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NickD .


Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 4268 Location: Sheffield, Innit
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 6:34 am Post subject: Alternate picking |
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Is it something you do, if so do you alternate pick all the time (on single note/lead paying) or only use on occasion?
I realised recently that if I am playing some kind of improvised lead, I will alternate pick, but not all the time but if I am learing a solo or a riff, I will play it with downstrokes only. I'm trying to relearn some stuff using alternate picking, either strictly or where it makes sense/is more efficient, but I reckon its more difficult than learning the piece in the first place? The way I was playing them sounded good, but may not have been the right way.
So, thoughts - on a hiding to nothing or worth persevering? |
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NickS .


Joined: 14 Jan 2008 Posts: 10286 Location: Nr. Basinggrad, UK
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 7:27 am Post subject: |
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Basically I only use alternate when it's too fast for down-stroke, e.g the solo in Tom Petty's "American Girl" or mandolin-like scrubbing, like on Rory Gallagher's "Brute Force And Ignorance". And I've never seriously looked at sweep picking either. |
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NickD .


Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 4268 Location: Sheffield, Innit
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 9:07 am Post subject: |
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That's interesting - the only thing I am playing in strict alternate picking is Crossroads, it seems to help with the timing on the main riff, everything else it is the odd upstroke where it helps keep the rhythm/increase speed. |
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singlepup .


Joined: 10 Dec 2010 Posts: 4150 Location: San Diego
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 10:00 am Post subject: |
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I sometimes use altenate picking when playing arpeggios, especially when the arpeggios are mixed with strumming. Feels sort of natural. Riffs are always down strokes for me. I suppose that one could relearn any riff with alternate picking, but I tend to stay with whatever feels natural. |
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Freddy V-C NOD FLANGERS

Joined: 17 May 2009 Posts: 4743 Location: Halifax
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 10:09 am Post subject: |
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I use alternate picking occasionally, but most of the time I actually exclusively play with upstrokes. I never noticed this until somebody pointed it out to me. Weird, huh? _________________ BEIGE PALACE | THANK |
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Doog mid-century modem

Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 21017 Location: London
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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I mostly alternate pick. Mostly.
I was practising some of the new Casa Bonita stuff last night and realised I can only do this one tricky run (in 'Misadventure Time', future fact fans)with downpicking.
I think because the tuning is pretty weird, the lack of normal tension means the string is in a different position when I'm trying to up-pick. Pretty weird realisation that I'm automatically compensating for dat slack
edit: no wait! It's in triplets, so I'm going down-up-down, down-up-down, rather than down-up-down up-down-up. So even odder. Fascinating. _________________ andrew floss musics
Last edited by Doog on Thu May 07, 2015 1:14 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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George .


Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 20945 Location: UK
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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yeah i do it quite a bit but not with any intent to play fast or shred. its just less effort and work than downstroking all the time and frees up more possibilities
sweeping ive never really bothered getting good at. learning the various runs and triads and what have you that come with typical exercises are very usfeul to learn though
nowadays im all about the chocolate fingers, but i dont play fast riffs or anything so that might be why |
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NickD .


Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 4268 Location: Sheffield, Innit
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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All good information, I'm learning some more challenging stuff and trying to move my playing along and wanted to get an idea of whether my mainly downpicking style, especially for riff based pieces, was me just doing it wrong. Happy to see the concensus is IDWAW, but I'm going to think more about picking style when I'm learning something I reckon.
Nice Newt reference Doog - Mrs NickD's old car was named after her. |
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Josh The Curmudgeon

Joined: 17 Nov 2008 Posts: 4985 Location: George
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 2:57 pm Post subject: |
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I mostly alternate pick or finger pick anymore. Haven't done ANGRY PUNK ROCK DOWNSTROKES since high school.
I can't sweep pick cause I'm not metal enough. |
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markleton .


Joined: 01 Sep 2008 Posts: 315 Location: Ipswich, UK
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 5:17 pm Post subject: |
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I mostly use 'economy picking', up or down depending what's easiest or easiest. A total cop out- I usually flail around arpeggios like my fingers are made of jelly. |
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Gabriel .


Joined: 11 Apr 2010 Posts: 3168 Location: NYC
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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Everything I play I always automatically alternate pick, I'll also economy pick sometimes too. I think if you work it into your playing enough it just happens without thinking making everything a little more fluid sounding. There's a bunch of lessons I posted on ways of practicing picking somewhere on this website if anyone is interested. _________________ www.gabrielwareing.com |
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Bacchus Whatever's handiest

Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 20462 Location: wandering
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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I don't really think about picking anymore. I alternate or economy pick and will often break from any sort of strict approach for effect. _________________
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toez10 .

Joined: 23 Dec 2009 Posts: 329
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 2:59 am Post subject: |
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I've been using a lot more alternate picking lately - starting with an upstroke. |
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JJLipton .

Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 900 Location: Hamamatsu, Japan
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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toez10 wrote: |
I've been using a lot more alternate picking lately - starting with an upstroke. |
Yes this exactly!
I find that players like Paul Gilbert and Yngwie Malmsteen are a great study for alternate picking. Personally I found it helpful to begin descending phrases with an upstroke. |
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CapriOrange .

Joined: 18 Feb 2016 Posts: 6
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 12:04 am Post subject: |
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Try playing La Grange without upstrokes....it just sounds so wrong.
Now play it with upstrokes, and....voila! _________________ Can we have everything louder than everything else? |
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NickS .


Joined: 14 Jan 2008 Posts: 10286 Location: Nr. Basinggrad, UK
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 12:51 pm Post subject: |
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Just listened. I can't hear a viola. |
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BearBoy .


Joined: 30 Aug 2011 Posts: 6030 Location: Strung up to the lemons
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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 _________________
Fran wrote: |
I love how this place is basic as fuck. |
ekwatts wrote: |
I'm just going to smash it in with a hammer and hope it works. Tone is all in the fingers anyway. |
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