Alternate Picking Guitar Workout

ALTERNATE PICKING guitar patterns and tips

Greetings to you, my fellow Shred enthusiast! If you’re looking to improve your alternate picking guitar skills, then I’ve got the thing for you. In this post, we’ll be discussing the different types of alternate picking patterns and how they change between strings when using odd or even note patterns per-string. But that’s not all! I’ve put together some alternate picking exercises for you to try that demonstrate the 4 most common types of these patterns for Shred guitar.

What is Alternate Picking?

alternate picking guitar exercises evens and odds If you’re reading this, you probably know exactly what alternate picking is. But, just in case you’re a newbie (everyone has to start somewhere) let’s take a second to briefly define alternate picking.

Fundamentally, alternate picking, sometimes known as double picking, is a guitar technique where you alternate between downstrokes and upstrokes with your pick as you play through a passage on the guitar. When the pick goes down, it plucks the string to play one note and when you bring the pick back up again it plucks the string to play another note and so on. This technique allows you to play faster and more accurately, as you’re both conserving energy and efficiently using each motion of the pick to pluck the string.

Alternate picking is the standard technique for shred guitar when it comes to picked patterns that play multiple notes per-string. While other picking techniques like sweep picking and economy picking may be more efficient in certain contexts, and legato techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, and two hand tapping can be just as fast or even faster, alternate picking provides the cutting attack that is characteristic of shred guitar.

Alternate picking patterns: Odds or evens?

One of the most common alternate picking patterns is the 2 and 4 note per string pattern. This pattern is considered an even pattern because you are using an equal number of downstrokes and upstrokes on each string.

When using this pattern, the picking direction will stay the same as you move between strings. For example, if you start with a downstroke on the low E string, you will continue with a downstroke on the A string, and so on.

even alternate picking exercise #1 – two notes per string

alternate picking guitar pattern 2 notes per string — Alternate picked pentatonic exercise with 2 notes per string. Notice that the picking pattern is the same for each string.

even alternate picking exercise #2 – four notes per string

alternate picking guitar pattern 4 notes per string — Alternate picked chromatic exercise (skipping notes in the scale to use the same frets for each string) with 4 notes per string. As with the previous exercise, the picking pattern is the same for each string.

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On the other hand, 1 and 3 note per string patterns are considered uneven patterns because the number of downstrokes and upstrokes is not equal on each string. This causes the picking pattern to change when you move between strings. For example, if you start with a downstroke on the low E string, you will need to start with an upstroke on the A string in order to maintain the alternate picking pattern.

even alternate picking exercise #3 – one note per string

alternate picking guitar pattern 1 note per string — Alternate picked exercise using just 1 note per string. While patterns that use only 1 note per string often use sweep picking, there are plenty of occasions where alternate picking would be preferred. Notice that the picking direction changes with each string.

even alternate picking exercise #4 – three notes per string

alternate picking guitar pattern 3 notes per string — Alternate picked diatonic exercise with 3 notes per string. Notice that the picking pattern is inverted for each string.

Improving your alternate picking guitar skills

So how do you improve your alternate picking skills? Well, why do you think I spent the time making those exercises for you? One way is to practice alternate picking exercises like the ones shown above. These exercises will help you build coordination for different types of alternate picking patterns which is very important since, in the real world, Shred solos don’t always confine themselves to either even or odd picking patterns.

Taking that one step further, I’d recommend that you practice alternate picking exercises that alternate (okay this is getting a little confusing) between even and odd numbers of strings.

Of course it’s also extremely important that you practice with a metronome, starting slowly and gradually increasing your speed.

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Lastly, don’t forget to practice alternate picking with different scales and runs. Experiment with different picking patterns and see what works best for you. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be well on your way towards shred mastery.

So there you have it, a few tips on how to improve your alternate picking guitar skills. Keep practicing and before you know it, you’ll be tearing up the fretboard like a pro.

Shred on!

-Anton

Shred Guitar Exercises for the Metal Guitarist

Greetings shred enthusiast! If you’re looking to take your shred skills to the next level, I’ve put together a list of Shred Guitar exercises that are just what you need.

After studying Shred for the last 12 or so years, I’ve taken the courses, I’ve watched the videos, I’ve put the time in and, most importantly, I’ve gotten the results. But you still might be surprised to discover just what I know about how to improve one’s skills on the ol’ electric six string.

While a lot of what it takes to master shred is easier than it looks, it still takes hard work, dedication, and most importantly, the right set of exercises to help you reach your desired Shred status.

