Economy vs alternate picking question i have been practicing economy picking for the last 6 months or so, and a have recently hit a brick wall in terms or speed and accuracy. Perform the exercises so that when you see two consecutive downstrokes, you pick the first note and push the pick to the next. It has a distinctive sound and is usually thought of as a modern technique, although you can find clips of chet atkins throwing sweeps with a thumb pick back in the 1950s. Alternate picking for guitarists may seem like something we all take for granted. These are good for both the beginner sweeper to use to learn some basic 3 string shapes and for the expert who just wants to get. Click here to download a printable pdf of this lessons. Get tabs and backing tracks for all my lessons here. Economy picking licks this is my solution to the problems. Alternate picking aims to automate pick direction and timing so that they are stable and constant. Guitar picking mechanics video guitar music theory courses. Apr 17, 2015 alternate picking is for sissies, economy picking is for republicans. On a single string, even a beginner can economize picking motion and nail tunes like miserlou and thunderstruck after just a few weeks of intensive practice. Alternate picking crosspicking can easily have a good uniform rhythm, but its real strength lies in how it facilitates a lilting, syncopated swing. There are myriad applications of this close relative of sweep picking, most notably the threenoteperstring scalar patterns described in frank gambales monster licks and speed.
One of the best alternate pickers in the business is john petrucci, famed guitarist of dream theater. Because economy picking involves a sweeping motion, you have to use two different practice routines to get the best results fast. First, let the pick fall from the 3rd string to the 2nd, allowing the pick to rest up against the. G major scale with 3 notes per string using economy picking. Practice economy and sweep picking and other concepts in this efficient speed picking exercise. Cool lesson, i saw a post not long ago about a discussion, and many agreed that economy was not good, i find it very useful. It is a technique that creates a fast and fluid sound. You also discover techniques that make an immediate difference in how well you pick, so you see fast results. It also makes it easy to sustain all the strings being played leading to a big, full, cascadetype sound. This teaches your picking hand to make smooth motions rather than two separate downward or upward. There are a lot of structures that we play that have three notes and that are one note per string, especially triads, but.
After alternate picking, the next stop on your righthand technique bucket list should be economy picking. The aggressive fluidity of economy picking is a valuable technique in any guitarists repertoire, providing the means for maximized speed with minimal effort. Alternate picking exercises 9 john petrucci riffs to. Practicing the exercise here below is a great way to work on this. Dec 30, 2009 this lesson focuses on learning how economy picking is performed as well as the theory behind it. A pdf, audio, and the full exercise image is provided below. Economy picking is just another form of sweep picking.
The main reason why i wanted you to try out these exercises. Alternate picking 20 essential picking exercises for. In this lesson i will show you some exercises to develop the economy picking technique, also you will learn 3 scale shapes to practice. Dec 02, 2007 one form of picking is alternate picking, which is difined by consistant down up down up pick strokes. In the lessons that are currently available on, i find very little information about the most important technique in fast guitar play. Cut your picking in half wouldnt it be awesome to cut your overall picking activity by 50 percent. Photo by benjamin deutsch arpeggios are often used for sweep picking also referred as economy picking different from alternate picking. Economy picking is a combination of the techniques used in sweeping and alternate picking frank gambale is an australian guitarist, who is credited with pioneering modern economy picking techniques he developed a system that could be applied to scales and arpeggios by making use of an odd number of notes. Economy picking licks this is my solution to the problems youtube. Ex019 efficient speed picking exercise guitar lesson world. I must point out though, that i do not use economy technique exclusively when playing guitar as i frequently use alternate picking as well as.
Similarly, the arpeggio lick in figure 10, measure 2, requires minimal picking motion. Economy picking is basically the combination of alternate and sweep picking. In fact, the pentatonic scale fingerings often have only 2 frets per string, and this allows a great variety of movements that involve more than one string. I will then take you through a series of essential exercises, which include the most effective and most commonly used picking permutations.
