# How to improve my alternate picking...?



## justreleased09 (Aug 19, 2010)

I have been working on the alternate picking thing for several hours a day for a couple years now and just do not feel like I am improving. I must be doing something wrong. Here are two fairly recent videos of my playing that have some 'fast' picking stuff in them. What can I do to fix or better my playing? What or how can I practice to improve?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFRY-Ff3 ... re=related


My routine consists of single string picking(16ths and sextuplets)at various tempos, the Paul Gilbert lick at various tempos, sequences and scales, and some various exercises(steve morse stuff, licks from songs like Trilogy Suite, Sacrified, Technical difficulties). I just wanna know what I can do make my practice more effective and get results...Thanks guys!!!


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Aug 19, 2010)

Go slow, get that accuracy up. And work on getting your bends to pitch.


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## Deathmetal94564 (Aug 19, 2010)

SchecterWhore said:


> Go slow, get that accuracy up. And work on getting your bends to pitch.


 good idea, but to improve your alternate picking I'd say learn different music genera's. Country such as Johnny Cash ( muted electric guitar stuff) helped with my alternate picking but that's me, But it might work for you. I used to curve my pick and learning that style of country now I can keep my pick straight as an arrow even while picking fast, and have it sound clean to a point.


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## Psychobuddy (Aug 19, 2010)

Have you been using a metronome? If not please start it's the most valuable tool when practicing. Also I would suggest always working on foundation exercises. Just pick a phrase and play it on a single string, you've already got the idea with the PG lick...but simplify it even more. I had the same problem as you, hours and hours of endless practice that really didn't seem to help. So one day I slowed everything down worked on simple things...the basics of picking. Once the fundamentals are solid speed will come naturally.


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## thesimo (Aug 19, 2010)

Do John Petrucci's Rock Discipline DVD. There is a tab of all the exercises on Ultimate-Guitar.


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## chucknorrishred (Aug 19, 2010)

all u need is a metronome


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## Moro (Aug 19, 2010)

thesimo said:


> Do John Petrucci's Rock Discipline DVD. There is a tab of all the exercises on Ultimate-Guitar.



Best Alt. Picking oriented DVD out there. Grab a copy, it's not expensive and it's a great value.


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## Cadavuh (Aug 19, 2010)

Some of those runs could have been cleaner but overall it was executed pretty well. You really want to go faster?


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## Maniacal (Aug 20, 2010)

I just watched some videos from your youtube. 

It looks to me like your timing needs quite a lot of work. Most of your 16th note triplet runs are slightly out of time. 

I also do not see you playing "fast" for long periods of time. 

You need to spend more time playing at slower tempos for longer periods of time. 

Your goal was to reach 120bpm, but for how long?

A better goal would be to work on playing at 100bpm for 3 minutes without any mistakes. 

Also, do not worry too much about what the left hand is doing if your goal is to develop the pick hand. Keep exercises simple, just open strings for example. 

Pick open strings and just watch your pick hand to make sure you pick from the wrist, your timing is good, your movements are small, you are relaxed.

Excuse me if I offend, just trying to help.


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## ShadyDavey (Aug 20, 2010)

Add to all of the above the first Paul Gilbert video and perhaps a few intervallic excercises (scales in 2nds, 3rds, 4ths etc etc) and I think that you are essentially good to go in terms of the material you're practicing. 

Working on your sychronisation and accuracy to a metronome establishes a great foundation to build on and once you've put in the hours to build a base (just like runners put in a certain base amount of miles per week) then you can start to examine more difficult concepts and ideas.

One comment I would make (and I'm not trying to be "that guy") is that your picking is pretty good - your vibrato and bends probably need more work


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## Might-is-Right (Aug 20, 2010)

I know I've posted this before but this guy really breaks down alternate picking in a unique way. Spend some time here:

The Wizard of Shred Blog


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## Moro (Aug 20, 2010)

Might-is-Right said:


> I know I've posted this before but this guy really breaks down alternate picking in a unique way. Spend some time here:
> 
> The Wizard of Shred Blog



Sorry to go a little off-topic here, but I just have to.