Enough preamble already. Here are my top 9 (that’s right, 9) shred guitar exercises to take your skills to the next level:

Alternate Picking Licks:

Begin by positioning your hands in the standard alternate picking position, with your fretting hand on the neck of the guitar and your picking hand hovering over the strings.
Start by playing a simple scale or lick using alternate picking, with your picking hand moving back and forth between up and down strokes.
Pay attention to the motion of your picking hand and strive for a steady, even motion.
Gradually increase the speed of your alternate picking as you become more comfortable with the technique.
Practice with a metronome to help improve your timing and speed.
As you become more proficient with alternate picking, try incorporating it into more complex licks and patterns.

Here’s a video of some alternate picking licks to get you started –

String Skipping:

Begin by positioning your hands in the standard playing position, with your fretting hand on the neck of the guitar and your picking hand hovering over the strings.
Start by practicing string skipping with simple patterns, such as alternating between the open 1st and 3rd strings with a metronome.
As you become more comfortable with string skipping, try adding in your fretting hand to play more complex patterns and licks.
Pay close attention to the accuracy and precision of your finger movements as you skip over strings.
Practice with a metronome to help improve your timing and speed.
As you become more proficient with string skipping, try incorporating it into your solos and compositions.

Here are some string skipping exercises to try, when you’re ready –

Sweep Picking Arpeggios:

Start by practicing simple sweep picking patterns, such as 2 string sweeps.
Pay attention to the motion of your picking hand and strive for a smooth, fluid motion as you sweep across the strings.
Gradually increase the complexity of your sweep picking patterns by adding in more strings.
Practice with a metronome to help improve your timing and speed.
As you become more proficient with sweep picking, try incorporating it into your solos and compositions.

Here’s a video of some sweep picking exercises –

Two-Handed Tapping Licks:

Start by playing a simple scale or lick using only your fretting hand to tap the notes.
Once you feel comfortable with this, try adding in your picking hand to alternate between tapping and picking.
As you become more proficient with this technique, try increasing the speed and complexity of the licks you play.
It can also be helpful to practice with a metronome to improve your timing and control.

More video exercises for you, now for 2 hand tapping –

Legato Licks:

Start by playing a simple scale or lick using only your fretting hand to pluck the strings.
Once you feel comfortable with this, try using your picking hand to smoothly transition between notes, rather than plucking each note individually.
Practice using both your fretting hand and picking hand to create legato lines.
As you become more proficient with this technique, try increasing the speed and complexity of the licks you play.
It can also be helpful to use a metronome to improve your timing and control.

Bend and Vibrato:

Begin by practicing simple bends with your fretting hand. Start with a single string and gradually work your way up to bending multiple strings at once.
Pay attention to the pitch of the bent notes and strive for a smooth, controlled bend.
Once you feel comfortable with bends, try incorporating vibrato into your playing. This can be achieved by rapidly rocking your finger back and forth on the bent string.
As you become more proficient with these techniques, try combining them in your playing.
It can also be helpful to use a metronome to improve your timing and control.

Scales and Modes:

Begin by selecting a scale or mode to practice. It can be helpful to start with a simple scale such as the major or minor pentatonic scale.
Practice playing the scale in a variety of positions on the neck of the guitar.
As you become more comfortable with the scale, try improvising with it over a backing track or chord progression.
Experiment with playing the scale in different rhythms and try incorporating it into your own solos and compositions.
It can also be helpful to practice with a metronome to improve your timing and control.

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Improvisation:

Start by familiarizing yourself with the chords and structure of a song or backing track that you want to improvise over.
Practice playing scales and licks over the backing track, paying attention to how they fit with the chord progression.
Experiment with different approaches to improvisation, such as playing melodically or using a more rhythmic approach.
As you become more comfortable with improvising, try adding in elements such as bends, vibrato, and other techniques to add expression to your playing.
It can also be helpful to practice with a metronome to improve your timing and control.

Speed and Accuracy:

Begin by selecting a simple lick or scale to practice.
Slowly work on building up your speed and accuracy by gradually increasing the tempo of the metronome or backing track you are practicing with.
Pay close attention to the accuracy of each note and strive for clean, precise playing.
As you become more comfortable with the lick or scale, try incorporating it into your own solos and compositions.

So there you have it, folks – my top NINE shred guitar exercises to take your skills to the next level. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don’t be afraid to put in the work and dedication.

Shred on!

-Anton