You can start with the first beat if you want, like in Lamb of God's song Hourglass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtEGhJgVA0w


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## AxeHappy (Dec 1, 2013)

Two 16ths and an 8th is galloping. Same in reverse. 

Said D U D is strict alternate. Strict on the 16th notes. the eight note is just 2 16ths tied together. 

So a beat of 16ths is DUDU. And you take whatever is the 2nd quarter beat of the eight out:

16 16 8: DUD DUD
8 16 16: D DU D DU
16 8 16: DU U DU 

Same thing works with dotted eights as 3 ties sixteenth notes.


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## rockskate4x (Dec 1, 2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snW4VvayukE
This seemed pertinent. I don't think that the "back angle" is good technique, but the strict alternate picking is a good economy. I haven't had the patience to relearn my picking to do this. Someday


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## Hollowway (Dec 1, 2013)

eoinbmorg said:


> I know I said galloping, but I really mean a group of two 16th notes and an 8th. You can start with the first beat if you want, like in Lamb of God's song Hourglass
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtEGhJgVA0w



Yes, but in that sense (i.e whenever you have an 8th note) it is NOT considered strict alternate picking to do nvn vnv nvn. Like AxeHappy said, you have to drop out the stroke you'd use for the "missing" 16th note. Otherwise you'll get really tripped out the minute the galloping stops. I don't mean to be a stick in the mud about it, but there is no "option" how to play it. It cannot be nvn vnv nvn. Like you said, you can start on whatever beat you want, but you still end up with the same pattern. It sounds like at this point you're considering doing both, but I would strongly encourage you to adopt the correct technique or you will eventually have to break down your improper technique and relearn it in order to advance as a player.


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## 80H (Dec 1, 2013)

Different approaches produce different sounds. Escape the box.


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## outlawzeng (Dec 2, 2013)

One song I listen to and try to emulate in order to work on this is Cryogenica by Annotations of an Autopsy. It features pretty fast triplet gallops followed directly by alternate picking of some different notes within a chord progression. It's a pretty fun riff and it has helped me get my alternate picking speed up


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## Yo_Wattup (Dec 2, 2013)

lol who on earth does the first option?


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## HumanFuseBen (Dec 2, 2013)

D-U-D on every gallop puts the downstroke on the downbeat, which is CRITICAL!


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## Maniacal (Dec 2, 2013)

U U D


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## Hollowway (Dec 2, 2013)

Maniacal said:


> U U D


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## scottro202 (Dec 4, 2013)

HumanFuseBen said:


> D-U-D on every gallop puts the downstroke on the downbeat, which is CRITICAL!



 The accent on the downbeat makes it groove better.


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## Stijnson (Dec 6, 2013)

I gallop on horses only... or with my hands going from my knees to my chest. Can't believe I couldn't find anyone on youtube doing that lol


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## redstone (Dec 6, 2013)

360bpm gallop picking - YouTube


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## Abolyshed (Feb 24, 2014)

I recently saw a video of Rings of Saturn guitarist playing gallops using down-up-down, up-down-up. He said it applies everywhere and you can get super fast. I play down-up-down over and over and I can go 210 playing a major scale 3rds so there is string switching involved making it harder. When I try To play the other way I can only get to like 185. I'm not sure if it's worth the effort to relearn every riff I know, but I will say this: it is so ....ing comfortable. Arm doesn't get tired as much. If only I could do it at my previous best or faster.


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## starslight (Feb 24, 2014)

On bass I do I-R-M for Maiden gallops and R-M-I for reverse gallops. Never had much fun playing either on guitar with a pick.


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## Bretton (Feb 28, 2014)

as long as you don't call it a triplet


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## TylerEstes (Mar 2, 2014)

Abolyshed said:


> I recently saw a video of Rings of Saturn guitarist playing gallops using down-up-down, up-down-up. He said it applies everywhere and you can get super fast. I play down-up-down over and over and I can go 210 playing a major scale 3rds so there is string switching involved making it harder. When I try To play the other way I can only get to like 185. I'm not sure if it's worth the effort to relearn every riff I know, but I will say this: it is so ....ing comfortable. Arm doesn't get tired as much. If only I could do it at my previous best or faster.



I learned a lot by watching their videos and seeing them live.  


Honestly, my technique depends on what type of rhythm I'm playing. It's kinda weird to use the exact same pattern of strokes when playing different types of gallops. To me, at least. Sometimes it's U-U-D, D-U-D, D-D-U, just whatever fits. Don't try to constrain yourself to just one pattern. Mix it up a little.


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