Well, since I've been teaching myself how to play guitar (for almost a year and a half), I've gotten real used to playing with down-strokes in my picking, you know for solos and such. It seems that alternate picking is incredibly important to people, but I like my down-picking better...

For me the only real advantage to alternate picking would be if you were playing something with really fast parts in it... Even then I would probably only use alternate picking for the fast parts of the song and then downpicks for everything else!

So, what are your thoughts on alternate picking? Do you use it?

I have really been practicing this and trying to break my bad habit of only picking down. My guitar instructor is forever getting on me about it, but habits are hard to break...

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Pick scrapes...Does that count as alternative picking??

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riley

Same, I've been trying to break my habit, but downpicks just seem so much more comfortable. Alternate picking seems like it could be too sloppy (you know, hitting other strings accidentally?). For me downpicks just seem more precise...

But then when you watch the guitar greats play, they use alternate picking....

same here it is about the preciseness for me and also I only really wantto be able to play slow smooth blues, of course I cant yet, but all ive needed so far is down picks...

yeah and to make it worse my guitar instructor is a jazz pro so he is super fast with the alternate picking...

oh well, practice practice practice and someday I'll break the habit...

good luck to you!

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Always have. From the school of Stradlin so it's pretty much a given. Only going down on his stuff is nigh on impossible.

CC

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Unless you're playing nothing but rhythm punk, you pretty much HAVE TO learn to alternate pick.

It'll come naturally soon enough.

I most definitely alternate pick. I'd almost go so far to say it's essential.

Not only is it much faster than solely using down strokes, you don't even think about it once you've become accustomed to using it (which doesn't take long, by the way).

I guess what I'm getting at is you'd be opening a lot of doors for yourself if you became accustomed to alternate picking. It's a good habit.

It really depends on what I am playing, but yes, I alternate pick...

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RAMA LAMA FA FA FA

From the Jim Campilongo and Glenn Frey School...both do alt picking. Couldn't play their stuff any other way!

Alternate picking is a must. You don't have to do it for the sake of doing it but as you progress you will find that alternate picking will only enhance your playing. My warm up is a few go rounds of the scales that I know using alternate picking. I think it gives you a looser feel and more flow to your playing because instead of worrying about getting your pick hand ready to attack from above only you can breeze through with an alternate picking movement without even a thought.

If you want to have any speed at all you are going to have to learn to alternate pick. Yes you can play a slow solo using all down stroke but once the tempo picks up you will not be able to keep up. For those that are having trouble a good exercise is to run your scales double picking each note so if you start on a down stroke when you cross to the next string it will be on a down stroke and then you can switch and start on an up stroke and cross on an up stroke, so there is no thinking involved.

Most people have trouble when they have to cross strings and the easiest way to work on that is two strings at a time . To keep it real I do not know anyone who alternate picks 100% of the time, I probably use it 80% and sometimes use economy picking or if it is just straight blues whatever feels or works best. But you will find the mor you use it you automatically become programmed and it happens without thinking which is what you dont want to happen. Believe me I went through a period where I started thinking about my pick strokes and it was messing me up . So I had to wipe the slate clean and as long as the music comes out correct that is all that matters.

I started learning alternate picking very early on. It was hard at first, but the more you make an effort to do it, the easier it gets. Everything on guitar is like that really. Now I almost never have to think about my picking hand, and I've been playing for four years. The only time I have to think about my right hand is for raking or muting, the picking is second nature. And the raking and muting is fast becoming second nature, the more I work at it.

Even if the only thing you ever play is Jimmy Reed, Buddy Holly, Punk Rock or Metal you have to learn to alternate pick. It's as important as fretting the note in the first place.

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Both, Alternate picking is not only for playing faster, it also gives a different sound.

Check out this Guitar World video:
(From 1.40 min.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjc8rV6d ... eature=sub

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Dean, Epiphone and Fender guitars

This has been posted before, pretty much everything you need to know about picking

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrSolarcoas ... xDQQDF6j0Y

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