I tend to refer to the former when using the technique in a scalar context and the latter when executing arpeggios. I used to crosspick across all 6 strings at 200bpm. Moved on to getting sweeping down, then introduced economy picking and now it just flows when i noodle on the guitar. The study uses open or spread triads from the harmonized major scale. Solving the mysteries of economy picking, shredstyle guitar world. If you dedicate some time practicing all the exercises and songs of this book everyday, playing the exercises with the correct sweep picking technique, then you will definitely master sweep picking within one year. Advanced economy picking exercises with erich andreas now that you have given economy picking a try, its time to learn more exercises to try out your new guitar. Playing each bar using alternate picking would require eight pick strokes.
Dec 29, 2009 in this lesson we will focus on learning the theory behind economy picking as well as practice a few exercises to develop it. Economy sweep,speed picking concept and exercises economy picking concept. A guitar lesson by maleny morfen focusing on four economy picking exercises that combine alternate and sweep picking techniques. Alternate picking 20 essential picking exercises for guitarists. Its about squeezing the most possible melodic colour from these three simple notes, simply by changing the order in which we play them.
Economy picking is not how you learn to play guitar when youre on a budget. Here are 4 reasons why directional picking is the best picking technique for guitar speed. Jan 06, 2015 economy picking for right hand efficiency. It can really mess up the groove and does not really lend it self to good phrasing. Solving the mysteries of economy picking, shredstyle. So if you like to show off or just create incredible sounds on. Economy picking is somewhere in between alternate picking and sweep picking in that when you play a three note per string scale ascending, you would pick downupdowndownupdowndownup etc so when you leave a string with a down pick, the next string will also be a down pick, saving time and effort. All of these are only 3 string sweeps so there is not any thing too big.
I cant go cleanly past about 120bpm 116th notes, and i am considering returning to alternate picking as my teacher recommends i. Economy picking licks this is my solution to the problems jens. In the 1hr 20min long full hd video, i will talk you through my approach to understanding and applying the technique with full and concise explanations of the essential elements of economy picking technique. The guitar picking mechanics video course equips you to play popular styles of music as proficiently as possible by training you to use the proper techniques needed to play common guitar parts. The exercises are in triplets, sixteenths, and sixtuplets rhythm. Today we will take a look at riffs and lines he has played and use them as exercises to help.
Jun 26, 2015 sweep picking is actually just a result of applying the principles of economy picking to an arpeggio where the notes lie across the strings hence the term sweep picking because if the notes lie on consecutive adjacent strings, then effect is for the pick to sweep across the whole group of notes in a single motion. To tackle the ascending portion of these shapes, use a single, controlled down stroke to pass through strings 31. Economy picking aims to maximize the efficiency of the pick stroke by manipulating pick direction. Sweep picking, sometimes called economy picking, is one of the more dramatic and impressive tools in the guitar shredding universe. Try economy pickingusing a single upstroke or downstroke to articulate notes on neighboring strings, as in figure 10, measure 1. This lesson focuses on learning how economy picking is performed as well as the theory behind it. Sweep picking is actually just a result of applying the principles of economy picking to an arpeggio where the notes lie across the strings hence the term sweep picking because if the notes lie on consecutive adjacent strings, then effect is for the pick to sweep across the whole group of notes in a single motion. The result is a more dynamic, less linear expression of the arpeggio. I go into great detail with the mechanics, and show you the only exercises that you will ever. It serves as an excellent method of training for the right hand to make the minimum and most accurate movement required and can also be used in a variety of musical situations where. Today we will take a look at riffs and lines he has played and use them as. These crosspicking patterns make your hands strong, fast and coordinated.
The aggressive fluidity of economy picking is a valuable technique in any guitarists repertoire, providing the means for maximized speed with. Frank gambale is an australian guitarist, who is credited with pioneering modern economy picking techniques. In this lesson i am going to go over some ways to take simple exercises and use them to combine legato, alternate picking and sweeping or economy picking. Frank gambale, yngwie malmsteen among others are experts in this field. The point is that from the 3 most common techniques for lead guitar alternate picking, directional picking and economy picking, directional picking is by far the easiest to learn and master and build insane guitar speed with. Its way too confusing to develop any sort of muscle memory going straight into. Most guitarists, even complete beginners alternate some down and up strokes whether they are consciously doing it or not. Practice economy picking and sweep picking for speed. A free pdf download of the exercises in this lesson is. You do however have to be careful with timing and phrasing when you work with this technique. Economy picking works best for patterns that have three notes per string such as the 3noteperstring major scale fingerings. How to master economy picking economy picking guitar exercises. Economy picking is a great strategy if you play the phrases that are the most difficult.
