Economy VS Alternate

[finnafinna]

i was wondering your opinions on each picking style and wondering what you guitar players use. i use economy myself and find it very helpful.

 

[finnafinna]

so they are no guitar players in here?

 

[Sinister Mephisto]

Depends on the situation.

 

[Space Cadet]

Depends on the situation.

Yeah, it's really whatever makes the lick/solo easier.

 

[ihave27frets]

For most riff work I try to down pick everything, but for leads its mostly alternate.

 

[finnafinna]

For most riff work I try to down pick everything, but for leads its mostly alternate.

have you ever tried or ventured into developing and economy style?

 

[Nectar of the Gods]

i think it all really depends on how you naturally do it. sometimes i'll find myself economy picking and vice versa.

^^
i agree, riffs sound alot chunkier yet brutal when they're down picked.

 

[espm1000]

i think it all really depends on how you naturally do it. sometimes i'll find myself economy picking and vice versa.

^^
i agree, riffs sound alot chunkier yet brutal when they're down picked.

Yea, but a lot of people prefer strict alternate picking because it has almost like a metronome feel to it if you get what I am saying.


To the threadstarter:

Also depends on the sound that you are looking for. For that thick chunky riff work, downpicking, but alternate picking triplets and such because no one can down pick that fast, not even hetfield. Just be careful, I got tendinitis and have to sell my guitar before I make it worse. I'm gonna start back up with a cheaper guitar, but am pissed because my guitar is the same exact one as Patrick's so I actually feel like I'm good, hahaha. J/k.

 

[finnafinna]

i was mainly just talking in the sense of shreading, but yeah i completely agree on downpicking riffage.

 

[espm1000]

i was mainly just talking in the sense of shreading, but yeah i completely agree on downpicking riffage.

For shredding most people tend to use complete alternate picking as it gives that metronome feel and is a tad bit easier to keep in time once you get used to it. However, strict alternate picking, even though a powerful tool, is nothing when it isn't used in conjunction with other techniques such as legato or sweep picking.

 

[finnafinna]

yeah i love players like petrucci and gilbert, which use strict alternate but i love michael romeos technique much more, not saying i love his music more, but watching his instruction video makes me extremely happy in the pants.

 

[ihave27frets]

I think they both have thier place in heavy music, both lead and riff wise.