Guitar Picking Techniques

There are many separate types of guitar picking techniques. Each one is quite unique in its own way and when you specialist these guitar picking techniques you will notice a huge inequity in your playing. I am going to merge on explaining the varied types of picking you can use to help you growth your speed on the guitar.

The first type of picking I will be talking about is Alternative Picking. This is the first guitar picking technique that you want to get down. It is imperative that you have your left and right hands synchronized in this picking technique. If you fail to synchronize your hands then your technique will be choppy and as a consequent your sound will be messy and disconnected. When using alternate picking you simply keep an "up down up down" motion going, even when changing strings you do not change this motion. This guitar picking technique will help you design even timing which is essential in music. You should all the time convention this guitar picking technique with a metronome. Make sure you convention at a slow speed first to ensure you get the synchronization down.

Guitar

Great alternative pickers contain guitarists such as John Petrucci, Steve Morse, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Economy Picking is the next guitar picking technique we shall look at. This technique is like alternate picking except this technique cuts motion down by a 3rd hence the name "economy picking". You need to be faithful though with this technique as it is very easy to get sloppy with it. This type of picking continues with the up and down motion until you change string. Say you were playing 3 notes on the low E string. The picking would go down, up, down. Then say you wanted to change to the A string, well with alternate picking your next stroke would be an up stroke but with economy picking your next stroke would be a down stroke. Make sure you keep all strokes even and avoid falling into a triplet feel unless that is the sound you are after.

If you are concerned in exploring this technique added you should listen to Frank Gambale. He has this technique mastered.

The next technique we shall go over is Sweep Picking. This technique can sound very impressive when done correctly. Sweep picking involves the same technique as economy picking so the same advice applies. Sweep picking is regularly utilised on arpeggios (which are simply the notes of a chord played one at a time, regularly one note per string). With this technique it is leading to not allow the notes you play to ring together. To avoid this you will need to lift your fingers after each note is played. Remember it is called "sweep picking" so do not lift the pick after a note is played. Your motion should be fluid over the strings using the pick in a "sweeping" motion. convention this technique slow at first and all the time use a metronome to avoid sloppiness.

Listen to guitarists such as Greg Howe, John Petrucci, Frank Gambale and Yngwie Malmsteen to hear this technique being utilised.

Legato Picking consists of picking a given string and then getting flat flowing sound from combining hammer ons and pull offs. Dynamics are very leading here as you want the picked notes and slurred notes to sound at the same volume. Far too often citizen have a tendancy to play the picked note louder than the slurred notes or vice versa. For best results use a metronome when practicing.

Listen to Joe Satriani to hear flat productive legato picking.

Guitar Picking Techniques