I'm not complaining, as it is nice eye candy, but why the hell is there so many hot chick pictures in that website? I mean, I'm not saying he's not legit, he definitely has skills. But that sort of marketing technique really makes me question the seriousness of that dude, and just urges me to distance myself from whatever he offers... More so when I read things like this:

_You sacrifice the now in return for a future reward. It's an insane thought. Wasting your time by consciously inflicting pain on yourself is known as insanity._

If that were true, there wouldn't be anyone hitting the gym. Practice is key, and maybe you don't like it, but when you hit the stage, you'll thank yourself for all those hours spent practicing when you could've been out goofing around.

There's nothing worse than going to a gig or rehearsal, and being the guy who slows everybody down or does not know his shit. If you're serious about guitar, or anything in life, you'll practice everyday, regardless of how boring the exercises might be. Saying "if you don't like something you shouldn't do it otherwise you're insane" is just plain BS.


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## darbdavys (Aug 20, 2010)

Moro said:


> Sorry to go a little off-topic here, but I just have to.
> 
> I'm not complaining, as it is nice eye candy, but why the hell is there so many hot chick pictures in that website? I mean, I'm not saying he's not legit, he definitely has skills. But that sort of marketing technique really makes me question the seriousness of that dude, and just urges me to distance myself from whatever he offers... More so when I read things like this:
> 
> ...


I started reading, but my eyes automatically jumped to the chicks


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## Might-is-Right (Aug 20, 2010)

Yeah, I've found the "ads" on the page peculiar to say the least. If you read through his articles however there is a wealth of great, and free, material.


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## McCap (Aug 20, 2010)

Ok, what some guys already said:

Your picking and the technical stuff isn't not bad, actually. It's those long notes and bends that actually need the work!!

Anyway back to topic:
What I think helps, especially after practising much fast stuff.
Let's take for example 100 or 120 bpm. Try jamming or a track playing sixteenth notes. That isn't blindingly fast, but you need to play relaxed and you need to be more exact on your timing, when doing this. 
Sometimes playing those Gilbert licks fast is easier than playing them not so fast and make them sound good, in time and groovy.


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## MaksMed (Aug 21, 2010)

do principles from "The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar" it's really helped me a lot


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## justreleased09 (Sep 7, 2010)

I worked on the suggestions. This is a brand new video. It has some noodling, but the concept is there. What can I do to improve?


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## Deathmetal94564 (Sep 7, 2010)

That clicking noise is all I could really hear. I could hear the guitar but that clicking annoyed me. try having the guitar a bit louder?


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## Black_tear (Sep 23, 2010)

The best advise that i can give you is to try to do it at slow tempos first but focusing on relaxing your muscles, and i'm not talking about the hand/arms muscles only. Your neck, your face, you must only go faster when you feel your doing it relaxed, otherwise you'll may do a 10 second fast run but then you won't be able to continue.


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## Maniacal (Sep 23, 2010)

That looks better, although your timing is still a bit off later on in the video. I am not sure if you are trying to play to the click or not...

Seems to me that you are trying to play faster than you are able to, hence the timing issue. 

Work on combining subdivisions more to help improve your timing. 

Keep working on it, I would like to see how you progress.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Sep 23, 2010)

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.


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## pineappleman (Sep 23, 2010)

Moro said:


> Best Alt. Picking oriented DVD out there. Grab a copy, it's not expensive and it's a great value.



Actually I saw that in Guitar Center for 50 bucks. Which is quite expensive.


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## Black_tear (Sep 24, 2010)

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!


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## Semi-pro (Feb 28, 2011)

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


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## USMarine75 (Feb 28, 2011)

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...


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## TheSixthWheel (Mar 1, 2011)

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.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Mar 4, 2011)

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!


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## coldandhomeless (Mar 4, 2011)

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....


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## hard_rockin_man (Mar 5, 2011)

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.


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