They use chromatic scales so you can avoid cliches and create a unique, signature sound. Advanced economy picking exercises with erich andreas now that you have given economy picking a try, its time to learn more exercises to try out your new guitar picking technique, develop accuracy, and gain speed. How to master economy picking economy picking guitar. Even if youre familiar with alternate picking, it can often be. One form of picking is alternate picking, which is difined by consistant down up down up pick strokes. Economy picking is a guitar picking technique designed to maximize picking efficiency by combining alternate picking and sweep picking.
Economy picking is a combination of the techniques used in sweeping and alternate picking. Apr 16, 2020 playing each bar using alternate picking would require eight pick strokes. Oct 10, 2011 economy sweep,speed picking concept and exercises economy picking concept. In this lesson we will focus on learning the theory behind economy picking as well as practice a few exercises to develop it. When picking multiple notes on a string, alternate picking alternating between downstrokes and upstrokes is used. The process is not all about playing tedious drills over and over all day. G major chord tones separated into 3 octaves including a tapped note. Economy picking and synchronisation exercises with rob chapman rob chapman tuition store. I go into great detail with the mechanics, and show you the only exercises that you will ever need to develop this great picking technique. Essentially there are 3 ways to negotiate crossing strings when playing with a pick only.
Today were going to take a look at a few sweep picking ideas from yngwie malmsteen. Technique and scale exercises are for sound for me it is in the end much more about having techniques so that i can play the music that i want to play and get it to sound right and having a. This is not to say that we cant use legato technique on an eightnote lick, but its important to see how the techniques change when the rhythm of the licks change. The examples using economy picking, sweep picking and legato picking all use a sextuplet rhythm 6 notes per beat. The pentatonic scale is a great basis for creating cool alternate picking exercise. In this lesson, you will learn how to master the economy picking technique on the guitar, with some very simple economy picking exercises. One of the main stumbling blocks for guitarists to overcome is when crossing from one string to another. This is why you suck at guitar, lesson 11 duration. It produces a smoother sound than straight alternate picking and requires far less effort in the picking hand. Lightly drag your pick across push down, pull up the two strings so that theres very little resistance. I didnt go near economy picking until i mastered alternate picking and legato techniques. Economy picking combines some of the advantages of sweep picking and alternate picking, with notes repeated on a single string using an alternating pattern, but with notes that move to a neighboring string using the same pattern for a followthrough motion.
The hybrid picking right hand technique can also be used and especially useful when the distance between the notes gets further. He developed a system that could be applied to scales and arpeggios by making use of an odd number of notes when moving vertically on a string. I was actually thinking about doing an economy picking lesson myself, i will learn yours to incorporate it into my playing, looking forward to the next part. Apr 16, 2019 the aggressive fluidity of economy picking is a valuable technique in any guitarists repertoire, providing the means for maximized speed with minimal effort. Economy picking is a great strategy if you play the phrases that are the most difficult on the guitar.
As we develop our picking hand, alternate picking can open a whole new world of techniques and music not obtainable otherwise. Guitar picking mechanics equips you to use a standard guitar pick a. Practicing economy picking is a radically different process than practicing alternate picking. Sweep picking exercises 5 yngwie malmsteen riffs to boost. For me and a lot of other speedsters out there, the choice is economy picking. This exercise is efficient because it crams all of the following into one exercise. The next guitar picking exercises example incorporates open triads, different rhythms, and string skipping. Learn how to create lines in the style of eric johnson, shawn lane, and joe bonamassa. I will go over 5 economy picking licks, both modal and ii v i. Economy picking is a picking technique which uses economy of motion to great effect. Sweeppicking lesson exercises figure 1 this cmaj7 arpeggio on the two middle strings works just as well on the top two or bottom two.
Sweep picking versus economy picking jazz guitar lessons. The exercises in this lesson are about creating alternative sequences, such as 1 5 3 1 5 3 1 5 3 etc. When changing to a new string, sweep picking picking in the direction of travel. Alternate picking exercises 9 john petrucci riffs to boost.
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