Example Three: D Note on the B String

In example three, we're using a D note on the B string. This is the octave up from our open D string. As always, you can play these two together to hear the differences in range, but not in pitch.

Alternate Picking

This is another example that is testing our alternate picking.

The First Bar

The first bar is quite tricky. We need to build our coordination.

• Practice Transitioning: Before we start this phrase, I'd like you to work on going from D (the third fret on the B string) to C (the first fret), using alternate picking.

What I mean by that is:

• D
• C
• D
• C
• D
• C

Tip: Leave your first finger pushed down the whole time. This gives you the smoothest sound. Rather than lifting your first finger, it's much easier to keep it pushed down.

This technique also helps when you come to hammer-ons and pull-offs eventually, as this is essential for playing these correctly.

Building Coordination

So, we're leaving our first finger down. Take some time to welcome going between those two notes and connect your fingers up, building your coordination.

Example Breakdown

Taking a look at example three, we've got:

• The third fret on the B string, which is D, our new note.
• To C.

We're going to play D, C, D, D, all with alternate picking:

• Down, up, down, up.

In the second bar, we just have C, so we're only focusing on our picking:

• Down, up, down.

You can see the third note is a half note lasting for two beats, which means we don't need to play the up.

Starting with a Down Pluck

You can also see in bar three, it's telling us to start with a down pluck. We went over this earlier, saying that at the start of every bar, beat one should be plucked down.

So, we might need to work on this for a second, getting used to switching between alternate and down plucking.

• Bar three is the same as bar one, and the final bar is finishing on a whole note on D.

Practice Slowly

So let's take that really, really slowly, working through that together.

1. Count: 1, 2, 3, 4, down pluck.

Playing with the Backing Track

Now, we're going to try and play along with the backing track. It's a little bit faster, so build up to it gradually before you give it a go.