# Guitar/Alternate Picking

Alternate picking is an important skill, because it allows you to play
more than twice as fast than with just down picking. The basic idea is
that if you are picking just on down strokes, every time you bring the
pick back up to stroke down again, you are missing an opportunity to hit
the string again. Essentially alternate picking is more efficient,
because you have to move you hand less distance to hit the next note,
and it can be an important difference between hitting the note on time
or struggling to reach it.

As with other guitar skills, it doesn\'t sound even a little difficult
until you actually try and do it. It will take some time to master it
and get really fast. After doing it for a long time, you will begin to
notice that you are subconsciously deciding whether to alternate pick or
not, depending on the underlying rhythm. Ultimately alternate picking
allows you to play more efficiently, and thus faster.

Hold the pick in whichever method feels best for you. Only the top of
your pick should be seen and touch the string, because when you pick you
cover less distance and use less energy. Your movement should only come
from your wrist, not from your whole arm, and it should be precise.
There are many ways to practice alternate picking, but really it is
something that you have to merge into all of your guitar playing. Being
able to alternate pick at the right time is a very important step, and
it is one of the barriers that separate good guitar players and people
who just play guitar.

## Lesson 1

To introduce yourself to alternate picking, start with a simple exercise
beginning on the low E string.

    e|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------1--2--3--4--------|
    B|--------------------------------------------------------------1--2--3--4-----------------------| 
    G|-----------------------------------------------1--2--3--4--------------------------------------|
    D|--------------------------------1--2--3--4-----------------------------------------------------|
    A|--------------1--2--3--4-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
    E|-1--2--3--4------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


    e|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
    B|-4--3--2--1------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
    G|----------------4--3--2--1---------------------------------------------------------------------|
    D|--------------------------------4--3--2--1-----------------------------------------------------|
    A|-----------------------------------------------4--3--2--1--------------------------------------|
    E|--------------------------------------------------------------4--3--2--1--2--3--4--5-----------|

Play this pattern up and down the strings, and then up and down the
whole neck. When you hit each note, you should make sure that you are
always picking in the opposite direction of the previous note. Try
playing faster, but always make sure you are fretting and picking each
note clean to develop good habits. A metronome is a good item to help
you with these sorts of exercises, because it helps you keep a steady
pace. Always spend time practicing at your maximum speed, but not for
the whole time; playing at an even pace is more important and builds
your internal sense of rhythm.

Once you are comfortable alternate picking, try fingering some chords
and pick through them, using alternate picking where appropriate. You
can stumble onto some famous songs completely by accident like this.

## Lesson 2

This pattern is a little more complicated, as it is a walk, where you
play a repeating pattern that always starts on the next highest note.

    e|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
    B|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
    G|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
    D|-----------------------------------------1-------1-2-----1-2-3---1-2-3-4------| 
    A|---------1-------1-2-----1-2-3---1-2-3-4---2-3-4-----3-4-------4--------------| 
    E|-1-2-3-4---2-3-4-----3-4-------4----------------------------------------------|

Continue the pattern up the strings, and make sure you are always
alternate picking. You will start to notice when sometimes it is better
to pick up or down twice in order to make the picking more efficient
overall.

## Lesson 3

This riff combines palm muting
and alternate picking.

    e|--------------------------------------------------------------------| 
    B|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
    G|-------------2---------------2---------------2---------------2--3---| 
    D|-------------2---------------2---------------2---------------2--3---| 
    A|-0-0-0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-0--------|
    E|--------------------------------------------------------------------|

The open notes should be muted, and you should be using alternate
picking. This riff is very similar to a riff from Metallica\'s One.

## Additional Lessons

If you want more exercises, please see other sections of this book, and
perform the exercises there, except add in the alternate picking.
Alternatively, you could take a song you already know, and then pick the
chords using alternate picking. You will soon see how you can apply
alternate picking into every part of your guitar playing.
 
