Alternate picking

[mlb1399]

Just wondered if anyone could shed a little light about this and what it entails. I'm not sure if it's called alternate or alternative picking.

[wench]

When you're playing single note runs with alternate picking you alternate downstrokes and upstrokes. Never two downstrokes or two upstrokes in a row.

downstroke=your pick goes towards the floor as it hits the string
upstroke=pick goes towards the roof as you hit the string

You're gonna wanna learn to do this well

[filmdude100cms]

When you're playing single note runs with alternate picking you alternate downstrokes and upstrokes. Never two downstrokes or two upstrokes in a row.

downstroke=your pick goes towards the floor as it hits the string
upstroke=pick goes towards the roof as you hit the string

You're gonna wanna learn to do this well

i myself have forgotten just basic strumming, i always do alternating picking.

[MWR]

When you're playing single note runs with alternate picking you alternate downstrokes and upstrokes. Never two downstrokes or two upstrokes in a row.

downstroke=your pick goes towards the floor as it hits the string
upstroke=pick goes towards the roof as you hit the string

You're gonna wanna learn to do this well

i myself have forgotten just basic strumming, i always do alternating picking.

Hey there don't confuse the guy. Strumming has nothing to do with alternate picking.


Make sure that you are very strict with yourself. You want every stroke to be the opposite direction of the one before it no matter what. This is ultimately how people play amazingly fast.
There's other styles of picking i.e. economy, sweep. These involve consecutive strokes in the same direction and they can be very useful but you want to learn strict alternate picking to begin with. I was self taught and what seemed to make the most sense to me was to economy pick. I didn't know this is what I was doing until after it became habit and now I have a really hard time maintaining strict alternate strokes and my speed suffers greatly from it.

[Willin]

MWR has it all right. Learning how to strictly alternate pick the correct way will probably add the most benefits to your playing beyond anything else. Make sure you know the difference between economy picking and alternate picking before you start practicing one or the other! They are quite different.

[mlb1399]

Ok, thanks for the help guys. I guess I have already been doing this, just didn't know that was alternate fingerpicking. I thought it was something different.

[c_tietze]

Dave uses this technique and in learning this technique you will find playing Dave tunes a lot easier because of Dave's up and down strumming style and one string runs.

Peace,

CJT

[fatjack]

When you're playing single note runs with alternate picking you alternate downstrokes and upstrokes. Never two downstrokes or two upstrokes in a row.

downstroke=your pick goes towards the floor as it hits the string
upstroke=pick goes towards the roof as you hit the string

You're gonna wanna learn to do this well

what if he likes to play standing on his head?

[littlefriend]

I'd say it still applies.