Alternate Picking

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Techniques Bending Double-Stops Harmonics Hammer-on and pull-offs Palm Muting Raking Right Hand Tapping Slapping Slides Trills Vibrato Strumming Open Chords Power Chords Barre Chords Sweep Picking Alternate Picking Tremolo Picking Building Dexterity Building Speed Advanced Exercises Improvisation

Alternate Picking is a picking technique whereby you alternate between up and down strokes to pick, instead of using consecutive downstrokes. Therefore increasing speed and efficiency.

When alternate picking keep these in mind:

• Maintain as little movement in your picking hand as possible.
• Use short up and down strokes.
• Keep the picking hand relaxed.
• Try to keep the pick flat when picking, this will make is easier to move across the strings in either direction.

d - Downstroke
u - Upstroke

Single String Exercises

Simple exercise ascending up the fretboard. Make sure each note is clear.
e|-0-0-0-0--2-2-2-2--4-4-4-4--5-5-5-5--4-4-4-4--2-2-2-2--0-0-0-0-|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------|
   d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  d u d u


Another simple exercise, this time decending down the fretboard.
Make sure each note is clear.
e|-9-9-9-9--7-7-7-7--5-5-5-5--7-7-7-7--3-3-3-3--5-5-5-5--2-2-2-2--3-3-3-3-|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
   d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  d u d u  


This practices fretting and picking hand coordernation.
Make sure each note rings out clearly.
e|-3-0-5-0-7-0-5-0--3-0-5-0-7-0-5-0--5-0-7-0-9-0-7-0--5-0-7-0-9-0-7-0-|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
   d u d u d u d u  d u d u d u d u  d u d u d u d u  d u d u d u d u

Six String Exercises

This exercise practices fretting and picking hand coordernation. Use all four fingers
to fret the notes and make sure all the notes ring out clearly.
e|---------------------------------------------------------9-10-11-12-|
B|----------------------------------------------9-10-11-12------------|
G|-----------------------------------9-10-11-12-----------------------|
D|-----------------------9-10-11-12-----------------------------------|
A|------------9-10-11-12----------------------------------------------|
E|-9-10-11-12---------------------------------------------------------|
   d u  d  u  d u  d  u  d u  d  u   d u  d  u  d u  d  u  d u  d  u


This is a A Major Pentatonic scale. Use all four fingers to fret teh notes. 
Make sure all the notes are clear.
e|-------------------2-5-2-----------------------|
B|---------------2-5-------5-2-------------------|
G|-----------2-4---------------4-2---------------|
D|-------2-4-----------------------4-2-----------|
A|---2-4-------------------------------4-2-------|
E|-5---------------------------------------5-2-5-|
   d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d


This is an A Minor Pentatonic scale. Like before, use all four fingers to fret the notes.
Make sure each note is clear.
e|---------------------5-8-5---------------------|
B|-----------------5-8-------8-5-----------------|
G|-------------5-7---------------7-5-------------|
D|---------5-7-----------------------7-5---------|
A|-----5-7-------------------------------7-5-----|
E|-5-8---------------------------------------8-5-|
   d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d

String Skipping Exercises

Make sure you make each note sound clear. This is the intro to Deep Purple's Dark Night.
e|----------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------|
D|---5-------------5----7--5---------------5----|
A|-7---7--5---5--7---7-------7-----5--7-------7-|
E|----------7-----------------------------------|
   d u d  u d u  d u d  u  d u     d  u    d  u


A little bit more of a complex riff. From the Led Zeppelin song, Black Dog. It uses a
hammer-on and pull-off and a power chord at the end. Make sure each note rings clearly. 
                                                           A5
e|-----------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------5--------------------------------------|
G|------------5-----7----5h7p5------5----------------------2-|
D|---5-6-7------7---------------7-7---7--5-7-7-----5-------2-|
A|-7-------7-----------------------------------5-7---------0-|
E|-----------------------------------------------------8-----|
   d u d u d  u d   d u  d      d u d u  d u d u d u   d   d