Any reason not to always alternate pick?

[awfulguitarnois]

I'm a new player and am having fun with scales. I'm wondering if there's a reason not to always alternate pick? It seems like otherwise you're limiting the speed you can pick. Again, I'm new, so I'm probably way off base, but it's something I've been thinking about, as I pretty much always alternate pick when doing scales. Any input would be great!

 

[Leon Grizzard]

Jazz guitarist Jimmy Bruno says his practice is always use alternating picking, with the exceptions that he always plays a downstroke going to a higher ptiched string, and always uses an upstroke when changing to a lower pitched string. I believe Al Dimiola recommends always up/down. And so opinions vary and you can do well either way. If you are changing strings rapidly in one direction, sweep picking may be best. And there is the double down up stroke for some uses too. But if you are starting out, getting fluent with strict alternating may be a good way to go.

 

[Al Watsky]

Picking is a very variable matter.
Its good to alternate pick as an exercise when playing scales and etudes.
Everyone starts that way.
Later you find that picking on the guitar is very much like bowing on the violin.
It becomes a matter of phrasing and articulation.
No well trained violinist would use only 1 stroke.
A Guitarist needs every method of articulation available.
Needs vary , string crossings and the necessities of the continuation of a phrase will require you to vary the picking pattern to better realize musical intentions.
Legattos, stacattos, slurring, dynamics , and tonal variation , will necessitate varied approaches to picking.
Straight alternate picking is a great start though.
Its one of many techniques.

 

[awfulguitarnois]

Thanks, this is the kind of input I was hoping for. I appreciate the answers.

 

[gitold]

I like to use down strokes only when I'm playing swing or jump music.Slows me down and gives your playing a old school vibe.

 

[e-merlin]

You can get a lot of mileage out of downstrokes. Just listen to the Ramones...

 

[brokenjoe]

Different styles require differnt picking techniques.

If you really want to master a style, learn not only the chords/notes etc., but get the picking style down as well.

If I stopped to think about it (which I wouldn't do while playing, 'cause I'd screw everything up) there are some songs where I switch between hybrid picking, alternate picking, and 'Travis style' pick and two fingers.

Whatever gets the sound and feel you're going for.

I've always thought that it was best not to limit yourself. Why stop at one?

 

[Pinball_Wizard]

You'll want to learn how to only do downs, ups, and then work out triplets (Down on 1, 2, 3, 4; then down trip let, up trip let, down trip let, up trip let.)

Even the angle of the pick affects the articulation. Alternate picking is just good for developing speed, and has it's flavors.

 

[strat a various]

Jazz great Tony Rizzi once told me to always alternate pick, hold the pick in a specific way, hold the guitar in a specific way, pick from the elbow. etc. Then you have Joe Pass, he'd play with a pick, play with his fingers, do both ... then look at Wes Montgomery. Just thumb.
Practice scales alternate picking, but when you're really playing, you'll find that getting the sound and energy you need will bring out all kinds of exceptions; sometimes all downstrokes, or mostly downstrokes are warranted.

 

[Joe-Bob]

Jazz guitarist Jimmy Bruno says his practice is always use alternating picking, with the exceptions that he always plays a downstroke going to a higher pitched string, and always uses an upstroke when changing to a lower pitched string. I believe Al Dimiola recommends always up/down. And so opinions vary and you can do well either way.

I lean towards the Bruno version. I try to alternate as much as possible/practical. One good reason is that it gets onto auto-pilot--alternate picking becomes your default. That way, you can think of other stuff instead of your picking.

 

[Leon Grizzard]

I lean towards the Bruno version. I try to alternate as much as possible/practical. One good reason is that it gets ono auto-pilot--alternate picking becomes your default. That way, you can think of other stuff instead of your picking.

I don't think about it either, but I sometimes think maybe I should. I always start picking with a downstroke, but I was viewing some lesson on YouTube and it really was easier to start that particular thing with an upstroke.

I'm been working on the lick to White Lighting, and noticed how it really is different if I come back to the low E with an upstroke. I play it the first time with a downstroke, but it is a little smoother, a little more efficient, with the upstroke.

 

[Valvey]

I was taught to play notes on the beat with a downstroke and notes off the beat with an upstroke. At faster tempos this pattern tends to break down and I naturally start to use Jimmy Bruno's approach.

 

[JayFreddy]

I'm wondering if there's a reason not to always alternate pick?

Yes. Different picking styles sound different.

Pretty much all of Chuck Berry's playing is down-strokes.

