Alternate Picking Test

Example two, we have a test with our alternate picking. As we mentioned before, we've got the down, up, down, up motion.

Notation Symbols

Here you can see on the notation we have symbols to tell us which way to pluck:

• The table-looking symbol indicates to pluck down.
• The arrow going up indicates to pluck up.

It's a little bit confusing, so I remember this as opposites pretty much:

• The table going down,
• The arrow going up.

Practice Advice

As we mentioned before, you should pause the video and try and work on that alternate picking motion. Start by going through all the strings.

• Take it really, really slowly.
• It's all about building good habits and good techniques.
• The speed will come, but for now, we want to get that motion really smooth.

Make sure that all the motion is coming from our wrist; we don't want it in our fingers or arm‚ all in the wrist.

Breakdown of the Phrase

Looking at this phrase, we're playing quarter notes in the first three bars and finishing off with a whole note.

• This means the first three bars are all alternate picked.
• You can see the pattern: down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up.

Picking Rules

Another rule in this course and in this book is that if we're alternate picking, beat one should always be plucked down, which means:

• Beat two should always be plucked up.

Notes and String Movement

We're going from C (the new note we have) to the open B string.

• We have three Cs and one open B.
• That translates to: down, up, down, up.

So that second up is going to be the B.

1, 2, 3, 4.

In bar two, we go to the G string where we have A twice and G twice. We have the same movement but up a string in bar three.

• Looking at the second fret on the D string to the open D, finishing on that second fret as a whole note.
• 2, 3, 4.

Slow Practice

So we'll go through that really slowly, ensuring we're playing down, up, down, up.

So here we go:

• First fret on the B string.
• 1, 2, 3, 4.
• 3, 4.

Try that out for a second. Slow it right down and build up gradually.

In a second, I'll see you in the backing track to try and keep up with the music.