Advanced alternate picking - Traversing Strings With Audio!



Let's look at some exercises that will really test your alternate picking skills. What’s more, if you practice them regularly you'll see rapid improvements to the speed and accuracy of your alternate picking.

Once you've mastered some basic alternate picking runs you'll find one of the hardest aspects of this essential technique is changing from one string to another without loosing pace, missing a note or just messing things up. The goal from day one must be to develop a technique that allows you to play smooth passages, with evenly spaced, even volume notes, no background string noise and no mistakes. At slow, medium and BLISTERING speeds!

So lets look at some passages that will test your string changing ability in the G Major scale:

Ex 1a.                     Ex 2a.

E -|--------------------   E -|--------------------
B -|--------------------   B -|--------------------
G -|--------------------   G -|--------------------
D -|--------------------   D -|--------------------
A -|-----------3--5--7--   A -|-----------3--5--7--
E -|--3--5--7-----------   E -|--3--5--7-----------
    d  u  d  u  d  u             u  d  u  d  u  d  
    
Click here to download audio for Ex 1>>

Try repeating each of these patterns (taking note of the picking indications) four times each.

Notice how in Ex 1a the pick passes from the E to the A string with a down stroke up stroke combination. After the E string is picked the pick has to pass over the A string before it can pick the A string with an up stroke. This is quite an uncomfortable technique and needs to be given full attention and much practice. This will ensure that the transition becomes easy to perform with no noticeable difference to the change from one note to another on the same string.

Notice in Ex 1b the pass from the E to the A string with an up stroke followed by a down stroke. This is a different technique to Ex 1a but equally uncomfortable.

I term the string change in Ex 1a ‘changing on the outside’ and the string change in Ex 1b ‘changing on the inside’. Mastering these two changes is essential to mastering alternate picking. Furthermore, these two changes must be mastered changing downwards and changing upwards.

Lets take a look at some exercises that will really zone-in on these string changes. This exercise is in B minor:

Ex 2a.

E -|-9--10-7--9-----7----------------------------------------
B -|-------------10----8--10-7--8-----7----------------------
G -|-------------------------------9-----7--9--6--7-----6----
D -|-------------------------------------------------9-----7-
A -|---------------------------------------------------------
E -|---------------------------------------------------------
     d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d
               ou od ou          ou od ou          ou od ou  

E -|---------------------------------------------------------
B -|---------------------------------------------------------
G -|---------------------------------------------------------
D -|-9--5--7-----5-------------------------------------------
A -|----------9-----7--9--5--7-----5-------------------------
E -|----------------------------9-----7--9--5--7-------------
     u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u
            ou od ou          ou od ou

This exercise involves numerous outside string changes, both upwards and downwards. These are marked ou and od for outside-upwards and outside-downwards. As you may tell just by looking, these exercises will really improve your ability to handle outside string changes. Learn the note sequences carefully and practice this slowly with a metronome. Once you can play the whole sequence accurately and cleanly at a very slow pace, gradually increase the tempo of the metronome to build your speed. You may not nail this on the first day you try it so be prepared to practice it as part of your regular routine for a couple of weeks.

NOTE: There is a particularly difficult-to-finger section in this run.

Ex 2a*

------
-7----
----7-
------
------
------

To perform this it’s best to play both notes with your index finger. Make sure you play the first note far enough back from the tip of the finger so that you can roll the finger over onto the second note and release (and effectively mute) the first. This will require practice to master, but it will be well worth the effort.

Now check out Ex 2b, again in B minor:

Ex 2b

E -|-9--10-7--9-----7----------------------------------------
B -|-------------10----8--10-7--8-----7----------------------
G -|-------------------------------9-----7--9--6--7-----6----
D -|-------------------------------------------------9-----7-
A -|---------------------------------------------------------
E -|---------------------------------------------------------
     u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u
               iu id iu          iu id iu          iu id iu  

E -|---------------------------------------------------------
B -|---------------------------------------------------------
G -|---------------------------------------------------------
D -|-9--5--7-----5-------------------------------------------
A -|----------9-----7--9--5--7-----5-------------------------
E -|----------------------------9-----7--9--5--7-------------
     d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d
            iu id iu          iu id iu

Click here to download audio for Ex 2 at slow>> and fast>> tempos.

This is exactly the same sequence of notes as before but the picking direction has been reversed. This means that all of the string changes are inside changes. This exercise should be practiced along with the previous with a metronome with preference given to neither. It’s important to develop your ability in string changing evenly. This will allow you to tackle the widest possible variety of licks easily.

Also learn these exercises backwards (ascending) beginning with both up and down strokes. Remember to always maintain a strict up-down sequence in your picking.

Finally lets look at putting all four types of string changes together in one sequence.

This is an exercise in E minor:

Ex 3.

E -|-10-8--7-----8--7--------7----------------------------------
B -|----------10-------10-8-----10-8--7--10-8--7-----8--7-------
G -|----------------------------------------------9--------9--7-
D -|------------------------------------------------------------
A -|------------------------------------------------------------
E -|------------------------------------------------------------
     u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  u  u  d
            iu id    ou    id iu                iu id    ou    id

E -|------------------------------------------------------------
B -|-7----------------------------------------------------------
G -|----9--7--5--9--7--5-----7--5--------5----------------------
D -|----------------------9--------9--7-----9--7--5--9--7--5----
A -|----------------------------------------------------------9-
E -|------------------------------------------------------------
     u  d  u  d u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d
      iu                iu id    ou    id iu                iu id

E -|------------------------------------------------------------
B -|------------------------------------------------------------
G -|------------------------------------------------------------
D -|-7--5--------5----------------------------------------------
A -|-------9--7-----9--7--5--9--7--5-----7--5--------5----------
E -|----------------------------------8--------8--7-----8--7--5-
     u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  u  d  
         ou    id iu                iu id    ou    id iu

Click here to download audio for Ex 3 at slow>> and fast>> tempos.

Now if you practice this exercise starting with up and down strokes and also play the whole sequence in reverse starting with up and down strokes, you’re going to have a serious workout for your string changing.

Always focus on playing clean, even notes. Always practice slowly with a metronome and increase your speed gradually.

Guitar School Online