On my own personal journey, I learned classical i-m picking first. Then I did the Al Dimeola thing and learned to alternate pick absolutely everything... After about 5 years of nothing but alternate picking, I went on a Frank Gambale binge and learned his version of sweep picking, crossing strings from low to high with a down pick, etc. Then I did a Steve Morse phase, with pick'n fingers, and lately I've been experimenting more with fingerpicks...

They all sound different. To me, that's reason enough to learn 'em. One is not necessarily better than the other, but I can honestly say that I have met more people who cannot alternate pick correctly who will tell you it doesn't matter... Maybe that's why they never bother learning to do it correctly?

 

[octatonic]

I believe a modern guitarist should be familiar with a variety of styles.
You might end up specialising in a particular style but it is definitely handy to be able to play in different styles.

Different picking patterns/techniques makes this a lot easier.

Alternate picking can sound a bit robotic at high speeds.
A mixture of alternate, legato, economy and hybrid picking is really what I aspire to- to be able to effortlessly mix between these picking techniques.
Economy picking is something I've been getting into recently quite a lot- last year or so.
Dramatically affected my playing, as much as taking up hybrid about 10 years ago.

You have to first practice these picking techniques in isolation before mixing it up.
Then you need to spend the same amount of time mixing it up to get it smooth.
Then you need to spend the same amount of time doing it in front of an audience for it to sound smooth under pressure.

 

[J.S. Bach]

I've tought myself over time to always be aware of picking directions, especially at chord changes, and I've come to see that most of the time sticking to an alternating pattern will give you the best results in general. Of course there are always situations where this won't be the case. I find that using the alternating style as a default foundation, changing it when you need to, but then returning to it smoothly, is a good way to go.

 

[Skrik]

Rule such as ALWAYS alternate pick are simply not rock & roll.

I find picking up or down comes naturally (edit: economy picking), but is not always the opposite from what has just happened. It's messy, and each run takes practice, but it has the advantage of my not having to jump strings so often, just to keep the pattern.

And then there is hybrid picking, which I taught my daughter last night as her first picking technique on the electric guitar. She tells me that it is very natural for her (after learning classical guitar for a year first).

 

[awfulguitarnois]

Great input everyone. Lots to digest. I really appreciate it.

 

[Larry F]

When I trained myself to develop certain reflex actions, I used the alternate picking method. This meant down on 1 2 3 4 and up on the "&"s on 8th notes. On 16th notes, it was down on 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & and up on the "e"s. I did this picking on any rhythmic configuration. For example & & & & would all be played up. This helped me a lot when playing or reading complicated rhythms. I think not having a picking system makes complicated rhythms harder to play. One of the biggest problems with not having a picking system is consistency. If I were to pick a pattern one way and have it sound fine, I might play it again with a different picking pattern. This would make the sound different and also might trip me up.

Nowadays, it is a different story. I am playing nothing but blues. No classical, no fiddle tunes, no jazz blowing. In blues, alternating picking can easily sound stiff and artificial. Instead, use hammers and pulls as part of my picking vocabulary. The result is much more personal and vocal. I remember a young Pat Methany, in one of his first interviews in a national magazine saying that he thought picking every note sounded "corny."

When I play my fastest patterns in blues, they are usually descending. If you listen to the greats, after a high climactic passage, they release the steam by doing a fast run down to a low note. It is kind of like shaking out a rub, or sweeping debris off a table with one sweep of your arm.

Technically, here is what I do. I pick every note when there are 2 notes on a string. I use alternating picking for these, with the downstrokes in sync with the "&"s as I described above. When I have 3 notes on a string in a descending run, I pick the first two notes so that they correspond to the rhythmic subdivision. The third note is a pull-off. If I do this on 2 or more strings, I can do it pretty quickly in a way that sounds more human and vocal than strict alternate picking.

I also use a lot of triplets in blues, more than straight 8th and 16ths. With triplets, I use strict alternate picking that results in having the second group of triplets picked the opposite way. I also use pull-off for the 3rd note on the string with descending runs.

Another picking method that I use is 1 starter pick, the have 12 or more notes played with hammer-ons and pull-offs. I'm working on raising my right arm up as I do this. Hendrix did this a lot and so does Prince. It is a great visual effect and very disoriented for the audience I would think. Runs that descend are better than going up because they are louder. Run going up have no pull-offs, just hammers.

Rhythm guitar is a very different animal, almost like a different instrument in some ways. One way is the strumming, which is rarely a straight up and down in sync with the beat. Playing that way is so mechanical. You have got to switch up the strum directions. A good way to practice is with a Latin rhythm book. I have seen in a book some rhythms that have up-strums on downbeat, etc. This was excellent practice for me. Strict downstrums are very common, as on power chords.