Guitar technique - Do you use alternate picking correctly ?

[Plendakor]

...

 

[ArthurD]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pExzbklg-Qc&t=1m17s[/ame]

1:17 Alternate picking is for pussies.

Just kidding. I do both, depends on the pattern, pick force, etc

 

[rapucore]

Descending 3 notes per string, I use down-up-down/up-down-up.

 

[Plankis]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_picking
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_picking

I use mainly alternate picking. Economy picking for sweeping and similar motions.

 

[nialldoran]

i probably switch between the two without noticing, and do what has to be done to play shit right but when learning something slowly i always try and stick to down-up-down/up-down-up

 

[schismatic]

Alternate picking sounds more legato, all downwards sounds more staccato, so whatever the song requires!

 

[ATLA]

Duddud would be economy picking. IMO just use what ever gets the best result. Doesn't hurt to practice both. If you want to get better at straight alternate picking then I suggest watching lots of Paul Gilbert.

 

[Jormyn]

If it's a fast enough part that I have to consider how best to get from note to note, I'm probably not going to hit them all anyway, so it's a bit of a pointless question :/

 

[Full_Tilt]

It depends on the number of repeats and the next string to be played if economy + alternate are to be combined . Above certain tempo's a double down stroke is impossible unless the 2nd down stroke is played on the string below . Or double up stroke 2nd up stroke on string above .
Its been a long time since I really thought about it .
Sometimes you can get away with a hammer on or pull off .

 

[~BURNY~]

I think that economy picking uses too much brain power. I use a mix of alternate and legato without thinking about it.

 

[~BURNY~]

Why is this thread in the FOH section?

 

[abt]

If you're talking strictly three notes per string as per you question, then only one answer is alternate picking, the other is economy picking (and the other is nose picking!). Any time you change strings and keep the picking direction the same (down down while ascending, up up while descending) then it's economy picking.

And, IMO, there IS an absolute answer to this question. I too a few years ago changed my picking from strictly alternate where ever possible to economy picking where possible. At first I thought it was great, more fluid, faster. But over time things changed, and, here is my answer - it's all about how it sounds. Economy picking doesn't sound the same as alternate picking, nor does it sound like all down strokes. IMO it sounds weaker and I don't like as much. I still use it, sometimes you have to. Sometimes it's simply a matter of making the beat stronger. For example, a lot of the time I'm playing three notes per string but the beat is in four so I want a heavier down stroke to match. Most of the time if it's just scale patterns it doesn't matter that much. Sometimes I'll track a riff all down strokes just to get that sound even though I'd probably never play it that way.

 

[Plendakor]

Why is this thread in the FOH section?

As written :
"F.O.H. Production tips, techniques, tutorials..."

I have no idea what F.O.H stands for and don't feel guilty not knowing.

 

[~BURNY~]

As written :
"F.O.H. Production tips, techniques, tutorials..."

I have no idea what F.O.H stands for and don't feel guilty not knowing.

Don't be 16 again.

 

[~BURNY~]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=F.O.H+